From splash pads to outdoor movie nights and sea turtle feedings, here’s how to entertain the kids while on a budget!
Miami can be an expensive city, but it’s also home to an amazing array of free family activities if you know where to look. To help plan your next day out, we’ve put together a list of the best budget-friendly adventures, from park playgrounds to museum exhibits. Here are our favorite spots to spark your kids’ imaginations without spending a single dime!
Head to the beach!
If there’s something Miami is known for, it’s for spending a day at the shore and making the most of our sunny weather. Bring your kids along to any of the city’s sandy beaches and let them build sandcastle, splash around in the water and pick out shells to their heart’s desire!
It’s no secret that Miami is home to tons of museums — some specifically just for kids — and they’re a great place to spend the day exploring with the little ones. Many of them even offer free admission every day or once a month, allowing visitors of all ages complimentary access to exhibits! Check out some of our favorite free museum days below.
Grab a blanket, some snacks and watch a flick with the family at Soundscape Park! Every Wednesday from October through May, Soundscape Cinema Series transforms the New World Center into a 7,000-square-foot projection movie screen for the perfect evening under the stars. See the full film lineup below.
For a fun, free day trip just outside of the city, take the little ones to this impressive playground in Boca Raton. Sugar Sand Park is a 132-acre oasis that features a science explorium, carousel, theater, nature trails and much more. Kids can spend hours of fun on the three-story wooden castle known as the Science Playground, with slides, a climbing wall and more.
This modern library offers everything you expect from a traditional library (like a vast collection of books, for starters) plus extras kids will love, including a virtual reality cube, advanced tech, a children’s theater, arts and crafts and more. It’s also entirely free to Miami-Dade residents—but you’ll need a Cybrarium card, which is different from a public library card.
The perfect way to beat the heat, spend the day at Aventura Mall and let the kiddos play at the adorable “Gorillas in the Mist” installation by The Haas Brothers. Located on the Lower Level, this interactive piece is a playground, fountain and art installation all in one!
While you’re at Aventura Mall, be sure to ride down the 93-foot tall shiny slide tower when opens in the fall season. Doubling as a functional art piece, it was designed by German sculptor Carsten Höller for the mall’s 2017 three-story wing expansion and features two spiral steel slides which people can actually ride down through.
Up in Hollywood, the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) is a conservation-focused facility run in partnership with Nova Southeastern University and Broward County Parks. Kids can see their resident sea turtles, Captain and Cane, during free feeding sessions at 3:30 p.m. from Tuesdays through Saturdays. The center is open to the public with free entry and a suggested $3 donation.
For a relaxing escape from the city, take the children on a stroll through the three-acre Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Featuring more than 100 palm species, flowering trees, a koi pond, Japanese garden and more, this luscious oasis is free and the perfect spot to unwind.
Head south to Homestead to pay Robert Is Here a visit — what began as a roadside stall in 1959 has since become a South Florida institution. While the market is known for rare and exotic tropical fruits like black sapote and guanabana, it also doubles as an entirely free destination for kids. Out back, you’ll find a petting zoo with tortoises, goats and emus, plus a shaded play area and picnic tables. On weekends, the space hosts live local music.
Make your way over to Welleby Park in Sunrise, where you’ll stumble upon a child-sized city complete with traffic lights, mini-cars and buildings modeled after city facilities like a post office and bank! Little ones can use their imaginations in this realistic-looking Safety Town, where they’ll be able to ride their bikes, scooters and anything with wheels.