Miami Children's Museum

What a neat museum— our family spent a recent Saturday here, and throughly enjoyed the experience. The exhibits were informative, and nicely balanced play and learning. There is lots to do! The kids loved all of the hands-on and interactive play. The staff was kind, and parking was easy. There are a few outdoor spaces to enjoy as well— we found ourselves wishing we had packed a lunch to enjoy outdoors… Next time!

Really fun museum! My kids are 4 and almost 7 and they both enjoyed it a lot. Highlights were: the grocery store section and the tinkerer/builder section for us. The museum is fairly small - we spend a few hours and saw/played with everything. I love that they have art programs daily!

Took my 15 month old to the museum last week and we really enjoyed ourselves. My son needs a lot of stimulation and loves to just explore on his own terms. The 1st floor was perfect for him. We did eventually make it to the 2nd and he loves the Dr Seuss area. The music area was a winner as well, since he loves the dance. We didn’t experience any staff not being helpful, quite the opposite actually, all friendly and monitoring the areas to keep them clean. Not many items were “not available” so not quite sure what all those reviews were about. Personally there is plenty to do for the kids even if a few things are down in the future. We are thrilled to see that the Lion Guard was added and eventually there will be a dinosaur exhibit. We can’t wait for our next visit!

Endless Exploration Awaits you at The Miami Children's Museum; A truly magical place to get in touch with your inner child. This place is a true Journey Into Wonder for the whole family! Time to Play, Learn, Imagine, and Create!!! #miamichildrensmuseum #fun #family #love #play #learn #imagine #create #miami #dadecounty #florida

Fun day for kids and adults. Plenty interactive activities for the children. From construction to shopping at Publix, even a banking activity courtesy of Bank of America. There’s also a half hour skit about environmental hazards and prevention, which was fun. Loved it there! ❤️ One complaint: the food items in the shopping activity are way too heavy for the kids to lug around.

I recently visited a children's museum that left a lasting impression. The indoor facilities are exceptionally well-designed for children aged 2 to 6, featuring incredibly creative and interactive spaces. The environment is family-friendly and secure. The ongoing remodeling of the outdoor area, although currently under maintenance, instills high expectations for its future appeal. The museum offers ample space for additional outdoor playgrounds, and the parking rates are reasonable. -Furthermore, the presence of in-house bathrooms and a well-stocked gift shop with educational games for all ages adds to the overall immersive family experience.

We had an amazing time at the children's museum, which was packed with engaging activities for kids. My toddler was captivated by every section, especially the fishing area—kids always love playing with water! We arrived on a Saturday morning right when the museum was supposed to open, but this particular Saturday they pushed their opening from 10 AM to 11 AM for a sensory class they hold every second Saturday of the month. Despite the delay, we kept busy with their shaded playground outdoors until the doors opened. I definitely recommend checking it out. It wasn’t too crowded when we first got in, but by 12 PM, you can expect a crowd. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we can’t wait to visit again!

I’m so conflicted about this review because I think this museum can have great potential! Our 1 year old enjoyed his time but so many things could be improved/changed here Pros: - Cool exhibits - Friendly staff members -Clean bathrooms -Dr Seuss area with books for children to whine down -Different themed events throughout the year - Plenty of hand sanitizer stations all in working order Cons/things to be improved: - From the moment we entered until the moment we left we were all sweating! It was hotter inside than it was outside, it honestly makes me not want to go back at all - Some toys were out of order - Parking is not free, even if you’re a member. - There’s no cafeteria or place indoors where you can eat your food other than a tiny Subway. I can’t imagine going during the summer months and having to not only bring a packed launch but having to eat it in the Scorching heat outside with no fans/ shaded area! - A covered splash pad/zone area would be incredible and little ones would go crazy for it - Earlier opening times. By 10am we’ve already lived 3 lives with our son and other family with kids agree I really wanted to love it but it just isn’t quite there yet unfortunately

Decided to take the grandkids on the weekend. This was our first time and we had such a wonderful time. They have different prices based on whether you are a Florida resident, a Miami Dade resident, or a Veteran, etc. which are interesting options. The museum has a lot of play make-believe areas. as well as sensory targetted areas and quiet rooms. staff was attentive, friendly, and professional. To eat they only have a subway which is overpriced if you go by regular subways on the outside. They have plenty of outdoor seating, and employees were rude and barely spoke English so got upset if you did not speak Spanish. not the nicest at all for a place that receives many tourists.. The museum is not big but it is fun to spend a few hours with the kids, they also have a gift shop if you want to buy souvenirs.

