Things To Do In Miami With Kids: A Weekend Getaway For All Ages

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“Are there really that many things to do in Miami with kids?”

As I sat on the tarmac waiting for our delayed flight to take off, that was the question a fellow family travel blogger posed to me. This was our third try at a family trip to Miami, and her skepticism had me a little nervous.

Is Miami kid-friendly? As it turns out, the Magic City has something for everyone and it’s truly what you make of it. There are plenty of things to do in Miami for kids. We had a jam-packed weekend in Miami itinerary and there are still plenty more unique things to do that are drawing us to return (I’ve already booked for next year).

After reading this article you’ll have tons of great idea for thing to do with kids in Miami, where to stay in Miami with kids (answer: it depends!) and some important logistical considerations.

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Where to stay in Miami with kids

I’ll admit that I second-guessed the best area to stay in Miami with kids basically until we got there! We were very pleased with our choice in the end, but there are a few important factors for you to weigh.

First off, the best place to stay in Miami with kids will depend on how you want to spend your time and how you want to get around. We opted to rent a car, which worked out perfectly since we were flying into Palm Beach and then explored a variety of Miami neighborhoods.

Plenty of families choose to rely on a combination of public transportation (Bright Line trains, Metromover, trollies and more) and Uber to get around. Just remember that you’ll be lugging a day’s worth of necessities – from snacks to booster seats – if you do that.

If you’re trying to plan your family trip to Miami on a budget, you’ll definitely want to consider grabbing a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and transferring the points to Hyatt. That card gives you a 60,000 point sign up bonus, while the awesome hotels I’ve included below start at just 9,000 points per night! Why pay for hotels when you can get them (basically) for free? Hyatt even covers your resort fee when you book with points.

Read more: Looking for the Best Credit Cards for Family Travel? Check These Choices

Hyatt Regency Coral Gables

If you’re renting a car, I give a strong vote to where we stayed: Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. It’s convenient enough to drive to all the main family-friendly activities Miami, plus you can enjoy leisurely evening meals and strolls around Coral Gables itself (particularly along Giralda Avenue).

The hotel is beautiful, including a lovely outdoor pool that’s as warm as a bath tub if you go for. a night swim! The pool was a huge hit for my kids, and unlike many downtown hotels there’s no “scene”.

Shepley South Beach Hotel

I had actually booked the Shepley South Beach Hotel for one of several family trips to Miami that wound up being cancelled over the last several years. The rooms at this boutique hotel are on the smaller side so this is a better option if you’re only bringing one child (or are traveling light) but want to be in the heart of the action without busting your budget. It also includes a lovely breakfast to kick off your day!

Hyatt Regency Miami

Don’t plan on renting a car in Miami? You’ll want to stay along the Metromover downtown at a location like the Hyatt Regency Miami – the closest station is just a 3 minute walk. You can easily get to most of the top Miami attractions for families using public transportation or hop in an Uber if you want to hit Miami Beach. It’s located just across the river from the popular Brickell neighborhood and within walking distance (if it’s not too hot) of places like Calle Ocho, Bayfront Park and more.

This hotel wouldn’t necessarily be my top pick, but if you’re able to book it for free with your credit card and avoid renting a car thanks to its central location then it’s a winning pick for a trip to Miami on a budget. We’ll be staying here in December before our next cruise since it’s very close to the cruise port.

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Things to do in Miami with kids

Tour Wynwood + murals

One of the most unique places in Miami is the Wynwood neighborhood, which was built as a warehouse district a century ago. After a challenging few decades, Wynwood today enjoys global recognition as one of the best places in the world to see street art – ranging from business-sponsored walls to municipally-funded murals to unofficial tags (sometimes in places that are free for the painting, and unfortunately sometimes in ways that defaces other art).

No matter how old your kids are, be sure to take them on a tour of Wynwood street art. We opted for this golf cart tour of Wynwood murals, which was a great way to see a huge range of art. Your tour guide is a local muralist as well, so you’ll learn a lot about the artists in the community, techniques that are used and how the neighborhood is coping with tensions as it rises in popularity. There are so many hidden gems that a visitor could never find on their own that it’s definitely worth going with a guide. This tour was truly a highlight for us all!

