Fun & Affordable Vacation Ideas in Miami with Kids

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is a 250,000-square-foot museum and science center in downtown Miami that provides a range of inspiring programming and experiences to encourage visitors to take an interest in the sciences. The museum is divided into four sections, each of which occupies their building, namely the Aquarium, the Frost Planetarium and the North and West Wings. The Aquarium is a tri-level 500,000-gallon Gulf Stream aquarium that houses a wide variety of marine creatures, and the North and West Wings boast year-round, interactive exhibits such as Rivers of Grass, Feathers to the Stars, and MeLab. The Frost Planetarium features a 67-foot planetarium dome and presents sky and star shows, rock ‘n’ rolls laser light shows, and scavenger hunts for children of all ages. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science are open 365 days a year.

Museum Park, 1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, 33132, Phone: 305-434-9600

The Miami Seaquarium is one of South Florida’s top attractions and Miami’s premier facility for seeing and experiencing marine life with an array of activities, including favorite marine shows, feeding experiences, and designated splash zones. Located on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, the world-class marine-life entertainment park was founded in 1955 and houses a wealth of marine creatures from sea turtles, sharks, and manatees to killer whales, sea lions, and dolphins. The 38-acre oceanarium offers eight different aquatic animal shows, and presentations on a daily basis, including dolphin and killer whale, shows, sea lion and manatee feeding experiences, seal kissing demos and tickling stingrays.

4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, 33149, Phone: 305-361-5705

Located across the causeway from the popular Jungle Island on Watson Island, the Miami Children’s Museum is dedicated to teaching children how to explore and discover through a variety of interactive and immersive experiences. Founded in 1983, the 56,500-square-foot museum is based in an architecturally significant building designed by Arquitectonica and features 14 permanent galleries filled with exhibits and displays, a 200-seat auditorium, pre-school classrooms, an educational gift shop, a parent/teacher resource center, and Subway restaurant. The family-friendly museum presents an array of bilingual and immersive exhibits, as well as educational programs, classes, and workshops for children of all ages.

980 MacArthur Causeway, Watson Island, Miami, 33132, Phone: 305-373-5437

The Wynwood Walls in Miami is the city’s only outdoor street art park that features works by some of the world’s most acclaimed artists and muralists. Launched during Art Basel in 2009 with just a few commissioned murals to beautify the area, the park has become one of Miami’s top attractions, showcasing works by How and Nosm, Shepard Fairey, Retna, Ryan McGuinness, the Date Farmers, Kenny Scharf, and Liqen. Admission to the walkable outdoor museum is free where buildings have replaced the usual gallery canvas and works are impressive in their scale, reflecting the vibrant atmosphere of the surrounding Wynwood.

2520 NW 2nd Ave, Miami FL 33127, Phone: 305-531-4411

Monkey Jungle is a 30-acre wildlife park, zoological garden and historic tourist attraction in Miami that is dedicated to the study of endangered monkeys in semi-natural habitats. Established in 1933 and located in Redland, the park is home to around 500 free-roaming primates of 18 species that visitors can see and experience by walking through a series of tunnel cages. Attractions at the park include the Wild Monkey Swimming Pool where monkeys demonstrate these water skills; and the Cameroon Gorilla Forest which is home to a group of gorillas; the Amazonian Rainforest, which is home to around 125 squirrel monkeys; and the Wings of Love with large free-flight geodesic domes where an array of bird species live.

14805 SW 216th St, Miami, FL 33170, Phone: 305-235-1611

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a beautifully maintained 2.6-acre urban green space that features an array of native Florida plants and trees, a Japanese Garden, plant nursery and an event plaza. Founded in 1962 and later renovated by South Florida landscape architect Raymond Jungles, the gardens feature meandering pathways, water gardens with fountains and ponds, a wetland with mangrove, a native garden and bio-swale, and a pretty Japanese Garden. Species that can be seen in the garden home include palms, cycads, orchids, and bromeliads, and visitors can purchase young plants at the plant nursery. A Great Lawn and event plaza can be hired for special events and celebrations, and nighttime lights add a romantic touch to an evening at the gardens. The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is open Tuesday to Sunday with free admission.

2000 Convention Center Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, Phone: 305-673-7256

Located in the heart of Coral Gables, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is an 83-acre botanic garden that is home to extensive collections of rare tropical plants such as cycads, palms, flowering trees, and vines. Established in 1936 by Robert H. Montgomery and opened to the public in 1938, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden focuses on preserving biodiversity and conserving tropical plants to avoid the extinction of species and their habitats. Located in Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, just south of Miami, the garden is surrounded by the Matheson Hammock Park and features several facilities, including a museum, a laboratory, a butterfly house, a learning center, and a conservation research facility. The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens also hosts art exhibits throughout the year.

10901 Old Cutler Rd, Coral Gables, FL 33156, Phone: 305-667-1651

The Miami Children's Theater is a family-focused community theater that presents a line-up of performances that are produced, acted and choreographed by children. Based at the Dave and Mary Alper JCC in Miami, the Theater provides training for the nation’s top young talent, some of who go onto performing arts colleges in America and star on Broadway. The theater offers a variety of classes including Mainstage Jr., group vocal classes, and audition technique classes for budding actors and actresses, and students. The Miami Children’s Theater has additional locations in Coral Gables and Miami Beach.

11155 SW 112th Avenue, Miami, Phone: 305-274-3595

Based at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, the AutoNation IMAX 3D Theater offers one of the extraordinary theater experiences in the world. Featuring new IMAX with LASER® groundbreaking movie projection technology, the AutoNation® IMAX 3D Theater provides both 2D and 3D movies using the new dual 4K laser projection system, a next-generation sound system, and one of IMAX’s largest screens. The AutoNation IMAX 3D Theater is a designated Certified Giant Screen Cinema® with a six-story-high, 60 by 80-foot screen, which is large enough to show a life-size whale. The theater also features unique theater geometry, stadium seating and IMAX sound system, providing an exceptional and immersive film experience.

Museum of Discovery and Science/Blockbuster IMAX(r) Theatre, 401 SW Second Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, Phone: 954-467-6637

Located in Davie, the Young at Art Children’s Museum, originally called the Young at Art Children's Museum, is dedicated to showcasing young children’s artworks and promoting the arts to young visitors. Founded in 1987 by artists Esther and Mindy Shrago to fill a void in arts education in South Florida public schools, the museum is based in a 55,000 square foot Gold LEED building and features several exhibition galleries with a variety of artworks, along with studios for art classes and workshops. Five exhibition galleries include Artscapes, Culturescapes, Greenscapes, Wonderscapes, and The Knight Gallery, and provide authentic, interactive artistic, historical and cultural experiences for all audiences. The museum also offers educational programs and student field trips throughout the year.

751 SW 121st Ave, Davie, FL 33325, Phone: 954-424-0085