This museum is just okay. I have been to a few in different cities and this one falls short compared to those. Every exhibit is a giant advertisement for the company that sponsors it. It is more about promoting their brand than having activities the kids will actually enjoy. The Carnival exhibit is the worst one as it is a big waste of space with not much for the kids to do. The museum hasn't really changed since it opened 15+ years ago so once you have been once, there is really no reason to return. There is also nothing to do on the outside while many museums have exhibits/ activities outside as well. Ft. Lauderdale has a large interactive playground. Denver has a large water feature kids can play in as well as a giant pirate ship playground. No reason this museum couldn't add outdoor features considering our year round good weather. Overall just an okay kids museum. It looks huge on the outside but not much to do on the inside that would warrant admission pricing.

Such a cute museum to take the kiddos in the weekend. Came in for the first time with my boys 4-9 and we had a great time. We spent about 3 hours and change including breaks and lunch. They have several prices based on if you are a Florida resident and or a Miami Dade resident. Also veterans are free and up to 4 guest for a discount. The museum is heavily targeted to little ones from 2 to maybe 7 with a lot of play pretend areas. The museum staff was attentive and professional. They had a small Lion guard exhibit which was very cute. To eat they only have a subway which is marked up in price. And they do also serve personal pizzas. They don't allow strollers in the subway and they will ask you to take it outside. They have plenty of outdoor sitting but in the summer it might not be ideal to eat in the heat with a little one. Their employees were also not the nicest. It was a very cute museum, but with the Miami traffic might not be ideal for some.

This museum is very interactive! Here are some tips to ensure you and your family have a good time. - It's very interactive, meaning it's for kids and adults to bond over the different activities/rooms. If you have one child, be prepared to engage with them until they feel comfortable possibly joining other kids. No staff members are watching every room or every child (which shouldn't be their responsibility). - If you're taking your children to this museum, ensure you are watching your child. Depending on their age there are many rooms where objects can be thrown. - For food, there is only a subway. So you can eat before coming to this museum or take some snacks with you. - They have sensory book-bags for kids who become overstimulated with sounds, a lot of people, etc -You will need to pay for parking. They use an app, you pay per hour. This museum is so colorful and can be a learning experience for younger children.

I'm so conflicted about this review because I think this museum can have great potential! Our 1 year old enjoyed his time but so many things could be improved/changed here Pros: - Cool exhibits - Friendly staff members -Clean bathrooms -Dr Seuss area with books for children to whine down -Different themed events throughout the year - Plenty of hand sanitizer stations all in working order Cons/things to be improved: - From the moment we entered until the moment we left we were all sweating! It was hotter inside than it was outside, it honestly makes me not want to go back at all - Some toys were out of order - Parking is not free, even if you're a member. - There's no cafeteria or place indoors where you can eat your food other than a tiny Subway. I can't imagine going during the summer months and having to not only bring a packed launch but having to eat it in the Scorching heat outside with no fans/ shaded area! - A covered splash pad/zone area would be incredible and little ones would go crazy for it - Earlier opening times. By 10am we've already lived 3 lives with our son and other family with kids agree

We finally made a trip here after recommendations from friends. The drive is not easy from Broward because it's a very high traffic area. The parking and admissions process was super easy. They have a lot of very cute exhibits. The Publix was one of my daughter's favorites, where they can really check out and pay for the groceries. The veterinarian station was super cute, where you can care for the animals, the art room, the music room, and we even sang in the karaoke room. The prices are very reasonable for Florida residents $16 and kids are free! We ate at the subway and our experience there was not the greatest. The staff there was very unfriendly and after we waited in a long line, we were then told they didn't have pizza. So, that was a disappointing experience. All in all, I think it is a fun place and worth the visit.

