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Family outings

Family outings in Miami

Miami is lived outdoors all year: calm-water beaches, county parks, a huge zoo and the Everglades an hour's drive away. In summer, you go out in the morning and retreat in the afternoon to air-conditioned museums and libraries. Here are our addresses, all checked on official websites.

Verified on 30 October 2026

Beaches, parks and gardens

The best family spaces are county or state parks, often charging only for parking: sheltered beaches, lagoons and tropical gardens.

Good to know

  • Crandon Park beach, on Key Biscayne, stretches for about two miles; an offshore sandbar breaks the waves and leaves calm water, ideal with little ones, with picnic areas and a family amusement centre nearby. Source
  • Matheson Hammock, the county's first park, has a natural atoll-shaped pool fed by the bay, open daily, with lifeguards at weekends and on public holidays. Source
  • Zoo Miami brings together some 2,000 animals over 750 acres and four miles of walkways: come early in the morning, bring hats and water, and take a buggy even for older children. Source
  • In county parks, pets are often banned (Crandon, Matheson) and so is glass: check the park rules before setting off. Source

Addresses

  • Crandon Park

    Park

    6747 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne

    The quintessential family beach, calm water, picnics, a nature centre and a play area.

    Website Source

  • Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

    Park

    Pointe sud de Key Biscayne

    A state park at the tip of the island, with a beach and the historic Cape Florida lighthouse, easy to combine with Crandon in a day.

    Website Source

  • Matheson Hammock Park

    Park

    Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables

    The wave-free atoll lagoon where toddlers can paddle safely.

    Website Source

  • Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

    Park

    10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables

    A tropical botanical garden next to Matheson, with family activities, children's classes and a summer camp.

    Website Source

  • Zoo Miami

    Park

    12400 SW 152nd Street, Miami

    One of the largest zoos in the country, 2,000 animals in the open air: a full day out.

    Website Source

  • Oleta River State Park

    Park

    North Miami Beach

    The big state park in the north of the county, on the bay: handy for families in Aventura and Miami Shores.

    Website Source

Go further

Children's museums and air-conditioned museums

Miami's museums charge entry but are very family-minded, and they save summer afternoons and stormy days.

Good to know

  • Frost Science combines a science museum, an aquarium and a planetarium on the bay, with temporary exhibitions and holiday camps. Source
  • Miami Children's Museum, on Watson Island, is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and also runs birthday parties, after-school programmes and camps. Source

Addresses

  • Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

    Museum

    1101 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

    Science, a multi-level aquarium and a planetarium: children's favourite museum.

    Website Source

  • Miami Children's Museum

    Museum

    980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami

    The hands-on museum for little ones, on the way to Miami Beach.

    Website Source

  • Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

    Museum

    Biscayne Boulevard, Downtown Miami

    Modern and contemporary art facing the bay, with in-gallery guides and activities for families.

    Website Source

  • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

    Museum

    3251 South Miami Avenue, Miami

    A historic villa and Italian-style gardens on the bay, between Brickell and Coconut Grove.

    Website Source

  • Deering Estate

    Museum

    Palmetto Bay, sud de Miami

    Historic houses and eight ecosystems on the bay, with nature walks and seasonal events.

    Website Source

Libraries and children's books

The Miami-Dade library network covers the whole county, Miami Beach included, with storytimes, toys to borrow and homework help. We did not find a French-language library open to the public in Miami: for books in French, check with your children's school.

Good to know

  • Libraries lend age-appropriate toy kits (Toy Library), run the 'Talking is Teaching' early literacy programme and give free access to ABCmouse for ages 2 to 8. Source
  • Homework help and tutoring take place on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm in several large libraries, including the Main Library, Miami Beach Regional and Aventura. Source
  • With a library card, e-books, audiobooks and films are borrowed free online (OverDrive, Hoopla), handy for long car journeys. Source
  • On the French side, the FIPA parents' association funds a French library and French magazine subscriptions for pupils in the public schools' French section. Source

Addresses

  • Main Library (Miami-Dade Public Library System)

    Library

    101 West Flagler Street, Miami

    The central Downtown library, homework help on Saturday mornings.

    Website Source

  • Coconut Grove Branch Library

    Library

    2875 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove

    A small neighbourhood library on the bay, open late on weekdays.

    Website Source

  • Pinecrest Branch Library

    Library

    5835 SW 111th Street, Pinecrest

    The library for families in Pinecrest and South Miami.

