Vacation Miami with kids: 6 top family activities?
A vacation to Miami is popular with families with kids. This large city with beautiful beaches has many attractions for kids. We have visited the city several times with our daughter and describe here the various activities you can do on your Miami vacation with kids.
Table of contents
Miami with kids #1 Visit South Beach and the famous Ocean Drive boulevard
Miami’s most famous beach is South Beach. This beautiful white beach is a great destination for families with kids. The only disadvantage of the beach is that the sea does get a bit rough, so we had to keep a close eye on our daughter.
Just behind the beach is a whole green strip with some playgrounds. The playground at the Lummus Parc was our daughter’s favorite.
If you walk a little further from the beach, you come right to the famous Ocean Drive boulevard. This is a great place for lunch and, of course, people-watching. It is see and be seen here. One big car to another passes by.
This makes South Beach an ideal destination for parents with kids. You have a beautiful beach with fine sand, playgrounds around the corner and also fine restaurants where you can have a nice lunch.
Miami with kids #2 Visit the crocodiles at Everglades Park
Just over a half-hour drive from Miami is the beautiful Everglades National Park known for the many crocodiles that can be viewed in the park.
As little as 15 euros per person, you can book a tour from Miami. You then take a tour across the water by airboat. The airboat is no longer officially allowed to operate in the national park itself because of the noise to the animals. At the edge of the park, these boats still sail.
On the tour we booked, we spotted a crocodile, a turtle and several birds. You can also apparently spot raccoons often in Everglades park. We booked the tour at Sawgrass Recreation Park. which is about a 35-minute drive from Miami. At this park there is also a kind of zoo, where you and your kids can have your picture taken with mini crocodiles, but we thought that was going a little too far.
If you go to the Everglades park here, you can easily combine it with a visit to the Sawgrass Mill shopping center. This is the largest outlet mall in Florida. These two destinations are only fifteen minutes apart, so you can easily visit Everglades Park in the morning and do some shopping in the afternoon. In the shopping mall you have a huge number of eateries, where you can have lunch in the coolness of the air conditioning.
There are many more opportunities to visit the crocodiles. So you can use your own rental car to spot the crocodiles along the water’s edge and even ride a bicycle.
If you want to know what to look for in a rental car, click here.
Miami with kids #3 Visit the Bill Bags Cape Florida State Park
On Key Biscane is the beautiful Bill Bags Cape Florida State Park. The beach at this park has already been in the top 10 best beaches in the United States. The park plus beach is definitely fun for kids as there are playgrounds, you can rent bikes and kayaks and the sea is a lot less rough.
With a rental car, this place is also easy to reach and there is plenty of parking. In terms of lunch options, it is a lot more limited here than South Beach, for example, but there is a small cafeteria where you can get something to eat. For a slightly better lunch, visit the Lighthouse Cafe!
From the beach you also have a nice view of the Miami skyline.
Miami with kids #4 Discover Miami’s many pools
In Miami with kids, the warm weather allows you to enjoy plenty of pools and water parks. With kids, of course, it is ideal for cooling off during the day. What are the options all:
- Venetian Pool: one of the most beautiful pools in Miami is the Venetian Pool. This historic pool is open to kids ages three and up. You pay $15 as an adult and $10 for kids. If you want to swim in a beautiful and quiet pool in the middle of downtown Miami with kids, this is a good option.
- Paradise Cove Waterpark. This water park is a half-hour drive from downtown Miami. It is Fort Lauderdale’s largest water park and you only pay a few dollars entrance fee to the park. Kids under 5 are free here. You can also park your car for free at this water park. At the dining area of the water park, many large monitor lizards sit on the terrace trying to steal a fry from the tourists sitting on the terrace. We found this to be a very nice water park in Miami with kids.
- Grapeland Waterpark. This is not recommended! A four-minute drive from the Miami airport sits this water park. We thought this was a terrible water park. Kids are allowed almost nothing here and there are an awful lot of lifeguards blowing their whistles all the time. Maybe it’s typical American, because they are afraid of getting a lawsuit on their hands, but here there was a lot of control over the kids. Not recommended in terms of water parks in Miami with kids.
Miami with kids #5 Take a day trip to Fort Lauderdale
From Miami, it is about a half-hour drive to the city of Fort Lauderdale. This city is also called the Venice of Florida and here you also have very wide beautiful beaches. If you want more information on what to do in Fort Lauderdale, read this travel blog.
Miami with kids#6 Visit the Children’s Museum in bad weather
Of course, there are times when the weather is not so good and then it is nice to have a bad weather program in Miami with kids. Fortunately, we had sunshine all days, but we still share with you our options we had on our list. These are the various options in case of bad weather:
- The Children’s museum is mostly about play. Kids can do all kinds of things there, including crafts and playing games. Playful learning is the focus here. So you can learn about the ocean and its animals. There is a saltwater tank with fish and coral in it. For smaller kids, Castle of Dreams is fun: a two-story sand castle with slide. At Health and Wellness, kids can have fun on a variety of equipment.
A ticket to the Miami Children’s Museum costs $22 per person.
- Philip and Patricia Fort Museum of Science. This is a great activity to entertain yourself for half a day. This museum is a bit more educational than the Children’s Museum, though. This museum is suitable for kids ages three and up and has as many as five floors. Kids here can learn about the universe at the Planetarium, the ocean at the Aquarium and the body at MelaB.
- Fun Dimension. In downtown Miami there is another great indoor playground. Here kids can also watch movies, ride bumper cars and play laser tag.
Where to stay in Miami with kids?
As for booking a hotel, Miami with kids is not a cheap destination. Especially not if you want to be somewhat central with your kids. It also depends a bit on whether you come to Miami primarily for the beach or if you want to do things as well. If you are a little more central, you can get around the city a little easier by public transportation (Buses and the free Metromover).
Hotel in the center
A good option with a great location right in the center is the
23 Plams Suites- By RocketSTAY
. This apartment is suitable for parents with two kids and features a pool. In addition, you have free parking for your car and can cook for your kids. This accommodation is a great base for doing things with the family.
Hotel near South Beach
If you come to Miami for the sun and beach, then obviously a hotel on South Beach is great. At the Crescent Resort on South Beach by Diamond Resorts you are very close to South Beach and, as parents, you have your own bedroom. You also have a kitchen at your disposal.
If you want a fantastic apartment in South Beach with your family then the
SBV Luxury Ocean Hotel Suites
may well be for you. This spacious room with private bedroom for the parents have views over the pool or the sea. The spacious balcony is also very nice for parents to have some drinks after the kids have gone to bed.