It's not big at all. Went with my cousins and our babies and it's nice and there's lot to do but they definitely need to do better with keeping it organized and clean. It's cute and for small kids it can be entertaining. The winter in wonderland was nice cause you can put on socks and slide around as if it was ice skating.

My brother and his family (wife and two kids) visited Miami and we had a blast playing at the Miami Children's Museum #bubblyaunty It was a fantastic day of fun and learning. They've got an array of sensory toys and numerous pretend play stations that kept the kids entertained for hours. The option of two sessions, one in the AM and one in the PM, with a lunch break in between, makes it flexible for families. We went to the morning one and it wasn't too packed, though it was the weekend. They also have special quiet rooms created specifically for children with autism, sensory processing disorders, global developmental delays, and other special needs to enjoy with their families. The only downside was that the outdoor playground was under construction during our visit, but honestly, it was quite hot, so we didn't mind staying indoors. Overall, it's a fantastic place for a family outing filled with interactive and imaginative play. We can't wait to return when the weather cools down to explore the outdoor areas too! #bubblytip: Bring plenty of snacks as it appears they only have a Subway there...

You'll definitely love the children's museum and so will your little ones ! They have a different room filled with fun activities for your kids to play with , from construction, to supermarket, children's hospital, so you can definitely have a fun day with them. The only thing we didn't like about it was the heat, the air conditioning was definitely low! I would also say they need a few more food options for adults and kids, since the only place we found was a subway .

Two words: SIMPLY AMAZING Some more words: Such a great place for 1-3 year olds! Our little one had such an incredible time. This was the most engaged we've seen him with his surroundings. Highly recommend if you are in the local area or S FL area. I wish they had some better food options (besides subway) but other than that- the people there were friendly. The things were relatively clean considering it was the holidays and is generally catered to children. Worth the resident cost. Parking was easy, short walk across. Stroller friendly. Must visit if in the area!!

We went to the museum a little while ago but we had a great time. Even though they have their own parking lot, you still need to pay to park. We bought advanced tickets, which helped avoid the lines and allowed us in to pick the exhibit we wanted to see first before it got busier. We saw the Ninja Turtles exhibit and my son loved it! The rest of the museum was great as well and we thoroughly enjoyed it. There is even an outdoor playground in the middle of the museum. However, the doors were locked and a bunch of us were stuck outside waiting for anyone to open the doors. The only real disappointment was that the museum store only had very expensive collectibles and not really any reasonable toys to purchase. However, plan to spend a solid 90 minutes with all the exhibits. We look forward to returning.

It's a cute place for kids especially the publix supermarket and Vet area. My daughter had a blast. Not the greatest value especially if your a non-florida resident. Don't plan a whole day, we went through everything in about an hour and a half.

Good spot for an afternoon with the kids . They have interactive displays and varied themes.

The service at the Subway is outstanding! I heard the young man in the art area is great!

We visited this museum as part of our family vacation. We always try to visit the children's museum of any place we visit. In comparison to other children's museums this one was on the higher end for price, especially since the price was only for 1/2 the day. There was a lot of potential in this museum but there was so much renovation occurring we didn't get to experience what it could be. My kids range from age 10years -8months. So we covered every part of the museum. The museum was best suited for my middle child who is 5. We all like the music room and spent a decent amount of time there. Compared to other children museums this museum was lacking for toddlers and infants. There was one soft play area that was in the corner of an area dedicated to outside animal education. There is no nursing room. It was recommended that I nurse in the quiet area which is an area set aside for those who have sensory sensitivities. Being a Monday it was quiet and nursing there was easy. A nursing room would have been much appreciated though. It was blazing hot so we didn't check out the playground. The air-conditioning inside worked great though, so thumbs up for that. Other than we thought attaching a Subway to the museum was such a great idea as most museums have their own cafe with overpriced food and long lines. The bummer was we tried to grab something right before the museum was closing but Subway was already closed. This museum has great potential but needs better execution with the exhibits, staffing and overall experience. It might get better after the renovations are done and everything is up and running.

This is a great past time for the kids. There are a lot of areas kids can explore to ignite interest in various skills from music, art, development and or real life experiences.

