Miami with kids: what to do by age, and what to do when it rains
Ten Miami family stops sorted by age and weather: the Frost and the Children's Museum for rain, Zoo Miami and a farm for sun, with prices and age limits.
The short version
- Rainy day, ages 4 and up: Frost Science, aquarium and planetarium, 3 to 4 hours.
- Toddlers to 10: Miami Children's Museum, $26 per person, adults included.
- Sunny full day: Zoo Miami, $30 adults, $26 kids 3 to 12, free parking.
- Cheap morning, under 8: Pinecrest Gardens, $8, splash pad and playground.
- Gators and an airboat: Everglades Alligator Farm, $39 adults with the ride, best from age 5.
Plan the outdoor stops for the morning and keep an indoor one in your pocket: Zoo Miami, Pinecrest Gardens or the Little Farm before noon, then the Frost or the Children's Museum when the afternoon storm rolls in.
Check the age before you drive
Pick by situation
| Toddlers, sunny morning | Pinecrest Gardens ($8), or The Little Farm on weekend mornings |
| Toddlers, rain | Miami Children's Museum, or Kids Empire at Dolphin Mall |
| Ages 4 to 11, rain | Frost Science: aquarium, planetarium, science halls |
| Ages 2 to 12, a sunny full day | Zoo Miami, at the gate at 10 am |
| Ages 5 and up, gators | Everglades Alligator Farm in Homestead, show and airboat |
| Ages 7 to teens, rain | FunDimension in Wynwood, or Off The Wall trampolines in Kendall |
| Free | Biscayne Nature Center on Key Biscayne, or the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead |
| Train fans | Gold Coast Railroad Museum next to Zoo Miami, small train rides on weekends |
Frost Science
The rainy-day answer for most families, which is also why it is crowded on rainy days. Kids stand under the big aquarium tank and watch sharks and rays pass overhead, sit in the planetarium dome and touch their way through the science halls. Book the planetarium show for the middle of the visit so small legs get a sit-down.
Youth 4 to 11 from $24.95, adults from $29.95, 3 and under free; prices move with the date. Weekday afternoons, after school groups leave, are the calmest. Food is sold inside. Park in the $18 garage (card only) or ride the free Metromover to Museum Park. If energy is left over, Maurice A. Ferré Park has open lawn by the water.
1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132
Miami Children's Museum
Play rather than exhibits: pretend shops and kitchens, a play port with boats, music and art rooms, climbing structures and an outdoor play area. Toddlers through early grade school get the most from it, and most kids are done by about 10. It is on Watson Island, five minutes from downtown, which makes it an easy half day from a hotel.
$26 per person, or $20 for Florida residents with ID, adults included; babies under 12 months free. Adults without kids cannot go into the exhibit areas. Open 10 am to 6 pm every day; weekday mornings bring school groups, so early afternoon is calmer. Parking is the city lot next door at $2 an hour. Bring socks for the climbing areas.
Zoo Miami
Florida's largest zoo, with elephants, giraffes, rhinos, tigers and gorillas in open habitats, and the Amazon & Beyond rainforest section with splash features for a midday cool-down. The loop is long: four to six hours, and few families see it all. Bring or rent a stroller even for kids who usually walk.
$30 for adults and $26 for ages 3 to 12, tax included, 2 and under free, and parking is free. Open 10 am to 5 pm, last ticket at 4. Be at the gate at 10, when animals move and the paths are cooler. No outside food except baby food, food for kids 2 and under, and allergy food in a sandwich-size bag. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is next door.
Pinecrest Gardens
The old Parrot Jungle site, now a garden with banyan trees, lakes and paths, plus a splash pad, a playground and a small viewing zoo. A toddler can spend a whole morning moving between the water, the swings and the animals, and most of it sits under big shade trees.
$8 for ages 2 to 64, $5 for seniors, under 2 free: the best value in this guide. Open 9 am to 5 pm, sometimes closing early for evening events. Arrive at 9 in summer, before the splash pad fills. Coolers and outside food are generally not allowed, but a lunchbox-size container is. Sunday's farmers market makes parking harder. About 25 minutes south of downtown.
Jungle Island
Its best feature is the address: Watson Island, five minutes from downtown and ten from South Beach, so it does not cost you a driving day. Kids get an included animal show, shaded paths past birds, primates and reptiles, and the Treewalk Village playgrounds. The capybara, bunny and petting zoo meetings are paid extras.
General admission from $22.95, encounters from $65 with entry, and online offers sometimes let kids 9 and under in free with a paying adult. Parking is $20 a day, and outside food and drinks are not allowed. It rates 4.1 on Google, with some reviews saying parts feel worn. Open 9:30 am to 4 pm; go at opening for the morning show.
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL 33132
The Little Farm
Small and simple, which is exactly why young kids love it. They hand-feed goats and chickens, pet animals in an open barn, ride a pony led by hand, watch a goat milking and walk through a butterfly garden, then run off the rest on the swings. $15 per person for ages 1 and up covers all of it.
