Known for its warm temperatures and ocean views, South Florida is home to many sandy beaches and outdoor activities. When visiting South Florida as a family, be sure to visit one of the many children's attractions in the area. Whether your kids enjoy learning about science, animals or "adult life," you are sure to find a South Florida attraction perfect for your child's interests.
The Miami Metro Zoo sits on 740 acres of land and features over 100 exhibits. The zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals from more than 400 different species. Visitors can enjoy several different exhibits and attractions. For example, the "Amazon & Beyond" exhibit features more than 600 animals from 100 different species in a unique 27-acre exhibit. The exhibit is divided into three areas: Cloud Forest, Amazon Forest and Atlantic Forest. Within the "Amazon & Beyond," visitors can observe giant river otters, jaguars, eagles, anacondas, monkeys, birds, crocodiles, frogs and toads in their natural habitats. More than 10,000 Italian honey bees can be seen in "Dr. Wilde's World" exhibition and the "Wings of Asia Aviary" features more than 70 different species of birds. Kids can also play on the inflatable water slide, feed a giraffe and enjoy a camel ride.
Miami Metro Zoo
12400 SW 152 Street
Miami, FL 33177
(305) 638-6700
Miamimetrozoo.com
Wannado City is a child-sized city located at the Sawgrass Mall in Fort Lauderdale. In the city, kids are able to choose different jobs to experience. Essentially,GoCityKids.ParentsConnect.com explains Wannado City as a "role-playing theme park" for kids. Each building in the city features different jobs; each job has its own uniform and equipment. Wannado City offers 120 different job experiences for children to experience. These jobs include a policeman, fireman, pilot, doctor, actor, television reporter, chef, circus clown and supermarket worker. Kids move from job to job as often as they desire and earn "wongas" at each job, which is the currency used in Wannado City. Once Wongas have been earned, they can be spent at the city fair. Children under the age of eight must be supervised by a parent or guardian. All other adults can relax at the "Eagle's Nest," a lounge with television, snacks, coffee and wireless Internet.
Wannado City
Sawgrass Mills Mall
12801 Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33323
(954) 838-7100
wannadocity.com
The South Florida Science Museum is a 23,000 square foot facility in West Palm Beach. The facility includes a planetarium, salt-water aquarium and fresh water aquarium, in addition to several permanent and temporary exhibits. Interactive exhibits allow children to learn about science and technology with hands-on activities. Among the interactive exhibits, kids can generate electricity with a bicycle, create clouds and build a robot. The natural history exhibit features a mastodon from the Ice age, popularly known as "Suzie." The planetarium features a 360-degree, full dome presentation of the starry sky, along with laser shows and star shows. The facility aquarium features a wide variety of aquatic animals, a living coral reef and a "touch tank" where visitors can interact with animals.
South Florida Science Museum
4801 Dreher Trail North
West Palm Beach, 832-1988
(561) 832-1988
sfsm.org
