MIAMI FOR KIDS

Miami has everything for everyone; beaches, shopping, attractions, restaurants, and very family friendly hotels. Although renowned as a paradise for children due to its miles of superb sandy beaches, there is much more to this city that has grown into one of America’s major metropolises. Little Havana is primarily a Cuban Community and here you will find the streets filled with small restaurants, discount stores and businesses supporting the daily urban neighborhood life. This is not the ideal area for sightseeing or shopping, but an excellent destination for good food and nightlife. The historic Art Deco district, with more than 800 buildings in a 15 block, 1 square mile area, is best seen and described on a guided tour.

Even shopping in Miami can be a family adventure and the best places to visit are the Aventura Mall, which has Bloomingdale’s, Macys, Burdines, Loard & Taylor, JCPenny, Sears and a 24-screen AMC theatre. Great places to eat are The Cheesecake Factory, New Room and Rainforest Cafe. The Bayside Marketplace has more than 150 shops, restaurants and bars, including Miami’s Hard Rock Cafe, Sharper Image, Warner Bros. Studio Store, Disney Store and an international food court. For specialty shops go to Bal Harbour where you will find Giorgio Armani, Best of FAO Schwarz, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Prada, Gianni Versace, Gap, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bvlgri, Chanel, Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Cartier, Zegna, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

There are many great places for families to visit in Miami, here are just a few that we particularly enjoyed:

The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium with 140 hands-on exhibits for kids covering principles of physics, electricity, light, sound and health. The Wildlife Center has many rare eagles, reptiles and insects to keep the kids interested.
www.miamisci.org

One of Miami’s premier attractions is the Seaquarium. This world-class marine-life entertainment park with eight different marine animal shows and presentations every day is a great place to spend a family day out. Just be aware that the admission charges are quite high here so plan to stay for a minimum of 5 hours and visit as many of the shows as possible to achieve full value for money.
www.miamiseaquarium.com

The Miami Children’s Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of all children by fostering a love of learning and enabling children to realize their highest potential. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to play together, learn, imagine and create. The museum offers hundreds of bilingual, interactive exhibits, daily programs, classes, a Subway restaurant, Kid Smart educational gift shop, and learning materials related to arts, culture, community and communication.
www.miamichildrensmuseum.org

At the Monkey Jungle humans are caged and monkeys run wild! A fun day out where you can escape on a jungle safari, explore the wilds of South America, Asia and Africa, witness crab-eating monkeys diving for treats, delve into the lush, tropical, Amazonian Rainforest filled with hundreds of exotic monkeys, and enjoy the antics at the Orangutans' Asiatic Ape Exhibit. Look out for the new adventures, which include a Cameroon jungle, Mandrills, and Parrots of the World.
www.monkeyjungle.com

Parrot Jungle Island has over 500 species of plants and 3,000 animals. It's located between downtown Miami and South Beach and the in-park attractions include the world-famous Trained Bird Show, Flamingo Lake, Everglades Habitat, Manu Encounter, Rare Plant Nursery and the adjoining 1,000-seat Treetop Ballroom.
www.parrotjungle.com

The Everglades Alligator Farm is South Florida's oldest alligator farm. Located at the entrance of Everglades National Park, it contains more than 3,000 alligators. The Airboat tours are great fun but be prepared to get wet! There are alligator, snake, and wildlife shows that run continuously, this is a great day out for all the family.
www.everglades.com

For something a little more sedate, try the Fairchild Tropical Garden, an 83-acre garden hosting extensive collections of rare tropical plants including cycads, flowering trees, vines and a 16,000 sq.ft. conservatory with a sunken garden, winding paths, lakes and rain forest display. There are guided walking tours and a narrated tram ride.
www.fairchildgarden.org

Take a ride out to Fort Lauderdale for the day and visit the Museum of Discovery and Science where you can spend a day of discovery exploring over 200 fascinating interactive exhibits. You will see sharks and the largest living Atlantic coral reef in captivity, hang out with bats, be charmed by a 12-foot snake, plus pet alligators, turtles, and iguanas. The kids will love to explore the new 11,000 square foot nature trail and learn about Florida's amazing Everglades in the Living in the Everglades exhibit, and be able to discover our place in aerospace at Runways to Rockets, where they can take a simulated trip to the Moon or Mars. This great complex even has an IMAX® Theatre with a five-story-high screen.
www.mods.org

A great way to experience the Venice of America is by Water Taxi. The tour will take you on a fascinating trip to view the many grand mansions and megayachts along the Intracoastal waterways and New River. If you want to explore on foot take a stroll along Las Olas Boulevard – Greater Fort Lauderdale’s version of Rodeo Drive and explore the many shops, boutiques and galleries.
www.watertaxi.com

WHERE TO STAY

We found the Sonesta Hotels and Resorts to be one of most family-friendly places to stay in Miami. The family facilities and kids activity programs are excellent, especially Sonesta’s renowned ‘Just Us Kids’ program for children 5 – 12, and the Just Us Little Kids program for 3 – 4 years olds. The programs are free to guests and offer a daily schedule of creative and fun-filled activities supervised by trained counsellors. Programs are arranged to enable children of all ages to have unique, fun experiences where they can enjoy the sunshine and the wide variety of cultural and ecological experiences Florida has to offer, while giving parents some free time. All you have to do is accompany your child/children for registration and authorisation of charges for excursions to attractions etc., then you can plan your day accordingly to enjoy the beach, shops or attractions without having to worry about the kids. Also, check out Sonesta’s ‘Summer Attractions’ Family Package for a 3-day/2-night stay which includes tickets to two of Miami’s most popular family attractions.

Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort
18001 Collins Avenue
Sunny Isles Beach
FL 33160
Tel: 305-692-5600
Email: reservations@trumpsonesta.com
www.trumpsonesta.com

This resort, dramatically set on a pristine beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean, provides an ideal location for families. They have spacious oversized guestrooms and suites with private balconies, a spectacular grotto-style pool complex complete with waterfalls, rock formations, whirlpools, lush tropical foliage and air-conditioned cabanas, excellent children’s activity programs, wonderful spa facilities, and shuttles to all the nearby attractions. Don’t miss the resorts American Classics car exhibit which displays a variety of speciality classic cars. Up to two children under the age of 12 years may stay free of charge in the same room with their parents.

Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne
350 Ocean Drive
Key Biscayne
FL 33149
Tel: 305-361-2021
Email: reservations@sonesta-kb.com
www.sonesta.com/keybiscayne

Located on the island paradise of Key Biscayne, this hotel has wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami. Children under 12 may stay free of charge in the same room with their parents in this beautifully located hotel that has great facilities for families that include a games room, well-equipped playground, sports courts, a tennis centre with 7 courts, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The beach on Key Biscayne is rated one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S.

Sonesta Hotel & Suites Coconut Grove
2889 McFarlane Road
Coconut Grove
FL 33133
Tel: 305-529-2828
Email: reservations@sonesta-cg.com
www.sonesta.com

This hotel gives you the option to stay in a luxury property located in the fashionable neighbourhood of Coconut Grove in metropolitan Miami and have access to all the excellent facilities at the Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne. There is a fitness centre and squash court in the hotel, but I would recommend using the complimentary shuttle to the Key Biscayne resort which also drops off and picks up at many locations, including the Miami Seaquarium and Miami Museum of Science.

email: info@gowithkids.com