Before European settlement, the Peramangk people occupied the Adelaide Hills region, including the land from the foothills, north from Mount Barker through Harrogate, Gumeracha, Mount Pleasant and Springton to the Angaston and Gawler districts in the Barossa Valley, and also southwards to Strathalbyn and Myponga on the Fleurieu Peninsula, as well as some sites on the River Murray to the east of the hills.

Commuter passenger train services used to run from the city to the town of Bridgewater in the heart of the hills but were cut back to terminate at Belair in 1987.

The tunnels, completed in 1999, are named after Sir Hans Heysen, an eminent local landscape painter whose home and studio, "The Cedars", has been maintained as a cultural site located near Hahndorf.

The elevation leads to cooler nights during the warm summer months, important for increasing the flavour of wines during the ripening season, and higher rainfall.

The first vines were planted in the Hills at Echunga by John Barton Hack in 1839, three years after South Australia was declared a province, with the first wines produced in 1843.

[citation needed] Gumeracha is home to the largest rocking horse in the world, standing at 18.3 metres (60.0 ft) (approximately the height of a six-storey building) and open to the public, it serves to advertise an adjacent wooden toy factory and wildlife park.

[11] The Tour Down Under is a major annual sporting event, which makes use of some of South Australia's most popular cycling locations, including the Hills.

Highlights of the Medieval Fair include live jousting tournaments held on horseback, blacksmithing and dance demonstrations, needlework and costume creation, and authentic music provided by wandering troubadours.

The genesis and popularity of these two colourful festivals, where patrons are encouraged to come in costume, springs from the relatively large numbers of British expatriates who reside in the Hills.

Throughout the year there are folk music sessions and concerts held in various small towns like Mt Pleasant, Mylor and Balhannah – connected with this same cultural community.

The park also has enclosed areas for dingos, koalas, native birds and snakes, and is a popular destination for school groups as well as interstate and international visitors.