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Happening Now
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September 13, 9am to 5pm:
The Children's Trust Family Expo.
An interactive circus for the family, combined with education, includes face-painters, clowns, stilt-walkers, storytellers, rock- climbing walls, music, and dance performances. With workshops and classes for parents, child fingerprinting, programs in injury prevention and programs for children with special needs, the Family Expo touches all bases: Pre-K registration, KidCare outreach, art exhibits, bounce houses, child seat-safety demonstrations, and puppet shows, Whew! At the Fair Expo Center. (website) Hide details
Jazz at MOCA.
Groove to live jazz, outdoors, and under the stars, for free. Just remember to bring your own blankets and snacks. At the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. (website) Hide details
Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey.
Your grandchildren’s (and yours, too) favorite Disney characters perform Olympic-worthy feats of wonder on ice skates. At the American Airlines Arena. (website) Hide details
2008 Miami Spice.
The family that eats together stays together — especially when more than 60 of the city’s best restaurants offer fabulous deals for two whole months. Enjoy fixed-price lunches for $23 and dinners for $36. At various restaurants around town. (website) Hide details |
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Help With This Page
In the City Guides section, you'll find the best things to do with your grandchildren. To get started, choose a city below or select from among movies, home activities or things to do in the car. Whatever you do, have loads of fun with your grandchildren.
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| | A multicultural Riviera mainly known for its beautiful beaches, chic restaurants and fabulous nightlife, Miami is also host to tons of fun for grandchildren. Explore some of these kid favorites. Compiled by Jen Karetnick | |
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If you share a bird-watching hobby or snake fascination with your grandchild, this is the place to bring him. This 65-acre park features the Sense of Wonder Nature Center and Trail. The Trail winds through one of the last preserved stands of Pine Rocklands in Miami-Dade County, which the National Audubon Society calls one of the best places to spot migrating birds in the city. As for the The Nature Center, it houses the Miami-Dade Fire Department’s Anti-Venom unit’s reptile collection. There’s also a public swimming pool where you can wash off the sweat of heat or panic.
Info: Admission: free; Pool: adults $2, 12 and under $2
Hours: dawn-dusk;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Animals & Nature
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Designed for grandkids ages 2-12, this ultra-creative program of art classes was founded by professional educators and goes by the motto, “remarkable art education for children.” That might sum up the mission statement, but not the fun. For that, look no further than the wallpaper on the website, which says, in part, “Splatter. Glue. Imagine. Enjoy.” Now you begin to get the picture. The multicultural curriculum emphasizes “process art” with no right or wrong way of creating, and the end result doesn’t matter. Classes are held in various locations such as schools, parks and community or religious centers, mostly in the south part of Miami-Dade, and are tailored to specific age groups. There’s even one for the mini-mites, or as Abrakadoodle refers to them, the “Twosy Doodlers,” which is really a Mommy & Me — or Grandmommy & Me —class. Now you know exactly what to do when those terrible twos kick in and a nap is just not going happen: hand Junior a Crayola and let him get to work.
Info: Admission: 4 consecutive 45-minute classes $80, includes materials
Hours: vary by location;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen
Classes & Workshops
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This award-winning company routinely presents dramas, children’s classics and new musical works that capture imaginations of all ages. To wit: "The Fabulous Fable Factory," a musical about some of Aesop’s fairytales that can’t be finished because the “moral maker” is broken. Matinees are every weekday at 10AM, although you and your grandkids may have to compete with school and camp field trips.
Info: Admission: adult shows vary; all seats are $12 for young audience plays, plus service charges via phone or internet
Hours: varies; Matinees: weekdays 10AM; Box Office: Monday-Saturday 10AM-6PM, Sunday 12PM-6PM;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen
Live Performances
Amelia Earhart Park
401 East 65th St.
Miami, FL 33013
(305) 685-8389
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Featuring the Bill Graham Farm Village, a re-created pioneer homestead, this Miami-Dade park is perfect for curious grandkids who haven't had the opportunity to see rural life. They can visit the barn to pet ponies, goats and donkeys, and visit the Demonstration Shed to watch sheep sheering, horseshoeing, cow milking and the like. Feeling the heat? Don’t fret, there’s also a modernized General Store, complete with air-conditioning. Within the larger park, there’s also sailing, mountain biking, picnicking opportunities and a separate five-acre dog play area.