If your children are too young to ride without a car seat or booster seat, you can also opt for a Wynwood street art walking tour with the same organization!

It’s good to know that in 2021 the Wynwood Walls outdoor gallery started charging for admission. They have an awesome, curated collection of street art from around the world in addition to an indoor gallery with smaller pieces and sculptures. Get your ticket here if you’d like to check it out!

Explore the Frost Science Museum

One of the best things to do in Miami with kids is spend an afternoon at the Frost Science Museum in downtown. The Frost has everything – a museum, an aquarium and a planetarium in one massive building.

Perhaps the most unique feature is that you’ll spiral through three levels of aquatic habitat designed to mimic south Florida’s surroundings. Your journey ends at the roof level, which even includes mangroves and a beachy area for shore birds! The views out to Miami’s port are amazing to boot.

The Frost really offers something for everyone, from dinosaurs lovers to budding biologists, and with tons of interactivity! Even better, if you’re a member of your local science museum you can get free entrance thanks to the ASTC passport program. If you don’t have a science museum membership, grab your tickets here to guarantee admission – it can get very busy if you’re visiting over a weekend in Miami with kids.

Embrace Miami’s distinctive culture

Perhaps more than any other city in the US (and rivaling Quebec within North America), Miami’s culture represents the melding between what we often think of as “American” and groups that have brought enormous influence to the region. Miami is Cuban, it’s Black, it’s Miccosukee, it’s Jewish, it’s Venezuelan, it’s more than the sum of its parts.

There are so many ways to honor and experience Miami’s cultures and diversity! One of the top Miami things to do with kids (or without!) is take a small-group guided tour of Little Havana. It’s one of the most unique neighborhoods of Miami and offers a real sensory experience – brightly colored murals and rooster statues, the sounds of clinking dominos in the park, the smell of hand-rolled cuban cigars and of course cold sweet ice cream flavor with nods to Cuba.

After a cancellation on our first visit, we were finally able to take this tour recently and it was wonderful. Our whole family walked away with a much better understanding of Cuban history and Little Havana’s culture – along with very full bellies. Our tour guide is the father of a young child himself, so he did a great job of keeping our kids engaged.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best tours in Miami and absolutely worth your time.

At the very least, be sure to drop by the always-popular Versailles restaurant or more local Islas Canarias for dinner. Prepare for a wait at Versailles unless you go at an off time, but I promise it’ll be worth it! My kids are still talking about the amazing chicken and black beans they had, and a classic mojito was the perfect way for this grown up to relax after a day of running around. Islas Canarias gets the nod for even more authentic food and ambiance but it’s on the far west side of Miami (near Everglades National Park).

Take a boat tour in Miami

You can’t go to Miami and not get out on the water, and the good news is that there are tons of ways to do it! We spent an amazing morning sailing in Biscayne Bay – I love this experience because it’s a leisurely pace and takes a maximum of 5 guests, so it never felt crowded.

Unlike so many options, this one is actually a family-friendly boat tour in Miami. Others I looked at were basically “booze cruises” or seemed like they’d have the wrong vibe. In this case, we got a wonderful, intimate experience with our captain Juan Pablo. He’s a dad of two young kids, so he was able to provide appropriate life jackets for all of us and loved having the kids aboard!

We stopped by a tiny uninhabited island, visited serene mangroves, played on a sand bar and enjoyed feeling the breeze on our faces. Just a word of warning: when JP suggests that you put everything in the dry bag he provides, do it!

If you’ll have a bigger group, this private boat rental is a great option! The captain has fantastic reviews, and it’s an amazing bargain for the two hours cruise since the boat holds up to 8 guests.

No matter how you choose to do it, one thing’s fore sure: spending a few hours out on the water is absolutely one of the best things to do with kids in Miami!

Wander the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden

Escape the crowds at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden at the edge of Coral Gables, one of the world’s most impressive tropical gardens! This is a wonderful place for kids to run around and explore nature. You’ll see incredible flowers (including an impressive orchid collection), crawling vines, flowing waterfalls and unique trees. There’s also a large butterfly house and – my kids’ favorite – plenty of lizards crawling around for a contact-free scavenger hunt.

Explore Miami’s art scene

While kids and art don’t always go hand in hand, there are so many places in Miami that make art accessible to all ages!

