Top 10 South Florida Family Adventures

We have collected a selection of some of the most adventurous outings to take with your family and have rated them either MILD or WILD.  Families with younger children or the more cautious explorers would enjoy the milder activities while families with older or more adrenaline charged members can take a chance with something more wild.


Here is South Florida Finds Top 10 list of thrilling and exciting family fun activities in South Florida! Try something new for a change or celebrate a special occaision together in a fun way!
 

1) Boca Helicopters  (mild)

Take an exhilarating ride over the ocean, FAU campus or maybe even ask for a special route to go right over your house!  The family will love this new perspective over the local area as well as the novelty of flying in a helicopter. They offer an Introductory tour for about $65 per person, 1 child under 12 rides free.  The helicopter only holds about 3 passengers so maybe Mom on Mother's Day with the kids or the birthday child with a best friend and parent.  It will surely be an event they talk about for years to come!  Keep your eye out on Groupon as there are sometimes great deals available.  The company also has more involved tours that fly over several local areas at an additional cost.

2) Speedboat Tours  (wild)

Jet Boat Miami and Miami Thriller Speedboat Tour  will have you feeling like Don Johnson on the popular 80s show Miami Vice!  Miami Thriller Speedboat Tour lets you experience the unadulterated joy of a wind-in-the-hair speedboat ride. On the thriller speedboat tour, along with speed, you will also have the pleasure of admiring the glamorous Miami skyline. The exhilarating ride will take you through famous South Beach with its historical Art Deco buildings, as well as Star and Fisher islands dotted with celebrity mansions.

Jet Boat Miami takes you and your family on the ride of a lifetime doing 360 turns, side drifting and high speed cruising.  Both tours will take you past the homes of the rick & famous along the coasts of Miami.  Whether you are a local resident or visiting from out of town this will be one invigorating way to take in the sights in Miami.   Expect to go home wet and smelling like the sea after your thrill ride.  Some say this is as exciting, if not more so, than roller-coasters and other thrill rides.   

3. Big Bus HOHO Miami Tour and 3 South Florida Duck Tours (mild)

Big cities like Miami, with their bewildering variety of attractions, are often under-explored even by residents. If you have been thinking of exploring this buzzing city but never got around to it, then look no further than the hop on and hop off bus tour organized by Big Bus. The tour itself is organized on an open air double decker bus, and covers all the historic, popular, and trendy parts of this magnificent city. The tour would let you soak in the phenomenal skyline of downtown Miami from unique vantage points, take you through the sublime South Beach, and let you take in the unique cultural vibe of neighborhoods like Little Havana.  Bring the family to Miami for a full day of adventures.  Park the car and your worries as you let Big Bus handle the navigating.  The bus tour offers you three thrilling land options: the city, Uptown and beach routes. Add on a water tour via yacht or take an in depth walking tour in Little Havana. You can buy either a 24 or 48 hour bus pass and enjoy unlimited rides within their duration. You will also have a guide along the tour as well as a headset for commentary in a range of languages. Additional boat and walking tours are available as well!

Duck Tours can be had in South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.  Start off on land exploring the highlights each city has to offer and then splash into the nearest body of water to explore the waterways surrounding these internationally renowned coasts.  Kids get little quakers on some tours that they will cherish and drive you crazy with long after the tour has ended.  Take a tour with a twist in it that is perfect for outings with grandparents, small kids, and the less adventurous who want mild thrills.  
__PAGE_BREAK__

4) Everglades Safari Park (mild)

One of the most charming facts about life in the South Florida region is the unbelievable outdoor options available - and all of it only minutes away from our urban comforts. The legendary Everglades, recognized by the United Nations as a world heritage site, is probably the crown jewel of South Florida outdoors. Nothing tames this wild swampland quite like an airboat ride organized by Everglades Safari Park. 

You will get to explore the mind boggling diversity of flora and fauna of the sprawling wetland with a visit to the Seminole tribe on their reservation. The airboat ride cuts through the river of grass and brings you in close contact with the wildlife including turtles, snakes, deer, rare birds, and alligators in their natural habitat. To add to the thrill, the highly trained and experienced navigators would perform sharp turns and accelerate every so often for that heart in the mouth experience.  In addition to the airboat ride, take your family to the alligator show or on an exploratory hike on one of their trails!
 