This is the best place to bring kids for a morning or afternoon of fun. We were in town for the week and needed an outlet for our 3.5 year old. He loves this place. Whatever your child is interested in there is something for them. Each room is themed, construction, bank, firefighter, veterinarian. The really hit was the kids sized store complete with checkouts. I would go when the place opens to avoid the crowds and it gives you a nearly solo experience.

The children love this place. Here they can spend half a day on their own. It's a place where you can consume too much energy. Only a little advice, I hope I can change some content often.

This place is awesome. Our 2.5 year old had an absolute blast. We came for the morning session, left for lunch and nap time, then came back for the afternoon session. Each time slot had plenty of kids with more than enough activities and stations for the little ones to run around. I don't think they allow outside food, so keep that in mind. There is a subway on site however.

It needs updating, essentially especially what they're charging for entrance and on top of that hourly parking. Yes they are adding new things, but the whole location need to update the toys, painting, some toys are missing in some of the areas. Their birthday rooms are a little rundown, again a little updating to give him some spunk back it'll be great. I know I have a friend that was thinking of doing her son's birthday there but decided not too cause of the reasons I'm giving. Yes, your assigned a person to help you which is nice and helpful but the look of the room is a downfall. It doesn't stop me for going cause it does have a good concept but it's not my top museum to go check out.

I hadn't been to the Children's Museum in years until a friend of mine suggested we take our boys. We pre-purchased the tickets online and chose a time slot of 1-3 PM. I loved the idea of picking a time slot because it allows families to come in shifts and doesn't overcrowd the museum at once. Also, as a Florida resident we were able to get a discount which helped save us some money. My friend mistakingly purchased her tickets for a different day and the front desk accommodated a date change extremely quickly and we were able to begin our day without any problems. The museum is filled with different rooms of hands-on activities for kids like "fishing", building blocks, coloring, etc. My favorite part of these rooms is that most are sponsored or at least represented by Miami-based businesses such as the children's hospital for the ambulance and operation game, a section for Britto and the Port of Miami which had an area among others. Even the exercise area had a healthy choices bicycle riding experience that allows you to bike ride through different areas in Miami (super cute). I'm always grossed out by museums and interactive places because they always seem dirty to me but the Children's Museum was organized and not dirty at all. What a relief. And because of the shifts in time I never felt like an area was too overcrowded to enjoy. Overall the museum was a great way to spend the day and our boys had a great time is the most important part.

This is a great place for kids to go weather it's on a Field trip or with there parents . They have about 10 different rooms from instrument ,food store building ,working out , a exhibit of the month which was Eric Carl this time. And much more it's one of my places to go the traffic getting there isn't the beSt but the place itself is so easy to find and color full they also have a gift shop and a snack and food center which. I believe is subway. The people are so friendly and helpful who work there also

The Miami Children's Museum is always a hit for Camp J Miami field trip! Our kindergarten and first grade campers have a blast exploring the museum, and our staff appreciate how wonderfully organized and safe the field trips are for our large group. Thank you for the wonderful customer service - both for planning and at the museum. Hopefully the picnic tables will be back by next summer - We can't wait to be back! Thank you MiChMu!

It's fine. We went with our 2 yo. A lot of the exhibits are sponsored and there are a lot of interactive screens and toys. Its a smallish space so a lot of kids can raise the volume level quite high so it was a bit overwhelming. The quality if the exhibits seem a bit worn down. A few missing pieces here or there or some items that could do with replacing. I would personally not return but only because I prefer my little interacting with nature rather than a lot of plastic and screens. Our favorite part was the music room. There currently constructing a better outside play area. It was $18/person including our little so more affordable that the Frost museum and if your kids are old enough to navigate a little more independently it may be great fun from their perspect

Cute exhibits but not very educational like other children museums I've been to. I took my 2 year old on a weekday. It was really nice that it was not crowded, however, we were kicked out twice from the playground because it was being used by their school. How do you explain to a 2 year old that we need to leave because this museum offering is reserved for the school? We tried the slides at Teo different hours by the way and two different groups were using it. This was a bummer especially because the playground is advertised as part of the museum. The museum is small. You can do all the exhibits in an hour .