One of the best free things to do in Miami with kids is take a stroll along “Dogs and Cats Walkway” right next to the Frost. There are 52 giant aluminum statues of – you guessed it – dogs and cats, all painted by different artists and with different themes. While the installation itself caused some political drama, the product does a great job of making art exciting for all ages.

If you have more serious budding artists, take them next door to the Pérez Art Museum – it shares a campus with the Frost Science Museum so you can get away with paying for parking just once (if you have the stamina for two museums in one day). The Pérez is focused on modern and contemporary art, which many kids will find interesting an engaging. There are activities in the galleries and fascinating rotating exhibits too!

Visit one of Miami’s National Parks

There are very few places in the United States where you can visit a National Park within just thirty minutes of a major airport, but in Miami there are actually two!

Biscayne National Park is mostly marine, stretching from just south of Miami’s Key Biscayne to just north of Key Largo. There are only some small stretches of land included, most notably Boca Chita Key and its famous lighthouse. Since most of the park is water, naturally you’ll want to explore it by boat! Official concessioner Biscayne National Park Institute offers tours from Coconut Grove (close to Miami) and Homestead (an hour south). You can choose from wonderful options like boat tours, kayaking through mangroves and snorkeling at shipwrecks.

Perhaps the better-known protected land in the area is Everglades National Park. It’s one of the largest National Parks in the continental United States and can be accessed from three different points around south Florida. On our most recent trip to Miami with kids we opted to take a tour in the Shark Valley area of the park – you can read the details here. It’s an amazing place to see Florida wildlife up close! This part of the Everglades is just 1 hour from downtown Miami, so it makes an easy half-day trip. If you’re willing to drive a little longer, you can visit the southern end of the park to kayak through mangroves and see a different ecosystem within the park.

Play at Pinecrest Gardents

If you’re visiting Miami with toddlers you should definitely bring them own to Pinecrest Gardens! While the garden itself is much smaller than Fairchild listed above, Pinecrest has an amazing playground made of huge climbable Florida creatures. The alligator and frog are major highlights! The playground also has music-making options, hills, a parent-powered merry-go-round and more. Even at 10 my daughter found plenty of fun here.

If playgrounds aren’t your thing, Pinecrest also offers a petting zoo and a splash pad! Plus there are beautiful landscapes to enjoy from a huge pond and a creek to a cactus garden and the massive banyan pictured above. You can easily spend a few hours roaming the property and enjoying all of the different spaces.

Admission is just $5 for kids and adults (kids under 2 are free) so it’s also one of the most budget-friendly things to do in Miami with kids.

Hit the beach

Is it crazy that I’ve gone about 2,000 words without suggesting “beach” as a family-friendly activity in Miami? Maybe, or perhaps it’s just because Magic City offers so much for families!

But if you’ve got beach on your mind then you’ll surely find it here in Miami. For a relaxed family environment, head to Key Biscayne where you can choose from Crandon (pictured above) or Bill Baggs. Crandon has tons of space to spread out and also good facilities and some concessions. The downside is that both of these beaches are on the Atlantic side so they can have some seaweed.

Closer to downtown Miami there are several beaches on the south side of the Causeway like “Dog Beach” (as my local friends call it) that have shallow waters and great views of the city skyline, boats and more. These front Biscayne Bay rather than the ocean.

If you want that Miami Beach experience without the craziness, head to 36th Street Park to drop your car and then find a spot in the long beautiful sand nearby! Since Miami Beach is run by the city rather than the county, there are more efforts at seaweed removal here. Or if you want to be in the heart of the action, South Pointe Park gives you the best of both worlds – a playground, a splash pad and a cafe right next to an epic stretch of world-famous sand.

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Where to eat in Miami with kids

Now that we’ve talked about what to do in Miami with kids, I would be remiss if I didn’t give you a few ideas for family-friendly restaurants in Miami! We ate so well during our last visit and there are few cities in the US that will give you such an explosion of flavor at every stop.

Versailles

I mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again: Versailles is a can’t-miss restaurant in Miami for kids and adults alike. My daughter is still talking about it two years later! Whether you get excited about moist, flavorful chicken, perfectly cooked beef or wonderfully seasoned rice and beans you’ll find something for everyone. Go at an off time and bring activities to keep the kids busy while you wait for your turn!

