Things to Do in Miami With Kids: Prices, Hours & Parking

The easiest way to plan things to do in Miami with kids is to sort them by two questions: how old are the kids, and is it hot or stormy? Miami’s family attractions are spread across the city, from the downtown museums to Zoo Miami far out in the southwest, so a day that mixes the wrong two stops can be mostly driving. I’d pick one main stop per day and let the rest of the day stay loose.

I checked each attraction’s official page on October 29, 2026, for admission, hours and parking. Where an official page didn’t list a price or a rule, I’ve said so instead of guessing.

Miami with kids at a glance

Prices, hours and parking from each attraction’s official page, checked October 29, 2026. Frost ticket prices vary by date, and Fairchild’s weekend and in-person tickets cost more than the weekday online price shown (full list in the Fairchild section).

How I’d divide Miami for a family day

Three pockets matter. Downtown and the causeway side holds the Frost Museum on Biscayne Boulevard and the Miami Children’s Museum on the MacArthur Causeway, which are the two indoor choices. The southern suburbs hold Fairchild on Old Cutler Road, Pinecrest Gardens on Red Road and Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, which all work for slower, shadier days. Zoo Miami sits by itself far to the southwest, so I treat it as the whole day. I wouldn’t try to combine the zoo with a downtown museum, because the drive between them eats the afternoon.

Zoo Miami: the full outdoor day

Zoo Miami is at 12400 SW 152 St. and lists $30 for ages 13 and up, $26 for ages 3 to 12, and free admission for ages 2 and under, with parking free. The prices include 7 percent sales tax. It is open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 4 p.m. On the zoo’s night-event dates it closes at 4 p.m. with the last ticket at 3 p.m., and the page lists several of those dates in November and December, so check the date before you drive out.

The zoo covers 740 acres, with 346 of them developed and more than three miles of walkways, and it says guests typically spend four to five hours. That is the main planning fact. With a toddler I’d arrive at opening, do the animals first and leave before the afternoon heat builds. The zoo doesn’t allow outside food or alcohol, with exceptions for baby food, formula, food for children 2 and under, and food for allergies or medical conditions in a sandwich-size bag. Picnic tables sit outside the main entrance. I couldn’t find stroller rental prices on the pages I checked, and the zoo didn’t say whether tram or monorail rides are included in admission, so call (305) 251-0400 or check at the gate before you plan around them.

Frost Science and the Children’s Museum: the indoor pair

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is at 1101 Biscayne Blvd. It is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The museum lists adult tickets from $29.95 and youth tickets for ages 4 to 11 from $24.95, free for ages 3 and under, with prices varying by date. The Explorer ticket covers all exhibitions, the aquarium and one Frost Planetarium show, subject to availability, and planetarium shows are booked onsite first come, first served. Parking is a flat $18 in the museum garage during museum hours, with limited space and credit cards only at pay stations. The planetarium can close for private events, so if the show is the point of your visit, check the museum’s page that morning.

The Miami Children’s Museum is at 980 MacArthur Causeway and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $26, Florida residents pay $20 with a valid Florida ID, and children under 1 are free. It closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The museum says most families spend two to four hours and that it serves children up to age 14, with many exhibits popular with toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-age kids. Parking is a Miami Parking Authority lot on the east side with 343 spaces at $2 per hour, so a three-hour visit costs about $6 at the posted rate.

If I had to choose one, I’d pick the Children’s Museum for kids under about seven and Frost for kids who can follow a planetarium show and read exhibit labels. I wouldn’t do both in a single day with young kids, because that’s a lot of indoor stimulation and a lot of parking.

Fairchild and Pinecrest Gardens: slower, shadier mornings

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is at 10901 Old Cutler Road and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is free. The official price table lists weekday online admission at $24.95 for adults and $11.95 for children ages 3 to 11, and weekday in-person prices of $29.95 and $15.95. Weekend online admission is $27.95 for adults and $14.95 for children, and weekend in-person prices are $32.95 and $18.95. Children ages 0 to 2 are free. The general admission page does not specify the adult ticket’s age cutoff, so confirm the correct ticket category for children ages 12 to 17 when booking. The garden lists free narrated tram tours, with a schedule that varies by day, so ask at The Shop for current times. Wings of the Tropics, the butterfly and hummingbird exhibit, is one of its featured experiences.

Pinecrest Gardens is at 11000 Red Road in Pinecrest. The garden is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., though hours vary for festivals and holidays, and parking is free. The official admission page lists $8 for ages 2 to 64, $5 for seniors 65 and over, and free admission for children under 2. Splash ‘n Play is included with general garden admission. The garden’s hours page lists it from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the dedicated Splash ‘n Play page lists 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Both pages say it closes when the temperature drops below 75 degrees or when lightning is present, so check the current schedule before you promise kids a swim. Swimwear is required, and disposable diapers are not allowed in the water area.