The perfect plan for a family! Super interactive exhibits, lots of learning opportunities and a magical vibe. If you want a plan the whole family can enjoy I would definitely recommend coming to the children museum.

Great place for children to explore som many realistic places and things in our local neighborhoods. Definitely recommend taking a visit with your kids. Great for ages 1 - 12.

Fun place for kids, they have different departments: police station, vet clinic, supermarket, musical rooms and many more other activities. This is our to go place when it's raining in Miami. Personally, i wish they have a better option food wise.. so far its only pizza/sandwich and every time i go there all the tables look messy that I'd rather starve myself.

My family and I were visiting from California and I needed to find somewhere to take my 2 yr old. And she absolutely enjoyed the museum. She ran around the place playing with everything.

Took my little ones on Veterans Day during my day off and I was blown away! So happy I finally found a great place to take the kids on weekend or my days off. My 1 & 2 year old had a blast! There were so many different activities it was hard to enjoy them all during a single visit. The museum has two floors, has activity rooms and also offers rooms for private birthday parties. This museum is ideal for children 5 and under, great for toddlers to walk/run around and exhaust themselves yourself included (since you will running after them). I ended up upgrading my ticket to an annual pass for $150 since it was $45 to visit once and I definitely will be back With my husband. There is a subway inside so you can easily have an inexpensive lunch during your visit. Definitely one of my new favorite places in Miami for little ones!

We were looking forward to visiting for weeks! We planned to go on a school day as to not run into a large crowd. Be warned- you're paying a ticket to partake in their own personal daycare! They use the grounds as activities for their preschool children to play with. It's quit overwhelming. Prepare for loud little ones, loud daycare employees wrangling children and of course lots of sick, coughing little ones.

My son had so much fun, looking forward to taking him back. Place can use some minor updates but overall a good experience for kids

My original review was 5 stars. I came here with someone else's kid and thought it was awesome. A lot like Wannado City from back in the day. Now, not so much. It has not changed much and that's sad. Now that I have two kids of my own, I should be getting yearly passes but I have come here once since they were born and I feel no real desire to go back. I really don't want this review to come off wrong. I would hope that with enough people saying they need to buckle up they will. I want to love this place but right now, I can't

The museum provides full access and participation to all guests, including their website. Well done!

As with the Frost Museum (and sometimes PAMM), my bebe and I are weekly visitors. I know what to expect and have come to count on it. The museum is spacious with plenty of room for exploring. Over the past couple of years I feel like the quality of exhibits has improved. The traveling exhibits also appear to be exciting to most children. We've attended several of the special programs for members and enjoyed ourselves. I find staff to be friendly and helpful which goes a long way to add our experience. It's a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Great spot to bring your kids. We brought our toddler here and he had a blast. The place gets very crowded on weekends so best to come on a weekday or very early in the morning on the weekend if you can. The last time we visited, a couple of the exhibits were closed, but my son still had a great time. There are so many different activities for your little ones to participate in. Even my husband and I had a great time during arts and crafts and in the music room. I think a little more time would be better. 2 hours didn't feel like enough time to really take in all the museum had to offer. All in all, a good experience and will definitely bring my son back -- on a weekday.

Really nice place for children to learn and play. Clean and kept up to date, this place is a must go if you have small children and you're in Miami. The staff is friendly, some exhibits are really nice and children can get all their favorites under one roof: driving a fire truck, fishing, painting, or going in a maze. We all enjoyed it and will return often.

I take my daughter twice a year. Great vibes and amazing creative arts and shows there for the kids and family. A true staple in the Miami community.

Amazing for kids to have fun Gets crowded. Go to the art section fir a break Always fun

Last Friday I was lucky enough to win tickets to an event called Somethings Brewing After Dark located at the beautiful Miami Children's Museum. Parking was a breeze and right in front with an easy scan and bag check. We arrived around 10pm right on time to begin a night of festivities. The DJ was playing alot of 80s music and people were loving it! The drinks were awesome I stayed at the Bacardi station all night drinking rum and coke. Veza Sur and Concrete Brewery were out there with a new brew for Octoberfest Clive's Restaurant had there signature patties that were so good. I loved that they had a tarot card reader and a seperate VIP room that included some couches with a full bar. DJ Khalid surprised us at the end of the event. I had so much fun can't wait to come back next year.

