July 09, 2018
From an interactive and educational day at the science museum to soaking up some sun at the beach, South Beach Miami is a great place to vacation with the entire family. To help you make your family trip as action-packed and memorable as possible, we have suggested a list of activities that will keep everyone happy.
The newly opened Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in downtown Miami’s Museum Park is one of the only science museums to boast both a planetarium and an aquarium. This means hours of exploration through the 250,000 square-foot campus that also features rooftop terraces for stargazing and urban farming, as well as six floors of fascinating exhibitions. Your family will be dazzled by the 500,000 gallon Gulf Stream aquarium with its resident hammerhead sharks and devil rays, as well as by the Frost Planetarium as it whisks you away to another galaxy using cutting-edge 8K technology.
For parents with younger children, head to the Miami Children’s Museum located on Watson Island on the MacArthur Causeway, just east of downtown. Here, your kids can create their own masterpieces at All About Art, Sketch Aquarium and Music Makers Studio, flex their math and science muscles at Bank, Construction Zone, and My Green Home and let their imagination run wild at Castle of Dreams and Ocean Odyssey exhibitions.
You can delve into Miami’s unique history at the HistoryMiami Museum. Best of all, admission is free on the second Saturday of each month from 10 am to 5 pm, with activities starting at 12 pm until 4 pm. Children and adults have the opportunity to learn about Miami’s communities and the past through exhibitions, art, and even city tours offered by the museum. You can also take part in a community mural activity, enjoy music, or listen to storytelling about Miami’s vibrant history and culture.
With its miles of pristine shoreline, South Beach gives you endless options for how to spend your day. Surfside and Sunny Isles Beach provide pristine conditions in a relaxed atmosphere perfect for young families. For active, adventurous families, consider Oleta River State Park Beach, Matheson Hammock Beach or Crandon Park Beach where activities like kayaking, canoeing, and kiteboarding are popular. If you have teenagers, they’ll love the vibe and excitement of South Beach and the Art Deco District near Ocean Drive.
Everglades National Park is one of the most unique ecosystems in the world with 1.5 million acres of subtropical wetlands, composed of sawgrass prairies, hardwood hammocks, and saltwater marshes—not to mention the fearsome Florida alligator. The best way to experience all of this up close and personal is on an airboat ride zooming through what’s often referred to as the “river of grass.”
Another great way to spend your day outdoors is at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Here, you can walk through nature paths and discover sculpture gardens, butterflies, and hummingbirds amidst native and tropical plants. With more than 3,400 species on display, you’ll spy palms, cycads, orchids and so much more through the various gardens and exhibitions divided between the Uplands and Lowlands ecosystems.
If you have animal lovers in your family, make sure you visit Zoo Miami, where you can see more than 3,000 animals are on view across 340-acres. It’s a fun attraction for the whole family with open-air exhibitions dedicated to animal habitats from around the world, including Florida’s Everglades, the Amazon, Africa, Australia and Asia. You’ll spot amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles as they roam freely in a habitat mimicking their native lands. You’ll also have the chance to feed animals, watch a wildlife show and ride through the zoo on a monorail or tram.
Lastly, make sure you get a chance to hike through America’s first national preserve, Big Cypress National Preserve. This free attraction offers canoeing, kayaking, bike riding down the Everglades’ crafted scenic paths or coming close to manatees, eagles, and other wildlife throughout our mangroves and swamplands. This magical preserve is a vast place to explore and promises to be a wonderful time for the whole family.
Take your art-loving family to Wynwood where you can discover world-class street art at the one-of-a-kind, Wynwood Walls. This outdoor museum showcases murals by internationally renowned artists like Shepard Fairey, Retna, Kenny Shcarf and Maya Hayuk. Fuel up with lunch at the adjacent Wynwood Kitchen & Bar specializing in contemporary pan-Latin and Spanish tapas. An outdoor seat on the terrace places you directly in the museum where you can soak up the art over a delicious meal in a casual setting.
The Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is home to Miami’s premiere contemporary art collection. The museum’s grounds—with their fun swinging chairs, benches, stadium seating and site-specific installations—are as alluring as the art collection itself. PAMM is perfect to explore in an afternoon without fatiguing the youngest members of your family. It’s also home to Verde restaurant for a casual lunch with beautiful views of Biscayne Bay.
For the fashionistas in your family, don’t skip Miami’s newest luxury shopping development in the heart of Brickell. Anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Brickell City Centre is home to all your favorite brands. There is also a wonderful variety of food options and is home to CMX luxury movie theater where you can enjoy a gourmet meal in a reclining chair while watching the latest blockbuster.
Most hotels are family friendly in one way or another, but certainly, some are more convenient than others. SJH South Beach is not big (don’t you hate having to cover big distances in huge resorts when traveling with your little one?), includes breakfast, has a pool and beach amenities ideal for your family. Our rates are also very competitive!