Boschendal Wine Estate: The Treehouse kids club
- Tarryn Rees
- May 20
- 8 min read
The 30-second verdict
Boschendal is a 330-year-old working wine estate between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek that has quietly turned itself into one of the most family-friendly wine farms in the Cape Winelands. The draw for parents is The Tree House, a free play area open year round. Best of all they offer a proper holiday camp for ages 4 to 12, with morning, afternoon and full-day sessions during South African school holidays. Add night markets under fairy lights, an excellent farm Deli and Farm Shop, picnics with live music, a Cellar Door for tasting, and a huge range of on-estate accommodation, and you have a single destination that works for families. Worth a weekend but I'd stay more, as it's central location puts you in easy distance to excellent wine farms and activities.
You don't need to memorise this. But knowing the Werf is the buzzy bit, and everything else is "somewhere on the farm," will save you a lot of confusion when planning.
The Tree House holiday programme
The Tree House is the name of the enclosed farm play area which can be used in many different ways. The first is a free, unsupervised play area open daily to all visitors, the second daily paid programmes and third a supervised holiday programme that runs during South African school holidays.
Here's how the holiday programme works.
Ages. 3 to 12, with staff gently dividing activities so younger ones aren't overwhelmed and older ones aren't bored.
Group size. A maximum of fifteen children per session, small enough that the team know names by mid-morning.
Session lengths. Morning slot, afternoon slot or full day. Fridays are usually morning only.
Booking. Tickets are released ahead of each holiday season and close at midday the day before. Christmas and Easter sessions fill quickly, so book before you arrive on the farm if you're set on a particular day.
Cost. The day-visitor rate is around R400 for a full day per child, with shorter slots cheaper. Some on-estate accommodation packages bundle the Tree House programme in, sometimes complimentary, sometimes discounted, so check what your booking includes. Camp Canoe doesn't include the camp; we paid the day rate, and it was well worth it.
Siena attended three sessions across our stay. The first was a morning slot, booked as a "let's see how it goes." She came back so happy that we booked another morning, then a full day. In one session she helped build a stick teepee with new friends. In another she planted seedlings, did a pony ride, and water-played in the splash pad in the heat of the afternoon. There were nature crafts, parts of the working farm she wouldn't otherwise have seen, and a small social ecosystem of children rotating in and out.
The programme is genuinely outdoorsy. Children spend most of the day outside, walking the farm, getting dirty, doing hands-on crafts. So if your child needs structured indoor entertainment or struggles in heat this isn't for them. If your child finds new social situations difficult, the small group size and the lovely staff will support the initial wariness.
The holiday programme isn't just for the kids, it's for the parents! We managed to explore some of the surrounding less kid friendly farms, have slow days and "date".
The free Tree House play area
Separate from the paid holiday programme, but using the same physical space, is the Tree House play area itself. It's open during normal estate hours, free for everyone to use, and you'll find it right beside the Werf precinct.
It's farm fun and filled with natural materials. A jungle gym with two large slides, walkways and climbing platforms, acorn-shaped hideouts, a pump track for scooters and balance bikes, a splash pad for hot summer days, and shaded areas with seating for parents.
The space is well-designed for younger and older kids to use at the same time without anyone being out of their depth. There's no supervision here, so you're keeping an eye on your own children.
Bring your own scooters for the pump track or rent them on-site.
There's also the Boschendal Farm Explorers Passport, a small booklet kids work through during their visit. They earn stamps for completing activities, and a filled passport unlocks prizes (t-shirts, mystery boxes, vouchers). Free for in-house guests; ask at the Tree House desk on arrival, also available at the markets.
The Night Market
Every Friday from early October to late April, the Werf transforms. Fairy lights go up between the oak trees, bean bags appear on the lawns, a live music stage is set up, and food stalls open along the courtyard. It runs from 5pm to 9pm, weather permitting.
We went on our second night and it was exactly what we'd hoped. Walking under the fairy lights with a glass of Boschendal wine in hand, grazing food stalls, lazing on bean bags while a live band played, and watching Siena drift between it all without once asking to leave. The crowd was a mix of families with small kids and couples on date night, set under the trees with the mountains glowing behind. It's one of those nights where you genuinely don't want to leave.
The food and drink range is broad. Wood-fired pizzas, beef burgers, oysters, curries, charcuterie and cheese platters, Boschendal wines and gin cocktails from the Werf Bar, and sweet stalls (pancakes, waffles, baked goods) for dessert. Vegetarian and lighter options too. There's enough variety that a fussy six-year-old and two grown-ups all eat happily.
The Deli and the Farm Shop
The Deli is the casual restaurant on the Werf, set in what used to be the wagon house. Tables are arranged inside (near the wood-burning fire in winter) and outside (under the oaks in summer). It's family-friendly without being a kids' restaurant.
We ate here a few times, salads, a pie, a kiddies' toastie from the children's menu. The wider menu rotates seasonally and leans on what's coming off the farm: wood-fired pizzas, big sharing salads, breakfasts that run all morning, and a few proper dessert moments (the malva pudding and the carrot cake are both reputational).