Came here for the Yelp Not So Scary Halloween bash and I am so happy that I was able to experience this!!! I got to see that they have added exhibits to the museum. They even have a sensory room which I enjoy as my son was diagnosed with Autism. There were so many activities that my son enjoyed. They had a pumpkin painting station, a donut decorating station which they also had munchkins and coffee for the parents. There was trick or treating through the museum in the first and second floor. There was a really cool haunted house that my son was not scared of at all. He's a real trooper like that! What I was most excited about was the Dr. Seuss Booksville! We love reading! There was also lunch provided by Pollo Tropical. Overall we had a blast and I am so happy that we got to experience this!!!

This is a very cute fun place to take your kids on a free day. There's always something to do here and the museum is almost always hosting cool events. This museum is located right before hitting south beach. It does have its own parking but many times the parking does get full especially if they are hosting a popular event. Inside the museum is meant for kids younger than 12 I would say. It is separated into different areas where kids can interact with many of the installments. The interaction part I love since that's what kids are into. If they can't touch it it's like it doesn't exist! The first floor has a completely interactive town where the kids can dress up. There is also a large boat on the first floor where the kids can pretend to fish. Upstairs the installments change. There is a place where you can battle our games with small boats. If you are not from Miami and are here with kids it's an excellent place to visit. I don't recommend a membership unless you're close by like Brickell or the beaches. I got a membership one year and honestly barely used it they do have great prices on the memberships and if you plan on going more than twice a year then do it.

honestly it was kind of stupid. i have a 3 year old so maybe she just wasn't old enough but there was nothing for her to really do. we went 5 days ago and she's sick now, i knew the place looked dirty when i was there.

Terrible. So many exhibits are broken ore in such disrepair that the kids are frustrated and lose focus and lose the effect of the visit. Yes there are many things working, but way too many broken, at least 15 interactive exhibits i counted and took pictures of. On 3 of the computer interactive screens it was showing a dialog box for Antivirus software! Making the exhibit worthless. For lower tech items, filthy, not from a days worth of use, like a month of grease from active little hands. There are hallways and stairs that lead to locked doors with no signs. There are elements to the exhibits that are 6 feet above eye level, no kid will see that. The exhibits are so wordy and poorly worded at that, not written for children. Visually it is so confusing for kids, i am surprised there is no class action lawsuit for GIVING kids ADD! DONT GO BACK, until they clean things yp.

A nice place to kill time after the cruise if you have kids. They only have subway for foods though.

Nice size museum, but not too big. Enough for the kids to spread out and not be on top of each other. We got a great discount because my husband is a veteran, so don't forget your ID if it applies. Like most children's museums, they aren't ever AWESOME. It's like a few cool areas and the rest of it is some old worn out stuff kids don't care about, but parents notice. The pirate area was cool though, the kids could stamp their maps at different sites and the sand box to find the treasure with the coordinates was interactive. We did this place in literally one hour and a half. Just not somewhere that requires a lot of time to me.

First time ever visiting this Museum.... parking.....It's a private lot and you pay by the meter. Entrance fee if you're a Florida resident you pay $15 per person, including adults. Museum: it's not too bad for an indoor center, they have multiple exhibits like Publix, Bank of America, a doctors office, Carnival cruise line, rock climbing & an outdoor play area that I can remember. However the problem is that I'm not sure why it's called a museum rather than a indoor play area because that's what it seems like. I didn't see much staff around nor interacting with the customers.

We've come a number of times and they have a nice set up for kids to explore. Definitely geared toward the mobile toddlers and up. We like Monday's because it's less older kids (5 and under). The readers for the story time are awesomely talented. They sing, play instruments and keep the kids engaged. Downstairs there's construction, a bank, grocery store, vet, fire truck, fishing and a climbing wall and play ground for the older kids. Up the musical stairs there's boats, music section, athletic section and art. It's well designed and plenty to do. They do charge for parking, so it's helpful to have the parking app to monitor your time. There's a subway shop to eat lunch but not much options. Across the street is jungle island, another attraction but not a whole lot of restaurants nearby. They have lots of events and you can also purchase an annual pass if you come a lot.