Open Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and only on select weekends, so check the farm's calendar before the 45-minute drive. Arrive at 9:30 for cool air and short pony lines. Wear closed-toe shoes you do not mind getting dirty, and bring hats, water and wipes. The farm market sells eggs, honey and produce.
13401 SW 224th St, Miami, FL 33170
Everglades Alligator Farm
Two things kids remember: keepers feeding and handling alligators at the live shows, eight a day, and a fast airboat ride into the sawgrass. In between, pens of gators and crocodiles, other reptiles and birds. It is the family pick for the Everglades because the show and the boat come in one package and your boat time is set when you arrive.
$39 for adults and $29 to $30 for kids 4 to 11 with the airboat and admission, under 4 free; walk-ins are fine. Open 9 am to 5:30 pm. It is past Florida City, an hour or more from Miami, hot and mostly unshaded, so go in the morning and pack a spare shirt, since airboats spray. Ear protection is handed out; toddlers may still find it too loud.
Kids Empire
A big, air-conditioned soft play structure inside Dolphin Mall: levels of slides, tunnels and obstacle sections, with a separate zone for ages 1 to 3. Parents can climb along or sit. It has the highest Google score in this guide, 4.9 from more than six thousand reviews, because it does one simple thing reliably.
$22.90 per child aged 1 to 17, including two adults; extra adults $5. Socks for everyone, adults included, sold at the desk; no shoes, a waiver for each guest, no drop-off, card only. Mall parking is free. Weekday mornings are the quietest; weekend afternoons bring birthday parties. About 25 minutes from downtown.
FunDimension
For kids who are too old for soft play: an arcade, laser tag, bumper cars, duckpin bowling, rock climbing, VR and an inflatable obstacle course in one indoor space in Wynwood, plus a family restaurant and a bar for the adults. Two to three hours is typical, and it doubles as a birthday venue.
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Open Monday 4 to 9 pm, Thursday 4 to 10 pm, Friday 2 pm to midnight, Saturday 11 am to midnight and Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. Prices are per activity or in packages, so the bill climbs. Sign the waiver online first, and bring closed-toe shoes and socks for climbing. Sunday morning is calmer than weekend afternoons.
Biscayne Nature Center
Free entry to sea life exhibits, a small theater and a lab classroom inside Crandon Park. The center alone takes under an hour; the reason to plan around it is the family seagrass adventure, where kids wade into the shallows with a naturalist and net small fish, crabs and sea stars. Those run on set dates and cost extra.
Open 9 am to 4 pm every day. Check the calendar and book a program ahead, then spend the rest of the day on Crandon's beach, where the water is calm and shallow. Crandon charges for parking, $7 Monday to Thursday and $10 Friday to Sunday plus tax, and the Rickenbacker Causeway has a toll. Bring water shoes and a change of clothes.
6767 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149
Before you go
- Summer afternoons bring storms: put outdoor stops in the morning and keep an indoor one in reserve
- Zoo Miami, Jungle Island and Flamingo Gardens do not allow outside food; Pinecrest Gardens allows a lunchbox-size container
- Socks are required for everyone at Kids Empire; bring them for climbing at the Children's Museum and FunDimension
- Sign waivers online before FunDimension, Kids Empire and Off The Wall
- ZWF Miami tours must be booked at least 24 hours ahead; the Frost and the Children's Museum suggest buying tickets ahead
- South Dade stops close early: Monkey Jungle's box office normally closes at 3 pm, Zoo Miami sells its last ticket at 4
Questions people ask
What is there to do in Miami with toddlers?
Pinecrest Gardens has a splash pad, playground and small zoo for $8; Miami Children's Museum on Watson Island is built for ages 1 to 10; and The Little Farm in South Dade has pony rides and animal feeding on select weekend mornings for $15.
What can kids do in Miami when it rains?
The Frost Museum of Science (aquarium and planetarium), Miami Children's Museum, Kids Empire at Dolphin Mall for ages 1 to 12, and FunDimension in Wynwood for kids 7 and up. All are indoors and air conditioned.
How much is Zoo Miami?
Zoo Miami lists $30 for adults and $26 for ages 3 to 12, tax included, with kids 2 and under free. Parking is free, and the last ticket is sold at 4 pm.
Where can kids see alligators near Miami?
Everglades Alligator Farm in Homestead runs eight gator shows a day and an airboat ride, $39 for adults and $29 to $30 for kids 4 to 11. In Everglades National Park, the two-hour Shark Valley tram often passes gators lying beside the road.
Are there free things to do with kids in Miami?
Yes. The Biscayne Nature Center in Crandon Park and the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Biscayne National Park are free to enter, though Crandon charges for parking. The beaches on Miami Beach are free too.
Where they are
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Hours, prices and ratings from Google Places and the places' own sites, checked October 2026.