For a low-cost day with little kids, I’d choose Pinecrest Gardens over Fairchild, because the $8 admission and free parking make it easy to leave if a child melts down. I’d choose Fairchild when the butterfly exhibit and a longer walk are the point, and I’d go in the cooler morning hours.

Venetian Pool in Coral Gables

Venetian Pool is at 2701 De Soto Blvd. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and it is closed Mondays except Labor Day. Non-resident admission is $23 for ages 13 and up and $18 for ages 3 to 12. Coral Gables residents pay $7 for ages 13 and up and $6 for ages 3 to 12 with proof of residency. Children must be at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall, with age verification at entry. Guests must shower before entering, lifejackets are available at the lifeguard tower, and ticket sales stop once the pool reaches maximum capacity. Outside food is allowed, but coolers, alcohol and glass are not. The page I checked doesn’t list parking, so read the posted signs in Coral Gables before you leave the car. I’d go on a weekday if I could, since sales can stop at capacity.

For a different pool option, my guide to Matheson Hammock Park covers the atoll pool status, fees and rules.

What I left out

The Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key closed in October 2025 after about 70 years, according to news reports, so it isn’t on this list. I also left out Jungle Island and Monkey Jungle. I couldn’t confirm current admission prices or hours for either from an official page that loaded (the Monkey Jungle page I could reach was inconsistent about its own hours), so I’d call each attraction directly before planning around it. Beaches, the Everglades and Biscayne National Park belong in other guides: I cover the Everglades and Biscayne in day trips from Miami, and the free options in free things to do in Miami. If you’re still choosing where to stay, my kid-friendly hotels in Miami guide covers kids clubs, pools and fees.

How I’d match the day to the kid

• Toddlers (under 3): Pinecrest Gardens, since admission is free under age 2 and Splash ‘n Play is included with admission, or the Miami Children’s Museum on a hot day.
• Preschool and early elementary: The Miami Children’s Museum for an indoor morning, or Zoo Miami if you can start at 10 a.m. and finish by early afternoon.
• Older elementary and tweens: The Frost Museum, where one Explorer ticket covers the exhibitions, aquarium and a planetarium show.
• A hot afternoon: Venetian Pool, if the kids meet the age and height rule.
• A rainy day: Frost or the Children’s Museum, not the zoo or the gardens.

Things to do in Miami with kids: frequently asked questions

For most families I’d start with Zoo Miami for outdoor days, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science or the Miami Children’s Museum for a hot or stormy day, and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden or Pinecrest Gardens for a slower morning. Venetian Pool in Coral Gables works for kids who are at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall.

I’d say yes if you plan it as a morning, because the zoo is large. Zoo Miami lists $30 for ages 13 and up, $26 for ages 3 to 12 and free admission for ages 2 and under, with free parking. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the last ticket is sold at 4 p.m., and the zoo says guests typically spend four to five hours. Outside food is not allowed, with exceptions for baby food, formula and food for children 2 and under.

The Miami Children’s Museum lists free admission for children under 1 and is designed for children of all ages, with many exhibits popular with toddlers and preschoolers. Pinecrest Gardens lists free garden admission under age 2, and its Splash ‘n Play water area is included with general admission. The official pages differ on whether it opens at 9 or 10 a.m.; it closes at 4 p.m. and also closes below 75 degrees or when there is lightning. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden lists free admission for ages 0 to 2.

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and the Miami Children’s Museum are the two indoor options I’d plan around, since both are open daily. Frost’s Explorer ticket includes the exhibitions, the aquarium and one planetarium show, subject to availability. Zoo Miami, Fairchild, Pinecrest Gardens and Venetian Pool are outdoors, and Pinecrest’s Splash ‘n Play closes when lightning is present.

Zoo Miami lists $30 for ages 13 and up and $26 for ages 3 to 12. The Frost Museum lists tickets from $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for ages 4 to 11, with prices that vary by date. The Miami Children’s Museum lists $26 general admission and $20 for Florida residents. Fairchild lists weekday online tickets at $24.95 for adults and $11.95 for ages 3 to 11, with higher weekend and in-person prices. Pinecrest Gardens lists $8 for ages 2 to 64, with Splash ‘n Play included. Venetian Pool lists $23 for ages 13 and up and $18 for ages 3 to 12 for non-residents, and $7 and $6 for Coral Gables residents.

Zoo Miami, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Pinecrest Gardens list free parking. The Frost Museum garage charges a flat $18 during museum hours. The Miami Children’s Museum uses a Miami Parking Authority lot with 343 spaces at $2 per hour. The Venetian Pool page I checked does not list parking, so check posted signs when you arrive.

No. The Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key closed in October 2025 after about 70 years, according to news reports, so I haven’t included it as an option.

Children must be at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall, and age verification is required at entry. Tickets are non-refundable, and sales stop for the day once the pool reaches maximum capacity. Outside food is allowed, but coolers, alcohol and glass are not.