We've gone to MCM a handful of times in the past several years, and recently visited for a birthday party. Since our last time there, they've integrated and updated quite a few of the exhibits. We found the overall experience to be pretty good, with many things to do for our little one. Some highlights: 1. The fishing area is always popular with our kids. They are able to get fishing poles and essentially fish between two levels (floor and upper level of the boat). This area is often packed and at times difficult for kids to get a chance at the poles, but otherwise still fun. They've added an Everglades and "quiet area" on the sides as well, although it really wasn't very quiet. :) 2. On the upper level, they've changed one of the exhibits to now feature Fitness and Health. We thought this was a pretty neat area as there were several activities the kids could try. This included a fitness maze, biking games, treadmill, balancing games and a few other activities. 3. The most popular area this time around was the Pirate Ship and Adopt a Pet zones. Both allowed a lot of room for imagination for the kids, including seeking out buried treasure and diagnosing and grooming your "pet". 4. In addition to the exhibits, MCM also had a "slime" making event going on at specific times of the day. This was pretty neat and allowed the kids to make their own slime. Some improvements to be made: 1. Many of the exhibits and activities feature props, and removable accessories. As a result, they are often missing from their section as kids will take them and run off to other areas. We found this annoying at times as we couldn't complete some activities due to missing pieces. It would be helpful if the staff at MCM could find a way to attach or ensure the pieces stay in their areas. Or periodically have staff check in on them. 2. Due to heavy foot traffic, some of the areas were just too packed to play in. It would help if they could better organize birthday party schedules, lines/ or minimize capacity for groups. 3. Outdoor playgrounds need to be fully covered, to ensure kids aren't burned during hot days. The slides were extremely hot and with no warning, some of the kids were burned when they slid down. 4. Some of the exhibits were still the same as what they were almost 8 years ago- i.e. puppet show area, cruise line area. These need to be changed and updated at least. 5. Some of the exhibits weren't functioning properly (broken switches, missing lights, etc..) All in all, MCM is not a bad way to spend time for families with small children. You can pretty much cover everything in about 4 hours, possibly less, depending on how much imagination you put into it, and activities you actually participate in. Be aware that parking is not free. It is a self park with meter validation, so you need to pay, regardless of the day. We saw meter maids actively issuing tickets during our Sunday visit.

It was a lot of fun weathering tropical storm Gordon at Miami Children's Museum (aka MCM). MCM is curated with many different active and visually stimulating exhibits that facilitate and foster a positive learning environment and happens to coincide with the Miami Dade County Public Schools curriculum. We spent time navigating through both stories of the MCM and it's tough to say which one had the most impact on our one year old. Her mind is like a sponge and she did take the time to take it all in. It will be interesting to see what piques her interest in the coming years as we revisit. Among the most memorable exhibits were the Health and Wellness Center where I chased my little girl in the toddler room and challenged myself to a long jump; the Music Makers Studio where we watched others play with the giant piano while we tapped on drums and tambourines; the Safety Zone where Nicole and Mayla sat on the police Harley Davidson motorcycle and wore fire helmets and fire jackets; I was impressed with all of the other rooms too which Mayla will come to appreciate when she is a little older such as the Bank. Learning about how to manage money is always a tough topic for parents to tackle. What made MCM special is allowing our child to spectate in life's theatre of other children's interaction with all of the various interdisciplinary experiences, and then follow in their footsteps or not. The choice was hers to make. For a parent it's nice to participate but it's also nice to sit back and watch them make those choices. The parking outside of MCM is not free, but there is ample parking. The admission price is not inconsequential at $15 per person for Florida residents $20 for non-residents and complimentary only if the child is less than 1 year which ought to extend to two years in my humble opinion. If your child is already 1 then the total admission is $45. There are military discounts. Purchasing a family membership for $150 would require a minimum of 4 trips during the year to break even. The MCM website is very useful https://www.miamichildrensmuseum.org/ with links to exhibits, admissions, and even a link to plan your visit. All very well thought out. Inside the MCM is a gift shop which we skipped. MCM is a definite must for parents raising children.