    Website Source

  • Miami Beach Regional Library

    Library

    227 22nd Street, Miami Beach

    Miami Beach's large library, with Saturday homework help and activity rooms.

    Website Source

  • Northeast Dade - Aventura Branch Library

    Library

    2930 Aventura Boulevard, Aventura

    The northern county library, with Saturday homework help.

    Website Source

Camps, workshops and activities

In Miami, extracurricular life revolves largely around holiday camps run by museums, gardens and county parks. In French, the offering is mainly carried by schools and parents' associations.

Good to know

  • The summer holidays start in early June and school resumes in mid-August: summer camps are booked from late winter, and the most popular fill up fast.
  • County parks offer activities and programmes for children, booked online on the ParkLink platform. Source
  • To keep up French, the FIPA association supports the public schools' French section, with after-school care and homework help in French, and Miami Accueil organises meet-ups and outings for French-speaking families. Source

Addresses

  • Camps du Frost Science

    Activity

    1101 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

    Science camps during the winter and summer holidays, from ecosystems to outer space.

    Website Source

  • Camps et activités du Miami Children's Museum

    Activity

    980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami

    Holiday camps and after-school programmes for younger children.

    Website Source

  • Camp d'été et cours de Fairchild

    Activity

    10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables

    A nature summer camp and classes for children and families at the botanical garden.

    Website Source

  • French International Program Association (FIPA)

    Activity

    The parents' association of the Miami-Dade public schools' French section: homework help in French, theatre, workshops.

    Website Source

Through the seasons and festivities

In Miami, the year reads as two seasons: the dry, mild winter, the best time to go out, and the hot, stormy summer, which is also hurricane season.

Good to know

  • The official hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, peaking from August to October: follow the bulletins, prepare a kit to last 72 hours and obey evacuation orders, which are mandatory in Florida. Source
  • The dry season, usually December to April, is the best for the Everglades: plenty of birds and few mosquitoes; from May to November, the wet season reduces ranger programmes. Source
  • In November, Miami Book Fair takes over Downtown for eight days, with a children's area (Children's Alley) offering free activities; in 2026 it runs from 15 to 22 November. Source
  • On the French side, the French-American Chamber of Commerce's French Weeks Miami take place every autumn; the 2026 edition closes on 12 November with an event devoted to the Francophonie. Source

Addresses

  • Miami Book Fair, Children's Alley

    Activity

    Downtown Miami

    Free workshops, theatre and readings for children during the November book fair.

    Website Source

  • A Very Merry Garden à Fairchild

    Park

    10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables

    From 13 November to 24 December: holiday decorations, Santa visits and storytime in the garden.

    Website Source

  • Everglades National Park

    Park

    Entrées à l'ouest et au sud-ouest de Miami

    Best in the dry season, December to April, to see alligators and birds.

    Website Source

Go further

Trips under two hours away

Within one to two hours' drive, you go from the Everglades marshes to the reefs of the Keys, or to the gardens and butterflies up north: enough to fill every weekend of the year.

Good to know

  • The Everglades cover some 1.5 million acres of southern Florida and remain easy to reach from Miami; check the ranger programme calendar before you go. Source
  • Biscayne National Park, near Homestead, protects coral reefs, mangroves and part of the Keys; guided trips leave from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. Source
  • Up north, Butterfly World in Coconut Creek is home to some 20,000 exotic butterflies and birds, and the Morikami in Delray Beach offers Japanese gardens and a museum. Source

Addresses

  • Everglades National Park

    Park

    À l'ouest et au sud-ouest de Miami

    Marshes, alligators and birds about an hour's drive away.

    Website Source

  • Biscayne National Park

    Park

    Dante Fascell Visitor Center, Homestead

    An almost entirely marine national park, with guided boat trips.

    Website Source

  • John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

    Park

    Key Largo

    The gateway to the Keys and their coral reef, just over an hour from Miami.

    Website Source

  • Butterfly World

    Park

    3600 W Sample Road, Coconut Creek

    Giant butterfly and bird aviaries, in northern Broward County.

    Website Source

  • Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

    Museum

    Delray Beach

    Japanese gardens, a museum and workshops, in Palm Beach County.

    Website Source

Go further

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Miami will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces
  2. 2 Florida State Parks
  3. 3 National Park Service, Everglades
  4. 4 Miami-Dade Public Library System
  5. 5 Zoo Miami
  6. 6 Frost Science
  7. 7 Consulat général de France à Miami

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Verified addresses, official sources, school-year dates: we write when the Miami guide changes, never more than once a week.

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