Got a weekend to spare in Hong Kong? Not keen on drinking or partying it up? Try these family-friendly activities.

Learn Tai Chi from the master
Hongkongers’ favourite means of keeping fit is taught for free by Hong Kong’s best-known Tai Chi master, Mr Ng. The lessons take place at Sculpture Court, in front of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Tsim Sha Tsui. 8am-9am, free. 2508 1234.

Learn Feng Shui
A great chance to learn some basic knowledge of Feng Shui. This free one-hour class teaches the traditional concepts surrounding the practice of the practice. Alex Yu Geomancy & Physiognomy, Flat B and C, 14/F, Golden Hill Commercial Building, 39-41 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, 2508 1234. 10.30am-11.30am, free.

See the pink dolphins
Take a boat tour to see world’s pinkest dolphins in their natural habitat in and around the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park. If you are unlucky and don’t see any dolphins on the tour, they will let you join the tour again for free. Free drinks on board. Dolphin watching tours depart from Kowloon Hotel at 9am (2984 1414, www.hkdolphinwatch.com). $360 per adult, $180 per child.

Learn a new recipe
Ever wanted to learn how to cook your favourite dim sum or local Chinese dish? Towngas Cooking Centre offers many cooking courses, from Chinese, other Asian cuisines to desserts throughout the week (including Friday). Towngas Cooking Centre, Basement, Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Rd, Causeway Bay (2576 1535, www.towngascooking.com/eng/index.asp).

Stage your own concert
Every Friday, the Culture Club runs an open mic from 8pm to 10pm. Call them a week or two in advance and they will make the arrangement for you. Culture Club, 15 Elgin St, Central, 2127 7936, www.cultureclub.com.hk. 8pm-10pm. 

Meanwhile, the homely and Bohemiam Senses 99 offers an electric piano, drum kit, and guitars for jamming with like-minded others into the early hours of the morning. 2/F-3/F, 99 Wellington St, Central, 9466 4695. Late nights, weekends only.

Head to TakeOut for comedy
The TakeOut Comedy Club has comedy shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Chinese shows, English standup comedy and improv shows are on offer on Fridays and Saturdays. TakeOut Comedy Club, Basement, 34 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, 6220 4436, www.takeoutcomedy.com.

Art Jam
An opportunity to get together with a group of people and painting materials to create impromptu art. Art Jam, 123 Wellington St, Central, 2541 8816, www.artjamming.com. Afternoon session 2pm-6pm; evening session 7pm-11pm (last check-in 9pm).

Experience the traditional Hong Kong lifestyle
A tour run by a local operator lets you spend your morning experiencing the traditional Hong Kong lifestyle. The tour takes about four hours and departs from The Excelsior Hotel at 7.30am and The Salisbury YMCA at 7.45am. 2369 9628; www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/culture.html. $298 per adult, $248 per child/senior.

Discover the heritage of Hong Kong
New Territories is where much of Hong Kong’s heritage is kept and found. With the Heritage Tour by Gray Line Tours, you get to visit many heritage sites in the area. The tour takes five hours. Heritage Tour, departs from the Kowloon Hotel at 8.45am. 2207 723, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/culture.html. $320 per adult, $270 per student/senior/child.

Meet new people, learn something new
Taking up an art class, language lessons or sport class is always a good chance to meet new people and find a new pastime. English-speaking members department of Hong Kong YWCA hold classes on Fridays. They also have children’s programmes anda local culture course that includes Mahjong lessons. Hong Kong YWCA, 3/F, 1 MacDonnell Rd, Central, 3476 1340, www.esmdywca.org.hk.

Dine at a private kitchen
Friday is one of only three nights that Magnolia, one of the city’s best private dining rooms, opens its door. Here you’ll experience home cooking at its best, including perhaps the best Cajun meal you’ll taste outside of New Orleans. G/F, 17 Po Yan St, Sheung Wan, 2530 9880, www.magnolia.hk/. $450 per person for the set menu; BYOB.

Ride on Chinese Junk
Set sail into scenic Victoria Harbour on an authentic Chinese junk. The vessel, Duk Ling, was restored in 1980s after sailing on the waters for 25 years, and is the last authentic sailing junk in Hong Kong.
Duk Ling departs from Kowloon public pier, Tsim Sha Tsui, at 10am and noon, and departs from Central pier at 11am and 1pm. 2508 1234, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/things-to-do/images/duk-ling-ride.pdf. $50 per person.

Catch the races in Sha Tin
Horse racing season in Hong Kong runs from September to early July. Catch the fast-paced action and drama, and take a flutter at one of the world’s finest racecourses at Sha Tin. The course features the longest diamond vision screen in the world. Sha Tin Racecourse, Sha Tin. 2695 6223; racecourses.hkjc.com/english/come_racing/racecourses/shatin/. $10 entrance fee.

Make your own jewellery
Ever wanted to design and make your own piece of jewellery? The basic jewellery making class held by Random Art Workshop will give you basic beading and wiring techniques and guidance to design and create your own earring, necklace or bracelet. Unit 1203, Island Beverley, 1 Great George St, Causeway Bay, 2811 1845, www.randomartworkshop.com. 10am-1pm or 2pm-5pm, last Saturday of the month; $650 including materials.

Learn history
The Hong Kong Story exhibition at the Museum of History is a multimedia extravaganza comprised of eight galleries and showcases the miracle that is modern day Hong Kong. Take free guided tour for an eventful historical journey as the tour guides give you insights on Hong Kong’s development.
Hong Kong Museum of History, 100 Chatham Rd South, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2724 9042, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/things-to-do/cultural-tours.com. Museum admission $10 per adult.

Night at the Art Museum
The Hong Kong Museum of Art usually closes at 6pm but opens till 8pm on Saturdays. The museum houses more than 15,000 art objects including Chinese paintings and calligraphy works. 10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2721 0110, www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Arts. Museum admission $10 per adult.

Explore Hong Kong’s back yard
Take the Back Garden tour to experience the vivid clash between old and new, east and west in Sai Kung, the biggest nature reserve in Hong Kong. The five-hour tour includes pick-up from Tsim Sha Tsui, guide service, coach transport and a traditional Chinese junk ride. The Hong Kong Back Garden Tour departs Kowloon Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui at 9am. 2530 0530, www.jubilee.com.hk. $350 per person.

Do some gardening
For obvious reasons, gardening might not be the most popular pastime in Hong Kong, but if you have green fingers, you can join the Hong Kong Gardening Society for workshops and outings on Saturdays. www.gardeninghongkong.com.

Feng Shui learning tour
This tour gives you the perfect chance to learn Feng Shui and understand how it has influenced the landscape of major commercial areas of Hong Kong. The tour lasts approx 3.5 hours. The Feng Shui Tour departs The Excelsior Hotel at 3.45am and from The Salisbury YMCA at 9.15am. 2369 9628, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/culture-fengshui.html. $320 per adult, $270 per child/senior.

Tour the islands
Spend a day on the one of Hong Kong’s outlying islands, which are only accessible by boat. This tour boat tour also comes with shore excursions and lasts about seven hours. It includes a light lunch. Northeast New Territories Islands Hopping Tour, departs outside Sheraton Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui, at 8,45am. 2527 2513, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/outlying.html. $480 per person.

By Sayaka Morita