We spent a week in Miami after our Disney Cruise and this is what we did there with a travel party of 6 ranging from ages 2-60’s. For things to eat in Miami, check out this post.
1. Spend Time at the Beach
When you think of Miami, you probably think of the beach. The weather was not ideal when we were there in February. It was mostly high 10s to 20s and some days cloudy and rainy. Nevertheless, we still visited the beach 2 times while we were there. The first day, we went to the beach club our hotel was affiliated with – The Savoy Hotel & Beach Club, Miami Beach. They had reserved lounge chairs and towels for us to use free of charge. They had many staff walking around taking orders for drinks for purchase. We didn’t get to spend too much time there due to nap time schedules but it was overall very enjoyable. We went back to South Beach but more the public areas on another day and it was nice to just walk around. They had a playground for the little one to play in and even though it was very cold and windy that day, the little one enjoyed playing with some sand on the beach. There was plenty of other things you can do while you’re there enjoying some Panther coffee and shopping along the famous Ocean Drive.
2. Take the Metromover
This is not only a way to get around downtown but also a fun entertainment for little ones. I know my toddler really enjoyed taking the this during our week there. It didn’t travel very far but sometimes we would just take it for 1-2 stops if we’re too tired to walk. The best thing is that it’s free of charge! The cons are that the elevators are not always reliable and can be dirty (read smells like urine). Luckily, we brought a travel stroller (Uppababy Minu) which was easy to fold and carry up on the escalator when needed.
3. Visit the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science
A science museum is always a big hit with kiddos. This is a museum, aquarium and planetarium all in one. This is easily accessible by the MetroMover. It is pretty large museum with many exhibits. You can definitely spend a whole day there. We had to skip out on the planetarium show since we weren’t able to book an earlier show time and we had to leave for nap time. Make sure to book it as soon as you enter the museum. Before you enter the museum, there is a Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculpture Garden outside to check out. After taking some photos, it began to pour so we went in the museum itself. There was plenty to see and do. Many hands on exhibits for little ones. I had to pry my toddler away from many exhibits because otherwise we will be stuck in one place for the whole time we were there.
4. Visit the Miami Children’s Museum
Another great place to spend a few hours on a rainy day is the Miami Children’s Museum. Like other children’s museums, all the exhibits are perfectly catered to kids. Many opportunities for hands on, pretend play. They even had an outdoor playground area when you need to take an outside break and to give them some snacks (since you can’t eat in the museum). This was easily accessible by bus.
5. Enjoy the Pool at your Hotel
We stayed at The Elser Hotel while we were in Miami. We prefer to stay at furnished apartment type accommodations when travelling as it provided us with more space and in room laundry, which huge are pluses when travelling with a toddler. This hotel was quite centrally located. It is also brand new and has a beautiful pool and fitness centre, which we were able to enjoy throughout our stay. When we had a few hours to spend before a meal/before or after nap times, we would head over to the pool. It was a huge pool with an L shaped configuration. One side of the L was the shallow end perfect for kids and the other side was the deep end for actual swimming/hanging out for adults. There were plenty of lounge chairs throughout the deck. The view of the city was gorgeous. They had a popcorn cart as well as a bar although be prepared to pay an exuberant amount for drinks. They had a lot of staff who were very attentive and provided us free pool towels and chair covers to use.
6. Walk around Bayside Marketplace
Because of the proximity of our hotel, we spent quite a bit of time in the Bayside Market. We would have many meals here since they have many restaurant choices. They had a playground nearby that little ones can burn off some energy in. There was a nice view of the water and you can take a boat tour here (see below). There’s many shops if you want to do some shopping. They had a ferris wheel too if you want a nice aerial view of the city.
7. Take a Boat Tour
At Bayside Marketplace, there are many stand offering tours and excursions who were constantly soliciting while you walked around. Instead, we decided to book through our hotel concierge. It was a quick ~1 hour tour mostly to look at famous people’s mansions. Overall, it was fun to just go on a boat ride. It was rocky though so be aware and hang out tight! They also tried to upsell by taking a photo when you embark for purchase and offering a “prize” to go attend a time-share presentation and spend more money.
There you have it. We enjoyed our week in Miami and found they had enough family-friendly activities to entertain our party of 6. I hope to return again when the weather is a tad warmer to fully enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Happy travelling!
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