Miami With Kids: Beaches, Everglades and Where to Stay
The best things to do in Miami with kids are a calm-water beach day at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, a morning in the Everglades, Zoo Miami, the Frost Science museum and aquarium, and a swim in Coral Gables’ spring-fed Venetian Pool. Miami is a beach-plus-nature trip more than a city break. The nightlife Miami is famous for is easy to avoid with children, and the family version is spread out, so plan on a car. Stay on Key Biscayne for the calmest beach base, or on mid-Miami Beach for walkable restaurants. Visit between November and April, when the weather is drier and the Everglades are at their best.
Know before you go
It is a driving city. The beach, the Everglades, the zoo and Coral Gables are all in different directions. A rental car, plus a car seat for every child who needs one, makes the trip. Plan one area per day.
Winter is the season. Everglades National Park divides its year into a Dry Season from November to March, when ranger programs are widely available and wildlife is usually plentiful, and a Wet Season from April to October. Miami’s busy, pleasant months follow the same pattern. NOAA dates the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to November 30, so a summer trip needs flexible bookings.
Sun. Even in winter, the South Florida sun is strong. Pack a mineral sunscreen for small children, like Blue Lizard Baby, and plan the beach for mornings and late afternoons.
The best things to do in Miami with kids
1. Crandon Park beach, Key Biscayne
This is the beach to pick with toddlers. Miami-Dade County describes Crandon’s two-mile beach as celebrated for its calm water, with an offshore sandbar that protects swimmers from crashing waves, plus picnic areas with grills and a family amusement center near the beach. The park also has a nature center. It feels a world away from South Beach, and it is a 20-minute drive from downtown.
2. The Everglades: Anhinga Trail and Shark Valley
The Everglades is the reason Miami beats every other Florida beach city for kids. Two easy ways in:
- The Anhinga Trail is the one for small children. The National Park Service describes it as a 0.8-mile round-trip trail, wheelchair accessible, through a sawgrass marsh where you may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons and egrets, especially in winter. It starts from the Royal Palm Visitor Center, four miles from the park’s main entrance near Homestead. A stroller works fine on it.
- Shark Valley, on the north side of the park, is open daily from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, with tram tours and bike rentals priced separately. A tram tour means nobody has to walk far, which suits under-fives.
Go in the morning, bring water and snacks (services are sparse), and keep small children close to you near the water’s edge. Alligators are wild animals, not an exhibit.
3. Zoo Miami
Zoo Miami bills itself as 2,000 animals, 750 acres and 4 miles of walkways. It is big and very spread out, so this is the day for the stroller, even for five-year-olds. Go at opening time, before the heat, and pick a half of the zoo rather than trying to see all of it.
4. Frost Science Museum, Aquarium and Planetarium
Frost Science downtown combines a science museum, an aquarium and a planetarium under one roof, which makes it the best rainy-day or too-hot-day pick in the city. It sits in Museum Park on the bay, so a run around the lawn outside is an easy add-on.
5. Venetian Pool, Coral Gables
A historic pool carved out of an old coral-rock quarry. The City of Coral Gables says it has been open since 1923, is fed by spring water from an underground aquifer and refilled daily, and has two waterfalls and cave-like grottos. Children must be at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall to enter, and proof of age is checked at the door, so this one is for preschoolers and up. Check the city’s page for maintenance closures before you go.
6. Biscayne National Park
The National Park Service says 95% of Biscayne National Park is covered by water, so the way to see it is by boat. A boat or snorkel trip suits kids from about six, and the visitor center at Convoy Point gives younger children a look at the bay without leaving dry land.
7. Little Havana
A walk along Calle Ocho for a Cuban breakfast, guava pastries and a look at the domino players in Máximo Gómez Park. Keep it to a morning. It is a neighborhood to stroll and eat in, not an attraction.
8. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
A huge tropical garden in Coral Gables, with shaded paths and plenty of space for children to run. It is a calmer half-day than anywhere on the beach, and a good pick for a baby who naps in the stroller.
A Miami-gateway trip: add the Bahamas
Miami is the easiest jumping-off point for a first island trip. Nassau is a short flight away, and a few days on the beach after a city week is a lovely shape for a family holiday. My Bahamas with kids guide covers which island suits which age, and my best family resorts in the Bahamas roundup has the resort picks.
If you would rather stay in Florida, Orlando is about a four-hour drive north, and my Orlando with kids guide has the theme-park plan.
Where to stay in Miami with kids
Key Biscayne, for the calmest beach base. It is quieter than Miami Beach, close to Crandon Park, and a short drive from downtown. The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne has separate family and adult pools on a barrier island, which is exactly the split you want with small children.
Mid-Beach and South Beach, for walkable restaurants. The beach is wide and the boardwalk is stroller-friendly. Stay north of the busiest nightlife blocks. The Loews Miami Beach Hotel is a beachfront resort with a kids club and rec room, which buys parents an hour by the pool.
Coral Gables, for a quieter, leafy base. Close to the Venetian Pool and Fairchild, and better for a trip built around nature days than beach days.
For more Florida resort options, including the Keys, see my best family resorts in Florida roundup.
A realistic four-day plan
Day 1: Arrive, Crandon Park beach in the afternoon, early dinner on Key Biscayne.
Day 2: Everglades. Anhinga Trail at opening, or a Shark Valley tram tour. Lunch on the way back, quiet afternoon by the pool.
Day 3: Zoo Miami at opening, then the Venetian Pool or Fairchild in Coral Gables.
Day 4: Little Havana breakfast, Frost Science, and a last beach evening.
FAQ: Miami with kids
Is Miami good for kids?
Yes, if you treat it as a beach-and-nature trip. Calm beaches on Key Biscayne, the Everglades, Zoo Miami and Frost Science are all excellent with children. The nightlife is easy to avoid.
What are the best things to do in Miami with toddlers?
Crandon Park beach for calm water, the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades for alligators from a stroller-friendly path, and Frost Science for a cool indoor morning. The Venetian Pool is for ages 3 and up.
Where should we stay in Miami with kids?
Key Biscayne for the calmest beach base, mid-Miami Beach for walkable restaurants, or Coral Gables for a quiet, green base near the Venetian Pool and Fairchild.
What is the best time to visit Miami with kids?
November to April. That is the Everglades’ dry season, when wildlife is plentiful, and it falls mostly outside the June-to-November hurricane season.
Can you see alligators near Miami?
Yes. The Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park is the easiest place, and the National Park Service notes you may see alligators there, especially in winter.
