Miami is a perfect city for family vacation. It does not matter what you are going to do there: going to the science museum or spending the whole day on the beach- in Miami, you will find plenty of activities to please your children and to spend an exciting day together with your family. You can rent a car under 21 USA, which is the most comfortable way of travelling with your kids down the city.
Miami Zoo
Location: 1 Zoo Boulevard 12400 SW 152 street
This Zoological Park is not just the largest and the oldest one in Florida. Its unique feature is that this is the only tropical zoological park in the United States. In the zoo, on the territory of 300 hectares, of which only 130 hectares are refined, more than three thousand animals live. While walking along the 5 km route for visitors, you can see more than 100 separate expositions.
The entire territory of the zoo is divided into four main zones: Asia, Africa, Amazonia and Australia. In 2015, a new exposition of American flamingos was created. At the intersection of the main avenues of the zoo, there is a covered ‘Dr. Wilde’s World’ seasonal interactive exhibition with a large Iguana Lake.
Exposition area of more than five thousand square meters is the largest open-air Asian poultry house in the Western Hemisphere. There, in the mixed forest under the open sky, live rare feathered species. In the Asian part of the zoo, there are several large and interesting expositions. For example, the one, which is devoted to the river life of the continent. In addition, the habitat of Indian rhinoceros is very popular there. With the help of this exhibition, the visitors are given an idea of the course of evolution and how birds emerged from dinosaurs.
The Miami Zoo is proud to be one of only two zoos in the US, where visitors can see a couple of maguari storks. Here, there is also a children’s zoo, where you can get close to non-dangerous animals, pets, small reptiles, butterflies and meerkats.
In the African zone of the zoo, you can not only watch, but also feed giraffes (for a small fee). In addition, visitors will see here bat-eared foxes, gazelles, elephants, zebras, hippos, gorillas and lemurs.
The Australian part is adjacent to the Sami amphitheater, which is designed for 800 seats. There are daily animal shows, as well as concerts and cultural events. The Australian fauna is not very widely represented in the zoo, but here it is worth watching the koalas, emu, kangaroos, giant turtles and New Guinea singing dogs.
Finally, the American part is mainly concentrated on the fauna of Florida, especially on the Everglades area. Here live Florida panthers, brown bears, crocodiles and alligators, otters and pelicans, as well as dasypus, raccoons and skunks.
Miami Seaquarium
Location: 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149
This Oceanarium is the oldest in the United States of America and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city of Miami, which is visited annually by more than 500 thousand people. The oceanarium is located on the island of Virginia Key, lying in the Bay of Biscayne, near the business center of Miami. The area of the oceanarium is 15 hectares. It was opened in September 1955, when it became the largest oceanarium in the world.
Today, you can not only get acquainted with the inhabitants of the Miami Oceanarium (dolphins, killer whales, sea lions, seals, sea turtles, manatees, crocodiles, a variety of fish of the most incredible colors, etc.), but also to see an exciting show programs with their participation, entertaining presentations and educational programs, both for children and adults. Since 2007, for guests of the oceanarium, swimming with dolphins is available, and since 2011 – an exciting “diving trip” to the world of tropical fish is possible.
The Miami Seaquarium is also known as one of the leading centers in the US for the rescue, conservation and rehabilitation of sea inhabitants, with their subsequent return to the natural habitat. One of the best in the country is also considered the highly qualified team of rescuers, working in the aquarium 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Monkey Jungle
Location: 14805 Southwest 216th St. Miami, FL 33170
The park was created to study the behavior of primates in the wild, when Joseph Dumond brought the first monkeys and released them in the park in 1933. At first, it was a traditional monkey nursery, where animals were walking through the territory of the park and contacted with visitors. However, communication with primates could cause not always pleasant surprises, so a special cancellated corridor was equipped for visitors. That is why it can be said that in Monkey Jungle reign the primates and people are only guests, who have the right to watch and feed them. Here educational excursion and entertainment programs for schoolchildren are held.
In addition to popular primates, the representatives of rare, endangered species are living in Monkey Jungle. This place has become home to 400 monkeys of over 30 species. The territory of the park is divided into several areas: a pond with water, the Amazonian rainforest and the orangutans’ area.
The most active interest of adults and young visitors is the feeding of monkeys. Dried fruits and peanuts, which the primates like to eat, are sold at the entrance to the zoo. While feeding little monkeys, you need to be extremely attentive and watch your belongings. It is even better to prepare in advance and to hide money and phones from dexterous and tenacious monkey paws. When there are several monkeys on your shoulders, arms and on your back, it will be very difficult to concentrate.
You can see playful gibbons, rare golden-mantled tamarins, funny orangutans, southern muriqui. Exotic representatives live in cages. You can treat them through special feeding tubes, through which food slips into monkey’s paws.
Monkey Jungle is not only the life of monkeys in real time, but also the shows with the participation of the most gifted primates. Performances take place every 2 hours. In addition to primates, giant turtles and birds are performing as well. The park is one of the most interesting places for an entertaining walk with children.
