4 Days in Miami with Kids

Spring Break is right around the corner! Why don’t you head to Miami with kids. Whoopie!!! Where to go? What to do?

We don’t want to flitter our break away after months of living through the misery of winter in NYC. However, we also want to stay within a reasonable budget and get some sun.

The perfect solution was MIAMI. It provides an excellent balance of day fun and swinging nightlife.  A word of caution, as Miami is a big college spring break destination, schedule your time there before/after colleges have theirs.

Since we are Jetsetters on a budget, we forgoed staying in a hotel and instead stayed with friends.  I would only suggest this with close friends/family (Otherwise this option is not for you because let’s face it – kids are kids).  Also staying with another family allowed us to do most of our eating at home, which paid off big time!  We also packed healthy lunches and snacks for our days at the beach. Score! Trust me, there are much better ways to spend your money than on a $5 water and $18 burger.

With the money saved by not staying at a hotel, we were instead able to rent a pretty nice ride.  Driving in Florida was a breeze compared to the congestion of NYC traffic. We spent four days in Miami, and we packed in the fun.

Vacation in Miami with Kids

Day 1. Poolside shenanigans followed by a night drive through Downtown. The kids were pretty exhausted after playing in the sun all day, so this was a great end. They both drifted off to sleep in the car while driving the city looking at the beautiful lights and buildings.

Day 2. Beach bound.  We could not get enough of the strip. There was so much to see. People watching there is taken to a new level. My son also loved all the cool cars that drove by.  The beach was amazing! Beautiful blues, white sand and calm waters… ah, a girl could get used to this.

Day 3. Gator Watching.  Now.. one does not visit Florida without a trip to the Everglades. This may have been the most exciting part of the trip for my 7yr old son. He loved the air boats, the wind in his face, the noise, the Gators – he loved it all. We got to see some pretty large animals and a live presentation afterwards. We were able to hold a baby alligator as well as pet a hugeeeeee snake!

Day 4. Miami Children’s Museum.  Run don’t walk.  Your kids are going to have a ball here. It’s a huge museum right on the waterfront, so you get the added fun of watching the cruise ships pull in and out depending on the time you visit. All the exhibits are hands on, and there is outdoor play space as well as a rock climbing wall. GREAT FUN!!

After this, it was back to the airport for a quick late plane ride home. Being utterly exhausted they slept the entire flight back. Happy Kids and Happier Mom!