Fun for All Ages

Miami’s greatest attractions offer thrills and adventures for all ages so you can enjoy exploring with the whole family.

By Meryl D’Sa

Adding to Miami’s well-earned reputation for dazzling beaches, wild nightlife and cutting-edge art scene, visitors from all over the globe flock here for fascinating activities and thrilling adventures that cater to guests of all ages and abilities.

The 30-acre Monkey Jungle park lets you get closer than ever to a monkey’s natural habitat.

Go South

History buffs can appreciate Coral Castle in Homestead. This alluring structure looks right out of a sci-fi book, and its origins are no less fascinating. It was single-handedly built by Edward Leedskalnin, a man who weighed no more than 100 pounds yet somehow managed to move over 1,100 tons of coral rock between the years of 1923 and 1951. To this day, scientists and thinkers debate about how this amazing feat was accomplished without the aid of modern machinery. For an even more thrilling experience, take their nightly ghost tour.

A few miles north, step into the wild by visiting Monkey Jungle. This 30-acre jungle park lets you get closer than ever to a monkey’s natural habitat. Their tagline says it all: “Where humans are caged and monkeys run wild!” Stroll down lush jungle trails to learn more about gorillas, macaques, squirrel monkeys and more in the presentations that occur daily.

For more encounters with animals, Zoo Miami is worth a daylong visit. It is one of the largest and most established zoos in the United States and hosts animals from Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. You can stroll down the gorgeously re-created ecosystems on foot, on a rented Safari Cycle, on a Safari Tram or in the comfort of its air-conditioned Monorail. The Amazon & Beyond Lake has swan or duck pedal boats for an afternoon on the water, and kids will want to cool off at splash areas and playgrounds. Besides merely watching or even interacting with some of the animals, the zoo also offers educational programs through Zoo Camps and guest speaker series.

Courtesy of Monkey Jungle

On the Water

Want your close-up moment with a dolphin? Or is a walk on the ocean floor on your bucket list? The Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne has you covered! With dolphin, shark and stingray encounters and a 20-minute Sea Trek Reef Encounter that allows you to walk underwater and observe fascinating sea creatures, Miami’s most famous aquarium offers real underwater thrills for the whole family. For those who prefer land, the Seaquarium also hosts gorgeous flamingos and other colorful species of birds. Don’t forget to get a shot of the friendly penguins and the Seaquarium’s killer whale, Lolita.

ArrogantWatcher/Courtesy of Jungle Island

When you’ve had your fill with the animals and birds, feel the thrill of flying yourself in the Superflight attraction.

Located right on Watson Island, between Downtown Miami and Miami Beach, Jungle Island (reopening in 2022) is an 18-acre park offering families and visitors of all ages the opportunity to stroll leisurely among lush tropical gardens. Take in the breezes of Biscayne Bay and the views of Downtown Miami as you learn all about lemurs, sloths, flamingos and capybaras and even interact with them up close. Be captivated by winged wonders like parrots, macaws, condors and more. And when you’ve had your fill with the animals and birds, feel the thrill of flying yourself in the Superflight attraction, a skydiving simulation experience right in the park, or unlock your way out of the Escape Room. The little ones can explore the Treewalk Village playground with hammocks, wooden bridges and more. Soon to come, Jungle Island will add an Aerial Adventure Park, an indoor trampoline park and a VR zone.

Also on Watson island, across from Jungle Island, Miami Children’s Museum offers interactive exhibits, educational programs and imaginative play for kids to enjoy.