Miami, FL Date Ideas

14 galleries. Two-story sand castle. FL residents save $6.

980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami, FL 33132 · Daily 10am-6pm · Ages 0–10

Cageless. Giraffe feeding. Monorail. Only tropical zoo in the US.

12400 SW 152nd St, Miami, FL 33177 · Daily 10am-5pm (last ticket 4pm) · Ages 0–14

Zip lines, then hold a sloth. Admission covers everything.

1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL 33132 · Daily 9:30am-5pm (last admission 4pm) · Ages 0–14

Look up at sharks from below. One ticket covers everything.

1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 · Mon-Thu 10am-5pm, Fri-Sun 10am-6pm · Ages 0–14

Natural wading pool behind a sandbar. $2 carousel weekends.

6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 · Daily 7am-7pm

Tidal atoll pool. Toddler-safe lagoon. Lifeguards.

9610 Old Cutler Rd, Miami, FL 33156 · Sunrise-sunset; Atoll pool: 9am-5:30pm (seasonal hours vary)

Fossil digs and mangrove boardwalks. Under 4 free.

16701 SW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL 33157 · Daily 10am-5pm (last admission 4pm) · Ages 0–14

$8. Splash pad, petting zoo, giant chess. Old Parrot Jungle site.

11000 Red Rd, Pinecrest, FL 33156 · Daily 9am-5pm · Ages 0–12

Coral-carved pool from 1924. Waterfalls. Cave grottos. Kids 3+.

2701 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134 · Tue-Sun 10am-4:30pm, closed Mon (seasonal hours vary) · Ages 3+

Free second Saturdays. $5 kids on regular days.

101 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130 · Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm, closed Mon · Ages 0–14

You will see alligators. Paved trail. Arrive early.

36000 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33194 · Daily 8:30am-6pm; Tram tours run throughout the day · Ages 3–16

Airboat ride, then hold a baby gator. Every 20 minutes.

21940 Griffin Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33332 · Daily 9am-5pm (tours depart every 20 min) · Ages 0–16

$6. Calm beach, kayaking, mountain biking. Never crowded.

3400 NE 163rd St, North Miami Beach, FL 33160 · Daily 8am-sundown · Ages 0–16

$8. Uncrowded beach, lighthouse, bike paths, lunch on the sand.

1200 S Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 · Daily 8am-sundown; lighthouse tours Thu-Mon 10am & noon · Ages 0–16

Hidden garden on the bay. $7 kids. SNAP/WIC/military free.

4013 S Douglas Rd, Miami, FL 33133 · Tue-Sat 9am-4:30pm (last entry 3pm) · Ages 0–14

Butterflies land on you. Scavenger hunt. $5 off online.

10901 Old Cutler Rd, Miami, FL 33156 · Daily 10am-5pm · Ages 0–14

Free first Saturdays. Thomas tables. Next to Zoo Miami.

12450 SW 152nd St, Miami, FL 33177 · Wed-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm; closed Mon-Tue · Ages 0–12

Dolphins, sea lions, penguins, manatees. Plan 4 hours.

4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 · Daily 10am-5pm · Ages 0–14

Free splash pad. Cruise ships pass yards away.

1 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Daily sunrise to sunset · Ages 0–10

Free. Shady banyans. Zip lines. Sensory-friendly.

1120 Andalusia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 · Daily sunrise to sunset · Ages 0–12

Free second Saturdays. $5 kids. Good rainy-day move.

285 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 · Wed-Sun 12pm-5pm; closed Mon-Tue · Ages 3–14

Free second Saturdays. Under 6 always free. Next to Frost Science.

1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 · Mon, Fri-Sun 11am-6pm; Thu 11am-9pm; closed Tue-Wed · Ages 0–14

Free. 275 acres. BMX, fishing, horses, playground.

7900 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33155 · Daily sunrise to sunset · Ages 0–16

Free touch tanks. $10 to wade into the bay with a naturalist.

6767 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 · Daily 10am-4pm · Ages 3–14

Taste 500 varieties of tropical fruit. Under 5 free.