Service was warm. The space is loud enough that a noisy child blends in and quiet enough that you can still hear yourself talk. Outside under the oaks is the move on a sunny day.
A few specifics to plan around. The Deli is open daily 12pm to 9pm most days, but Fridays close early (kitchen shuts around 3pm) so the team can pivot to the market. Bookings for parties of five or more require a small deposit per head. Walk-ins are welcome at quieter times.
Right next door is the Farm Shop and Butchery, and this is where things get dangerous! Fresh Black Angus beef and Duroc pork from the farm. Local cheeses, charcuterie, and an in-house bakery with olive oil pressed on site. Honey, jams, fresh produce, and a small homeware section that exists to part you from your money. We went in twice for "just a loaf of bread" and left both times with armloads of meat, cheese, bakery goods and fruit for the braai back at Camp Canoe. And a round of alcoholic slushies that we did not see coming and absolutely loved.
If you're self-catering anywhere on the estate (Camp Canoe, the cottages, the villas), the Farm Shop is your friend.
Where to stay at Boschendal
A short section, because the accommodation range is huge and a proper review of each would need a guide of its own. Across the estate, Boschendal runs at least eleven different stays, grouped roughly as follows.
For couples and small families: Werf Garden Suites and Cottages, Clarence Cottage, and the newer self-catering studios near the Werf. Walking distance to The Deli and the gardens, breakfast included at Arum.
For families with one or two kids: Orchard Cottages (multiple sizes, shared pool, a couple of kilometres from the Werf), Cow Shed Cottage (sleeps four, secluded), Loft Farmhouse (sleeps eight, more central).
For groups and multigenerational families: Cottage 1685 (Herbert Baker-designed, sleeps up to ten), Rhodes Cottage (sleeps ten across a main house and annex), Vineyard Farmhouse (five bedrooms, ping-pong and a pool), Mountain Villa (six bedrooms, sleeps twelve, private pool and pizza oven, the top of the range).
For corporate retreats or large reunions: The Retreat, a cluster of eighteen two-bedroom cottages with a shared restaurant, eco pool and conference facilities.
For something completely different: Camp Canoe, the seven-tent luxury glamping setup on the upper slopes, with wood-fired hot tubs and private decks. It isn't walkable to the Werf (you'll drive), but it's our personal favourite. Read our full Camp Canoe family review here.
Two practical notes across all of these. A 2% conservation levy is added per cottage per night, contributing to Boschendal's regenerative farming and biodiversity work. And for the Mountain Villa and the upper-slope properties, a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
Beyond the Deli: where else to eat
Arum by the Fyn Group has taken over the fine-dining slot at the Werf precinct. We didn't eat there on this trip (we had a six-year-old and a glass of rosé instead), but the Fyn Group pedigree is excellent, and Arum is the one we'd book on a kid-free return.
The Cellar Door does street-food-style lunches alongside wine tasting, ideal for a lighter midday stop.
The Retreat Restaurant is open for guests staying at the Retreat cottages, and bookable by others for Sunday brunch.
Boschendal's picnic baskets, available on the lawns of the Werf with 24-hour pre-booking, are the most photographed part of the estate for good reason. Farm-fresh sharing platters, kid baskets included, served under the oaks. We did this on day two. Siena ate her bodyweight in cheese, refused one olive, then chased ducks for an hour. Five stars from her.
Things to do beyond eating
Even subtracting the food and the Tree House, Boschendal has a lot on offer
Wine tasting at the Cellar Door. We did a tasting flight on one of the camp mornings, friendly, unstuffy, no dress code, no rush and kids welcome.
Walking the gardens. Rose garden, kitchen garden, herb garden, all open and well-kept. Free to wander.
The Norval Gallery at the Manor House. Free admission, daily 9am to 5pm, rotating exhibitions through the Norval Foundation's satellite programme.
Pony rides for ages 4 to 7, at the Werf area on weekends and public holidays from noon, around R60 per child.
Horse riding through the vineyards for older kids and adults, around R450 per person for an hour.
Mountain biking and hiking trails across the estate, from a gentle farm road to single-track for serious riders, free, bicycle rental available
Trout fishing at one of the dams, with rod hire available.
Swimming in the dams in warmer months. Wild swimming territory, cold but very clean.
The verdict: who Boschendal is perfect for
Boschendal works for almost every type of family travel, which is rare. Couples can do a romantic stay with wine and gardens. Families with one or two school-age kids can use the Tree House and the play area to genuinely have their own days. Multigenerational groups can fill the Mountain Villa and use the estate as a one-stop holiday. Even babies and toddlers, with the right cottage and a quieter time of year, can come along and enjoy the lawns and the gardens. It's not perfect, and there are caveats. The estate is large, so you'll drive between accommodation and the Werf. The cashless rule trips people up. The market closes for winter. The Werf Restaurant's closure means the fine-dining map has shifted, and Arum is still bedding in. But if you're looking for a single destination to anchor a Cape Winelands family trip, this is the one we'd send our own friends to first. Siena still talks about her pet snail and friends she meet at camp.
Camp Canoe
If you're thinking of staying on the estate, read our full review of Camp Canoe, the luxury glamping spot.
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