Looking for things to do in Miami with kids? Here are our top picks for family-friendly attractions in Miami.
Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with the Miami Visitors Bureau and Go City® Pass. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.
Miami Attractions for Kids
There are so many fun things to do in Miami with kids!
We took off for a Vij Family road trip this summer to Miami, Florida. It’s been a while since we’ve been on a family vacation and figured exploring a popular destination in our Florida backyard would be a good place to start.
When traveling to Miami, you can choose from the Everglades and beaches surrounding the city to quirky ethnic neighborhoods, family-friendly museums, and attractions, all surrounded by gorgeous Caribbean blue waters.
There are so many options for your family to pick from in the Miami area!
As we prepared for our trip, we started with learning some fun facts about Miami to get the kids excited about where we were traveling to. Even I learned a few new things in our trip research.
Fun Facts about Miami for Kids
- Miami gets its name from one of the tribes that lived here. The Mayaimi lived here in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
- It’s the only US city that was founded by a woman. A local businesswoman called Julia Tuttle encouraged a developer to extend the new Florida East Coast Railroad to Miami – this led the way to the development of modern Miami.
- Miami welcomes over 14 million tourists per year. It’s also known as the cruise capital of the world, too, as Miami has the largest cruise ship port in the world.
- Miami port is also one of the biggest container ports in the US, popularly known as the Cargo Gateway of the Americas. It has trade connections with 100 nations and 250 ports across the globe, including countries of the Far East, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia.
- Miami is home to the world’s largest collection of art deco architecture.
- It’s the only city in the US that’s surrounded by two national parks. Biscayne National Park and the Everglades National Park.
- Miami was once a mangrove swamp and the land we now know was mostly man-made.
Here are some additional Fun Facts About Miami to explore with your family.
Top Family-Friendly Things to do in Miami
Miami is a popular travel destination but you might be wondering if there are things to do in Miami with kids? The answer is a big YES!
Here are my Top Picks of locations to visit in Miami with kids on your next family vacation.
- Big Bus Tours Miami
- Bill Baggs State Park and Cape Florida Lighthouse
- Crandon Park on Key Biscayne
- Frost Science Museum
- Island Queen Millionaire’s Row Sightseeing Cruise
- Miami Beach
- Miami Children’s Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Rapids Water Park
- Wynwood Walls
- Zoo Miami
One of my favorite things to do when exploring a new city is to jump onto a Big Bus Tour around the city. As the typical family driver, I don’t have to worry about the traffic, which streets are one way only and I get to sit back and enjoy the city with my kids. Plus who doesn’t like riding on a two-story bus with the wind blowing?
It’s definitely a great way to start your vacation at a new destination. Bonus is you get to learn a lot about the history of a city and quirky facts.
The Miami Big Bus has stops in
- Bayside Marketplace
- South Beach
- Soundscape Park
- Mid Beach
- North Beach
- Wynwood Walls
- Downtown
- Little Havana
TRAVEL TIP: Wear sunglasses. Apply sunscreen before your start and reapply in the middle of your ride, it can get a little sunny on top. Make sure you don’t miss any spots, like behind your ears and neck.
To help with navigating this city, Miami has several neighborhoods where attractions are located. I’ve included a link to each one to help you learn more about these iconic areas and which places to visit while you’re there.
Here’s a list of Miami Neighborhoods…
- Downtown Miami Area
- Coconut Grove
- Coral Gables
- North Miami Area
- South Dade Area
- Little Havana
- South Beach Miami
GRAB a GoCity Pass to popular US Cities and SAVE MONEY and MAKE MEMORIES
Best Places to Visit with Go City® Miami Pass
The one thing we look for when we head to big cities is if they have a Go City® Pass! It makes exploring the city so easy and opens many doors to things that are family-friendly.
Here’s the Miami attractions we visited during our vacation:
- Big Bus Miami Hop-On, Hop-Off Classic Tour
- Island Queen Millionaire’s Row Sightseeing Cruise
- Everglades Alligator Farm and Airboat Ride
- Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat Cruise
If I had more days in Miami, I would have also taken the kids to the:
- Fort Lauderdale Glass Bottom Boat and Snorkeling Trip
- Lion Safari
- Zoo Miami
- Miami Children’s Museum
We’ve also used the Go City Pass in Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, New York, and London and found it helpful and a way to save money on our vacations.
Go City Miami Pass
The Go City Miami Pass has two options. You can either choose the:
Miami All-Inclusive Pass
- Pick a 1, 2, 3 or 5-day pass, whichever suits your trip.
- Go see it all – visit as many attractions as you like.
Miami Explorer Pass
- Get picky with a 2, 3, 4 or 5-choice pass.
- Go at your own pace – you’ll have 60 days to use your pass.
What’s the difference between an All-Inclusive Pass and an Explorer Pass?
We know that no two sightseers are the same, that’s why we offer two pass options. For those who want to see as much as possible, we’ve got All-Inclusive passes. Choose how many days you want your pass to be valid for, and then visit as many attractions as you wish.
And for those of you who are a little pickier, we’ve got the Explorer Pass. With this pass, you can select how many attractions you wish to visit, and you’ll then have 60 days to do so. Plus, there’s no need to decide which ones you’ll visit before you purchase, so you’ll still be able to keep your plans flexible.
With an All-Inclusive Pass, you can visit each attraction once per day for the duration of your pass. So, say you didn’t quite make it around a museum before closing time, you can always go back the following day (if the attraction doesn’t require a booking, of course).
And with an Explorer Pass you can only visit each attraction once.
You can purchase your own Go City Pass with this link {Buy Now}
We had so much fun on this trip to Miami. Getting the chance to get out on the water was a treat for our family. Coming from a small city, walking around a big city was fun too. The food was amazing and we can’t wait to plan another trip to Miami.
Here are a few more travel ideas for your next Florida family vacation…