24801 SW 187th Ave, Homestead, FL 33031 · Daily 9am-5pm · Ages 0–14

$12 for the Walls. Surrounding blocks of murals are free.

2516 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127 · Daily 10:30am-6:30pm, last entry 6pm

Hundreds of free murals. New ones constantly. Go daytime.

NW 2nd Ave between 21st and 29th Streets, Miami, FL 33127 · Always open (galleries vary)

Free second Saturdays. The building alone is worth the trip.

1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 · Mon, Fri-Sun 11am-6pm; Thu 11am-9pm; closed Tue-Wed

1916 palazzo on the bay. Stone barge. 34 rooms of antiques.

3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129 · Wed-Mon 9:30am-4:30pm, closed Tue

World's largest Art Deco district. Free to walk. Morning or sunset.

Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Always open; guided tours daily 10:30am

Domino Park, ventanita coffee, cigars. Free to walk.

Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street), Miami, FL 33135 · Neighborhood always open; guided tours typically 10am-2pm

Free to walk. Bay views. Daily live music.

401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 · Mon-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 11am-9pm

Jackie Gleason's old theater. Art Deco. South Beach.

1700 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Show nights, check schedule

Always free. Sculpture garden. The building is art too.

61 NE 41st St, Miami, FL 33137 · Wed-Mon 11am-6pm, Thu 11am-9pm, closed Tue

Cruise ships pass 50 yards away. Best sunset in Miami. Free.

1 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Daily sunrise to sunset

Only pool on the National Register. Carved from coral. 1924.

2701 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134 · Tue-Sun, seasonal hours vary; closed Mon

Also runs walking tours of Little Havana and Downtown

101 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130 · Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm, closed Mon

Kayak mangroves, mountain bike, quiet beach. $6 per car.

3400 NE 163rd St, North Miami Beach, FL 33160 · Daily 8am-sundown

1825 lighthouse, top-rated beach, west-facing sunsets. $8.

1200 S Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 · Daily 8am-sundown

One man. 1,100 tons of coral. Nobody knows how.

28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL 33033 · Daily 9am-8pm (last tour 7pm)

Always free. Smithsonian Affiliate. Never crowded.

10975 SW 17th St, Miami, FL 33199 · Tue-Sun 11am-5pm, closed Mon

Free jazz last Fridays since 1999. Best free date night.

770 NE 125th St, North Miami, FL 33161 · Wed-Sun 11am-5pm; Jazz nights last Friday 7-10pm

Free orchestra on a 7,000-sq-ft wall. Bring a blanket.

500 17th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Concert nights, typically 7:30pm

Free-flying butterflies. 83 tropical acres. $5 off online.

10901 Old Cutler Rd, Miami, FL 33156 · Daily 10am-5pm

Free first-Friday gallery walk. Wine. Trolley between stops.

Coral Gables galleries along Ponce de Leon Blvd and Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 · 5pm-10pm on event nights

Buckminster Fuller, Zaha Hadid, Sou Fujimoto. Free to walk.

140 NE 39th St, Miami, FL 33137 · Always open (shops Mon-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 12-6pm)

Free last-Friday street festival on Calle Ocho. Go after dark.

SW 8th St between 13th and 17th Avenues, Miami, FL 33135 · Noon-11pm on event nights

Manatees, sea turtles, free guided walks. Park entry only.

6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149 · Daily 9am-4pm

Sculpture garden always free. Residents free first Sundays.

2100 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Wed-Mon 10am-5pm, closed Tue

Domino tiles, cigar smoke, Spanish banter since the 1970s. Free.

801 SW 15th Ave, Miami, FL 33135 · Daily 9am-6pm

Tropical fruit wines — lychee, mango, passion fruit — from a working South Florida winery.

30205 SW 217th Ave, Homestead, FL 33030 · Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

South Beach dive bar since 1964 — cheap drinks, no velvet ropes, open till 5am.

222 14th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Daily 8am-5am

Hidden pedestrian street on South Beach — Mediterranean village vibes, way less chaos.

Espanola Way, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · Always accessible; restaurants typically 11am-11pm