5) Miami Seaquarium (mild)

A veritable Miami institution, the seaquarium is one of the most loved places to spend a day out. You get to witness jaw dropping performances from highly trained dolphins and sea mammals, and interact with these friendly and fun loving mammals in a safe environment. The Seaquarium encourages patrons to step into the pool, touch, interact, and feed these lovable creatures of the sea. All of this under the watchful gaze of a highly trained instructor who would also inform and educate you about the fragile environment these mammals are faced with. Splurge and take the family on one of their Sea Trek Reef Encounters where you can walk amongst the tropical fish or maybe swim with the dolphins. 
 

6)  Aerial Trapeze Academy (wild)

Located in Palm Beach county, the Aerial Trapeze Academy promises to be a fun destination for everyone, no matter what their age. Visitors can not only enjoy their breathtaking shows, but also learn the tricks of the trade from leading practitioners of the craft. Depending on your fitness and aptitude, you can enroll for several classes including Hoop Lyra, Aerial Hammock, Spanish Web, and Static Single Trapeze, and experience the thrill of gravity defying stunts.


__PAGE_BREAK__
 

7) Paintball Adventures (wild)

Family Paintball in Miami-Dade county and Hot Shots Paintball in Palm Beach county both offer families an exciting opportunity to engage in paint warfare together...or maybe in competition with each other!  Combat ready fields with forts, school buses, and other creative objects to hide amongst while get the blood pumping and the heart racing.  Stay for the day or if you can't get enough even get frequent visitor passes so that you can settle your family disputes on the field!  Safety is a priority in this sport and staff are on hand to ensure guidelines for safety are adhered to before, during and after play.  If your child loved laser tag at the local indoor kiddie centers then it may be time to kick it up a notch with something a little more intense!  Great idea for a birthday party that will have the kids at school talking for the rest of the school year!

8) Water Sports (mild or wild)

Take your family on a water adventure with such a diverse list of options available in South FLorida.  Try Snuba (yes that is not a typo, sNuba) in Key West, surfing, parasailing, snorkelling, diving, and so much more.  Explore the glorious underwater environs or engage in an invigorating sport that is sure to take your breath away.  Life is short, make memories!

Try out one of these great options:

Hobie Wave Rental. It is surprising how many people in South Florida region, despite living so close to the waters, have never experienced the undiluted thrill of sailing. The Hobie wave is specially designed for first time and novice sailors, where you can gain mastery over the controls in a 15 minute long tutorial.  You could have the dolphins distract and amuse you with their lovable ways, and you may even join them for a swim while staying close to the sailboat.  Visit Delray Watersports to rent one or partake in some of their other great watersports like surfing, windsurfing, snorkelling, kayaking, and SUP (stand-up paddleboard).

Snuba Key West.  This is the ultimate compromise for folks who may not be too comfortable with scuba diving or snorkelling.  With snuba you don't have to have heavy tanks on your back and all sorts of equipment and you don't have to worry (like with snorkelling) about keeping your breathing tube above the water surface.  Explore underwater environs with just a mask connected to a tube that allows you to breathe.  

Parasailing.  Lift off with a huge colorful sail over the water and take in the view.  Ride tandem with your child or solo (depending on your age and size).  This experience quickens the heart and leaves you feeling, literally, uplifted afterwards.  Several businesses offer this service in the South Florida area.  Check out Hollywood Parasail, Key Largo Parasail, and Parasail Miami Beach.

Check our list for other water sport activity ideas here.

__PAGE_BREAK__

9)  Skydive Miami  (WILD)

Probably the grand daddy of family adventure, a sky dive truly satiates our human yearning for flight and freedom. If you have this compelling desire to chuck yourself out of an airplane flying far up in the sky, then Skydive Miami would make your wishes come true. Boasting of a highly trained, experienced and friendly staff, Skydive Miami gives you the option of going for either a solo or a tandem dive. Even better, you can also have your dive recorded to relive the excitement in the future. 

10) Miami Exotic Auto Racing (wild)

Love fast sports cars and drool over the likes of a shiny red Lamborghini?  You and your family can't miss this special thrill available to you both in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. You will get to choose 2 cars to drive: a Ferrari, an Audi or a Lamborghini, and then race 6 laps around a professional race course at top speed! Want to treat your non-driving child to a special experience for his/her birthday?  No worries, Miami Exotic Auto Racing will escort your child with their professional instructor at the wheel using either a Corvette or Ferrari.  Pricing for a ride-along is less than the cost of driving and varies depending on the car choice.  Those members of the family not participating can watch the action from the air conditioned Sky box.  Get a chance to drive some of the exotic cars that zip by you on I-95.  Maybe this experience will inspire the next Mario Andretti in your own family!