Islas Canarias

Upon the suggestion of one of my Facebook group members, we stopped at Islas Canarias on our way back from Everglades National Park. This is about as authentic as you can get for a Cuban restaurant in Miami! Nearly the entire staff speaks Spanish only and the food is delicious and filling.

La Sandwicherie

If you have a kid who’s serious about sandwiches, yourself to one of La Sandwicherie’s locations in greater Miami. Get a baguette loaded with your favorite meat and toppings, or if you’re in the mood for lighter fare you can order one of their very filling smoothies or fresh juices. It’s an easy way to satisfy the whole family! We visited the Coral Gables location, but their more notable locations are in South Beach and North Beach.

Bachour

Whether you visit for a decadent brunch or just swing by for desserts that look straight from Parisian pâtisseries, put Bachour in Coral Gables on your “must eat in Miami” list. It’s a whole new level and every bite tastes as good as it looks.

If you want some nourishment before your sweets, our family can vouch for the chilaquiles and the brisket and eggs.

CRAFT

While Craft may be less unique than some other Miami restaurants, the quality of their pizza is amazing and the vibe is fun and welcoming for kids. You can’t go wrong with any of their pies, and the tender crust dips perfectly in the included beet sauce – trust me, it works. CRAFT is extremely popular with both visitors and locals, so be sure to reserve a table at whichever of their locations is most convenient for you: Coral Gables, South Beach or Brickell

Threefold Cafe

Looking for the best brunch in Miami? Look no further than the Aussie-inspired options at Threefold Cafe. Miami-based friends recommended it to me and I was thrilled to find it located within my pre-coffee stumble from the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. There’s a huge range of avocado toasts available (along with many other savory and sweet options), plus flat whites to get your day started right and make you feel like you’re back in Australia.

Morelia Gourmet Paletas

Yes, our family will travel for sweets. Morelia Gourmet Paletas isn’t an inexpensive option, but it’s the darling of the Wynwood dessert scene these days! You can choose your base popsicle from a variety of traditional and contemporary Mexican options, and then opt to add serious sauces and toppings to it. Morelia is a one-of-a-kind experience!

Coyo Taco

Speaking of Wynwood, we had an awesome taco dinner at famous Coyo Taco. There are tons of options to choose from and a fun vibe if you dine on their patio on bustling 2nd Avenue. There’s also a location in Coral Gables now, which offers a more family-oriented vibe, plus one in Brickell. Nearly their entire menu is naturally gluten-free so it was the perfect place to take my daughter with Celiac Disease in Miami! The kids menu gives kids a choice two tacos, a side, a drink and a churro (not GF sadly).

That said, I’m a little “taco curious” after seeing a huge line of locals stretching from The Taco Stand nearby. It’s in a quieter area (where we parked for our awesome Wynwood street art tour) but incredibly busy – in the right way – and you can smell the tortillas from a mile away. We’ll try this one next time and report back!

Graziano’s Market

This awesome Argentinian gourmet market will make your foodie dreams come true! It’s the perfect place to get your beach picnic provisions or dessert on your way back to the hotel. The empanadas are fantastic and they have lots of Argentine-Italian sides to choose from. On the dessert front, you can choose from plenty of cakes (including a gluten-free red velvet) or alfajores, a South American specialty.

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Planning your family trip to Florida

Want to extend your family trip to Florida? Don’t miss these helpful resources:

• 4 Must-Do Tours in Miami
• Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Review: A Weekend Getaway Wrapped in a Bow
• Hyatt Regency Sarasota Review: Family-Friendly Fun
• Fun Things to do in Sarasota with Kids: A Delightful Weekend Getaway
• 15 Wonderful Things to do in Clearwater with Kids (and Their Parents!)
• Attainable Bucket List Item: Swim With Manatees in Crystal River, Florida
• Fantastic Things to do in Orlando With Tweens
• Complete Guide to Visiting Kennedy Space Center: Tips & Tricks
• Disney All-Star Music Resort Reviews: A Repeat Visitor’s Inside Scoop
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Review: Is It As Good As You’ve Heard?
• 25 Essential Tips for Universal Studios Orlando
• 25 Tips for Disney World That Won’t Make You Crazy
• Transportation From MCO to Port Canaveral

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