Hours: dusk-dawn;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Child, Pre-teen
Outdoor Fun
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Forget about the air - the heat’s on here; The Miami Heat, that is. The championship NBA team calls this Bayside arena home base when it’s in town, and grandkids love it for the view that says “Miami” as much as they do for the team that wears the city’s name so proudly on their black and red jerseys.
Info: Admission: varies by game
Hours: Season: November-May, games vary;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Sporting Events
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The history of this place is a little complicated, after all; it’s not every day that a 12th century Spanish monastery winds up in Miami. Suffice to say that William Randolph Hearst took it into his head to move this structure from its home base to Miami in 1925. However, for various reasons (including a hoof-in-mouth disease outbreak in Spain around the time of Hearst's purchase), it wasn’t reassembled until 1964, long after he was gone, and it didn’t come with an instruction manual either, so who knows if it’s put together correctly? Regardless, the monastery stands beautifully and serenely today as St Bernard's Church, which is, yes, a “working property.” The grounds are so pretty that they're the number-one choice for weddings and festivals in the area.
Info: Admission: adults $5, ages 55+ and students with I.D. $3, 12 and under $2
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM, Sunday 1:30PM-5PM;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Attractions & Landmarks
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This martial arts school is more than just a place to learn the intricacies of Kung Fu or Judo, though everyone in the family, from tots to grandparents, can do just that. Dedicated to the community and its members’ well-being, head instructor Julio Anta has instituted programs here that range from Lil’ Dragon (which teaches self-esteem and life skills such as fire safety and stranger danger) to Bully Busters (non violent conflict resolution) to SuperFit Kidz (a healthy approach to eating right, physical activity and weight maintenance). For the aerobics studio grad, there’s also Fitness Kickboxing and Pilates. Interested parties can even learn the “Lion Dance.” Forget having a catch in the backyard because this work out is an entirely different intergenerational activity.
Info: Admission: varies by class
Hours: vary by class;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Classes & Workshops
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Actually, what’s known as the National Register Art Deco District is made up of four separate sites, but there are six other districts and 11 (as of this writing) individual sites scattered up and down coastal Miami. For touring purposes, the majority of restored buildings are grouped on South Beach, so if you’re into Art Deco — and even kids think pastel colors and swoops and curlicues of the styles are pretty cool — as well MiMo (Miami Modern), head to Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road. These are also the prime shopping and dining areas, so chances are that grandparents can get in some good architectural visuals while kids eye the spots for the best sidewalk supping. If you like more structure, 90-minute guided walking tours leave from the Art Deco Welcome Center, but these can be tiring for little children and sulky adolescents alike.
Info: Admission: adults $20, ages 65+ and students with I.D. $15
Hours: Guided Tours: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:30AM and Thursday 6:30PM;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Pre-teen, Teen
Attractions & Landmarks
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His gallery-cum-showroom calls itself an “arts incubator.” We just call ourselves grateful to have it. Through a communal policy of open studios and free admission, ArtCenter allows the public to view the creative process. It sponsors various programs, camps and classes taught by the artists as well, including ArtStudies for Kids, offered for children ages 6 through 16. Older teenagers have the option of taking adult classes, which means that grandpa and grandson can actually do some drawing together.
Info: Admission: members $140, non-members $155
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 11AM-10PM, Thursday-Sunday 11AM-11PM; hours may vary; Sessions: once a week for six weeks;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Classes & Workshops
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Aventura Mall
19501 Biscayne Blvd.
Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 935-1110
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Anchored by major department stores such as Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, Aventura is the north Miami-Dade grandmaven’s dream, with plenty of opportunities for the shopaholic in training, including Gymboree and Limited Too. For the uninterested consumer, the first level offers the playground (no one over 8 years old or 4-foot high allowed). Plus, the Build-A-Bear Workshop is a wonderful way for grandchildren to express their creativity and make a new, cuddly friend to take home and love.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10AM-9:30PM, Sunday 12PM-8PM;
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Shopping
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