Discover Miami with Kids

Blessed with a lush tropical landscape, world class beaches, and abundant sunshine, Miami can sometimes be a prisoner of its own image. While a day out at the beach is always fun, Miami offers a host of wholesome entertainment options, especially for families with kids. As one of America's great urban centers, Miami is well endowed with a thriving arts and culture scene. Rest assured, you and your family will never run out of options when it comes to destinations that combine leisure with a rich cultural exposure. 

In this article, we present you a curated list of eight such venues that should be on your must visit list when you are out and about in Miami.

1) Miami Children's Museum:

A perfect venue for the entire family, the museum houses 14 galleries full of fascinating and interactive features and exhibits. Galleries like Castle of Dreams, Pet Central, Meet Miami, Ocean Odyssey, and World Music Studio are especially popular as they not only entertain but also bring out the creative best in you. The museum also serves up as a venue to celebrate birthday parties. You can arrange themed parties and the museum will make it a truly memorable affair with its delightful magic shows. Conveniently located at Macarthur Causeway, you can check out their website for visiting hours and ticket prices.

2) History Miami:

Miami is a city that plays host to people with varied cultural and ethnic background. And nowhere is Miami's cultural diversity and history better preserved than HistoryMiami, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. Founded in 1940, this venerable Miami institution documents and celebrates Miami's history as a crossroads of the Americas. Located at West Flagler Street, HistoryMiami houses a world class museum with many rare exhibits, an archives center, a folk life center and a city tour division. One of the best way to enjoy and learn about the city of Miami is by joining one of the city tours conducted by HistoryMiami. These off site excursions include visits to historic neighborhoods, landmarks, and sites throughout the southern Florida region. Guided by an acclaimed historian, the tours involve walks, bike rides, as well as coach and boat trips. 

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3) Miami Science Museum:

Science can be fun and endlessly fascinating, and if you want proof, then look no further than Miami Science Museum. Located at South Miami Avenue, north of Coconut grove, the museum has an exhibits section, a planetarium, and a wildlife center. The exhibits center always has several theme based galleries running in parallel throughout the year. The themes themselves are delightfully varied like space, natural history, energy, information technologies to name just a few. The museum also houses an impressive wildlife center dedicated to rehabilitating injured birds of prey. However, the real show piece of the museum is the planetarium that houses an impressive 65 feet domed projection unit. A state of the art star projector, surround sound system, and other top of the line multimedia facilities have turned this planetarium into a crowd favorite.  Big changes are on the way!  The Science Museum is having it's NEW HOME built in downtown Miami right along the Bay in an area referred to as Museum Park.  The new Science Museum will be called: Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science.

4) Miccosukee Indian Village:

Located 30 minutes west of Miami Dade County, the Miccosukee Indian village is a true weekend retreat. The village features luxurious suites, a sprawling golf course, a massive range of gaming options, and the star of the show, its cultural showcase of Miccosukee Indian tribe. The village hosts a lot of cultural events and musical concerts to highlight and promote the rich cultural heritage of this Native American tribe. In addition, you can enjoy guided tours of the Indian village that features intricate artworks like woodcarvings, patchworks, hand made dolls, and paintings by tribal artists. The adventure does not end there as the village has an airboat ride that takes you through the expansive river of grass, and explore hammock style Miccosukee camps. You can end the day with a fitting dinner at the Miccosukee restaurant that serves authentic Indian dishes including pumpkin breads and frog's legs. 

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5) Miami Children's Theater:

Started with an express aim to develop love and passion for theater among the youth, this reputed theater has been a major presence on Miami's cultural scene over the last two decades. The theater goes to extra length to make sure it lives up to its original motto of 'theater for the children and theater by the children'. However, you should not let that motto fool you into believing that it's not a place for adults to enjoy the performances. The theater regularly holds plays and dance performances that are played before packed houses. 

6) The Miami Seaquarium:

The Miami Seaquarium is one of the signature attractions of the city and draws crowd from the world over. Located on the RickenBacker Causeway, the Seaquarium features jaw dropping performances by dolphins, killer whales, and other creatures of the sea. While the place is truly one of its kind when it comes to unadulterated entertainment, the Seaquarium also is a fantastic venue to raise awareness about the fragile marine ecology and the threats faced by magnificent sea creatures. 

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7) Zoo Miami:

Fast gaining reputation as one of the finest zoological parks in the US, the Miami MetroZoo has long been a favorite among the locals. Covering an area well over 740 acres, a visit to this free range zoo is a splendid way to spend your day out. The tropical climate of Miami allows the zoo to keep a variety of native species from places like Asia, Africa, and Australia. One of the stand out aspect of this zoo is the free range facility where animals that co-exist peacefully are placed according to their geographic territory and are allowed to mingle together. The MetroZoo has, with great effort and care, tried to mimic the natural habitat of these animals in terms of soil types, shrubs, and trees. Apart from watching a truly impressive variety of species from all over the globe, you can also participate in feeding activities, and pet certain animals. 

8) Everglades:

As a geographical landmark, the Everglades symbolizes southern Florida in the same manner Yosemite does for California. A vast geographical area consisting of swamps, sub tropical forest, and grassy prairies, the Everglades National Park attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Accorded the status of a world heritage site by the UNESCO, Everglades is home to 14 endangered species including the American crocodile and West Indian Manatee. Camping in the rejuvenating wilderness of this unique ecological reserve is truly a once in a lifetime experience.