Art Basel Miami Beach could also be famous for its glamor, but town offers far more than adult pleasures. From museums and animal parks to restaurants and shops, Magic City can be a paradise for teenagers of all ages. Just over a two-hour flight from Latest York City, this escape is as easy for fogeys because it is for little ones. Here’s our itinerary for an ideal time in South Florida.
WHERE TO STAY
Positioned 20 minutes north of South Beach in Sunny Isles, Acqualina resort & Residences has earned a popularity as Miami’s most family-friendly beachfront hotel. Limitless pools, countless beach activities, a fun-filled kids’ club, and on-site football and basketball courts make this a spot where children grow and learn through play. Come in winter to flee the NYC cold, or consider a visit from April to October, when you may watch baby turtles hatch on the hotel’s beach before crawling across the sand to the ocean. It’s an inspiring experience for teenagers (and fogeys) – and a reason to come back back yr after yr.
WHERE TO PLAY
Even though it is in the ultimate stages of a large renovation, Jungle Island – Miami’s famous Watson Island theme park dedicated to animals – stays a must-visit. Straight away, families can enjoy private encounters with the park’s biggest hits: sloths, kangaroos, flamingos, capybaras, giant tortoises, and among the world’s rarest tropical birds. You can too navigate the brand new Treetop Trekking track on the island, which invites families to swing high above the trees, securely attached to a zip-line. But these activities are only a warm-up for Jungle Island’s major redevelopment, which, when accomplished in late 2024, will see the introduction of all-new rides and attractions, including a lazy river, a large trampoline park, an open-air amphitheater, and a recent luxury hotel.
WHERE TO GLIDE
The UK has the London Eye, the UAE has Ain Dubai and Miami has it SkyViews, its own version of high Ferris wheels that provide rides as thrilling as their heavenly views. Situated in Bayside Marketplace, facing Biscayne Bay, SkyViews cabins rise 200 feet above the bottom. Look down and you will see downtown Miami – with Wynwood, the Design District and the azure waterways that result in South Beach and the Atlantic just beyond. After your ride, treat yourself to one in every of the various child-friendly restaurants in the market round the corner.
WHERE TO ROAR
With its jungle climate and tropical heat, no American city needs a safari-like zoo greater than Miami. Luckily, Miami Zoo doesn’t disappoint. Positioned south of town just outside the town of Kendall, it stretches over roughly 700 acres and is home to over 3,000 animals and 500 species, greater than half of that are endangered. Indeed, the zoo boasts over 100 individual animal exhibits, the highlights of which deal with the fauna of Asia, Africa, the Amazon, Australia, and in fact the Florida Everglades. It has also turn out to be a serious center for research and nature conservation.
WHERE TO WEAR
A brief walk from Jungle Island, Joia Restaurant and Beach Club is a tropical snack stand infused with a serious dose of glam. Situated directly on the shore and shaded by towering palm trees, Joia offers something for everybody, a pan-Mediterranean menu – complete with swimming in the clear gin waters a number of feet away. Although this place gets funky in the later hours, sunset is the proper time to go to with kids who can get their feet sandy and wet by swallowing family items like large burgers and attractive flatbread which might be a part of the rotating list of day by day specials.
WHERE TO LEARN
In comparison with its counterparts in much larger cities akin to Latest York or Chicago, The Miami Kid’s Museum punches above his weight. Also positioned on Watson Island between Downtown Miami and South Beach, the museum is full of hands-on, difficult activities which might be as difficult as they’re fun, with 14 key interactive exhibition galleries that deal with art, construction, pet care, health, cruise ships and more. Due to timed admission tickets, the museum is rarely full, even during weekend peak hours. Check its calendar for seasonal programs, including the “Winter Wonderland” exhibition on the magic of snow (until January 8, 2023).
WHERE TO EXPERIENCE
The Everglades is a real Florida wonder and residential to a menagerie of animals from dolphins and turtles to manatees and crocodiles. Safaris in the Everglades offers a spread of day trips with pick ups throughout the Miami area. Trained naturalists lead tours that may last all day. Tours take you thru the Ten Thousand Islands mangrove forest in Everglades National Park to see turtle nests, bats, shorebirds, and creepers. The tour ends with a fast airboat ride through sawgrass “prairie” to seek out much more alligators, in addition to rare birds just like the snail kite. Lunch is included.
WHERE TO FEAST
South Beach’s food scene tends to skew upscale and clubbing. But recent Amalia Restaurant, on the Lennox Hotel, is refined, refined and intensely family friendly. Much of this has to do with the menu, which is replete with kinds of Italian-inspired Argentinian classics that diners of all ages at all times love. Chef Hernan Griccini was raised in a culinary clan and previously worked at 4 Seasons in Buenos Aires. Here in Amalia, it seems to thrill the crowds with classics akin to burrata with traditional tomatoes, homemade gnocchi, pasta with Bolognese sauce and excellent Milanese. Better of all is the staff: warm, caring and willing to accommodate even the pickiest of kids’s foodies.
We asked probably the most chic parents we all know to share their favorite trips to South Florida. Listed here are their expert suggestions.
“Go to the Design District where the shops like Kid’s condition it can keep your little ones entertained while providing loads of cool items for the fashionable fashionable baby. Restaurants prefer it Pura Vida and Michael’s original they’re very family friendly and there are many interactive art and sculptures in the world. Stylish pop-ups for teenagers also feature commonly, including a recent Baby Dior store last summer.”
— Michele Salazar, Miami-based company founder Salazar’s cozy interiors
“The very first thing my kids wish to do once they arrive in Palm Beach is jump in The Colony beach buggy and go to the ocean for surf lessons with Gurferlady. My kids love her and have an ideal time mastering the waves, but most significantly, her philosophy of inclusion and mental health has helped them appreciate the natural great thing about Palm Beach and turn out to be stewards of the ocean.”
— Sarah Wetenhall, President and Owner Palm Beach in the colony
“My favorite adventurous activities are Frost Science Aquarium and Planetarium in Miami, which supply loads of hands-on and interactive exhibits on all types of STEM topics, and Safari in the Land of Lions in Palm Beach, an animal sanctuary for cars, where we are able to see a whole bunch of animals roaming their habitats, stop at a petting zoo or have a good time at an amusement park. For more relaxing trips, we find it irresistible Grandview Public Market in West Palm for incredible local food, live music and in fact the beach!”
— Joey Wölffer, Brand Director and Co-Owner Wölffer Estate Vineyard
Sail through one in every of Miami’s natural treasures, Biscayne National Park, which is 95% underwater and includes Florida Reef, the one living coral reef in the USA and one in every of the biggest in the world. Experience the true wilderness with quite a lot of hikes, scenic drives and guided tours available in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.”
— Ximena Caminos, founding father of Miami Beach’s underwater sculpture park, The ReefLine
“There are such a lot of kid-friendly museums and art attractions in Miami that I really like visiting with my daughter Pepper every time I’m in town. Along with the Design District (where we’ve e.g spa boutique) and the Miami Kid’s Museum, Pepper loves it too Tidal bay water park in Aventura and spending time on the beach.”
— dr Barbara Sturmcelebrity skincare gurus