Florida Guide > Days Out
Interesting places to visit in South Florida with kids-part 1
After spending several days visiting the various Theme Parks and Water Parks, we decided to head South and visit Miami. As we had our 2 grandchildren with us, we made several diversions on the way to keep them from getting bored with the driving. Luckily Nintendo DS games came to the rescue and it did not seem too long before we were seeing the signs for Miami.
South Florida may be famous for its sizzling beaches, rich culture, spotting the odd celebrity in one of the grown up diversions, but it is also a hotspot for the younger family members when you visit Florida. We decided to take a trip down to Miami and see what was on offer for our grandchildren when they came over in October. Families with a sense of adventure will find themselves scampering through monkey jungles and the like on a kid friendly path from Miami to Marathon.
Our first stop was the Miami Children’s Museum on Watson Island. The Meet Miami exhibit introduces children to the city’s dynamic neighbourhoods, whilst the supermarket installation will have them shopping for Florida fruits.
We then went to the nearby Jungle Island, a nature themed park, and saw the reptile show in the Serpentarium (home of the mighty Crocosaurus, the largest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere). our 7 year old grandson Luke was so excited about this and really enjoyed the show. The park is also home to a real liger, a very rare cross between a lion and tiger, made famous by the teen beloved movie Napoleon Dynamite. The grandchildren also loved the three story Hippo Slide! ! !
Feeling hungary we stopped for turkey burgers with freshly squeezed orange juice to wash them down at Green Street Cafe in Coconut Grove before heading to the historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The Orchidarium is a rare treat for budding gardeners and the whimsical statuaries invite kids to strike their own poses. Lots of photo opportunities here. Older teens with an appreciation for art and history are likely to be impressed by the mansion’s opulent style, but for a 7 & 10 year old, it did not exactly excite them!
The kids then decided they would like to go for a swim so we headed off to the nearby beach where we spent the rest of the afternoon. They really enjoyed the warm balmy water, whilst we took the opportunity for a well deserved rest keeping one eye open of course! ! We then found a place to stay for the night and retired to bed after what had been a lovely day without being too tiring for anybody.
To be continued. . . . . .
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