Friday, June 15, 2012

Summer Events!

The annual memberships at Zoo Miami, The Seaquarium, and Parrot Jungle, are amazing!
There are many fun events (free or minimal fee to annual members).  The annual memberships  are expensive, but if you are going to go more than 4 times in a year, you save a lot of money on free fun!  I will list them separately below. If you know you will not use the annual memberships once the summer ends, the SUMMER SAVINGS PASS might be for you. This is a pass you can buy, which allows you to go for FREE to Zoo Miami, The Seaquarium, Lion Country Safari (in West Palm Beach) or the Museum of Science (Ft. Lauderdale Museum) from 5/14/12 to 9/30/12.
There is a one time fee of $55 for adults and $45 for children. You can purchase this summer pass at any of the theme parks listed below.

ZOO MIAMI
12400 S.W. 152ND STREET
305/251-0400
The zoo brings “THE HIPPO SLIDE” all summer.
This is an extremely tall water slide that the kids love! It costs $7.50 for ½ hour of sliding on tubes, but the kids LOVE it! You can take them in a bathing suit (bring towel and a change of clothes), and head on over to the new splash and play park in the Amazon And Beyond section of the zoo. They are re-doing their park/splash and play in the central part of the zoo (should be done by July), but the Amazon one is available. The zoo now has a baby giraffe, and a baby rhinoceros on display. They are super cute!  The zoo has grown so large, it is hard to do it all in one day. This is great, b/c you can take your kids on different adventures each time (the petting zoo is cute, the animal show in the petting zoo area is good, and they have a carousel). The Amazon and Beyond has sting-ray petting, a new cheetah display, and a very unique fruit bat display!!!!! Remember to feed the giraffes also! It is a memory you kids will hold on to evermore!
FYI: the zoo is planning to build a  “real” water park (like the Grapeland Water Park) in 2013!
 
PARROT JUNGLE ISLAND
MIAMI BEACH
305/400-7000
LA PLAYA AT JUNGLE ISLAND
Parrot Jungle actually turns their beach section into a working beach for the summer (water is mucky and nobody really “swims,” but kids partake in events). I take my kids there in bathing suits (bring a change of clothes and a towel). They have about 3 wet slides (not as tall as the one in the zoo), and they have a D.J. playing music and setting up the limbo, hoola hoop games, etc.
They also have paddle boarding (the kind where you stand up) for a minimal charge).
This is FREE if you are a member! The shows are really cute too. Make sure you have your kids feed the baby kangaroos ($5)!
 
MIAMI SEAQUARIUM
4400 RICKENBACKER CAUSEWAY
KEY BISCAYNE
305/361-5705
The Seaquarium has a pirate shop where kids can squirt each other, but not much else is different in the summer. I suggest taking the kids in bathing suits (bring towel and a change of clothes), and sitting in the FRONT ROW of the Killer Whale show! You will get plenty wet (water is freezing, but the kids love the rush)! The shows are really fun, and you can now pet sting-rays in their lagoon (free)! They also have a new climbing cage which kids seem to like ($3 per child). Remember to catch the shark feeding, and the 3 shows!
(annual memberships to each of these 3 theme parks are roughly $60 for an adult, and $40 for each child over 3).
 
TURTLE RELEASE PROGRAM 2012
CRANDON PARK
KEY BISCAYNE
NORTH BEACH ENTRANCE
305/361-6767 x112 Karen
You can register for this program beginning July 1 (telephone registration accepted). You sign up for a particular date (office has schedule), and pay $8 per person.
When a turtle nest hatches on the beach, there are usually 3-12 turtles that do not make it out of the hole and into the ocean. When you participate in this program, you are helping save these turtles.  The even usually occurs at 7:00 P.M.
You and your children are educated about turtles and their cycles in the Crandon Park Center.  You guide will have rescued turtles from their hatching hole, and will bring them to you during the introduction, they are so tiny and cute! They always have sand stuck on their heads, and flap their webbed feet the whole time you are viewing them! Your kids will love it!  You then walk as a group to the beach at night! The guides will then place them on the ground, and you get to see the turtles make it into the ocean! When you go to the beach during the day, you will see roped off areas (yellow tape) with signs that read, “Turtle laying nest located here. Do not disturb.”)
These are the nests we will be getting our turtles from!
 
MIAMI-DADE SWIMMING CLASSES ($25 FOR TWO WEEKS)
Due to the water safety statistics, Dade County offers discounted swim classes, taught by Red Cross certified instructors!

Doug Barnes Park and  Rockway Pool have great program. I like them for maintaining  swim skills. The kids end up jumping off of the diving boards and learning different swim techniques!

The cost is usually $60 for two weeks, but due to drowning statistics, they offer the 2 week course to kids ages 6-10 (levels 1-3) for $25!!!!
Rockway Pool Summer 2012
9460 S.W. 27th Drive
305/223-8742
305/223-8769
call for registration details. You must sign up in person.
 
GRAPELAND WATER PARK
1550 N.W. 37 AVENUE
305/960-2950
10-5
ADULTS $10  CHILDREN $6
This is a fun and refreshing place to visit.
I recommend going in a group during the week (less crowded on weekdays and mornings)
 
LIGHTHOUSE POINT AT  KEY BISCAYNE BEACH
“El Farrito”
1200 Crandon Blvd.
305/361-8487
$6 entrance to beach
This is a great beach spot (if you plant your umbrella next to their restaurant, they have reasonable ice cream rates). You can use this to encourage your children to behave perfectly! Ha!
You can also pack bikes in your car (fun trails), or plan to tour the lighthouse! The lighthouse is open most days (call first – I believe it is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays), and it is FREE to climb up to the top and enjoy the view. If you want a GUIDED TOUR, this has a price. The door is always open, and they welcome exploration of the lighthouse and house of the original lighthouse keeper and his family. This is a nice area to picnic! (Below are some alternatives to being outdoors in the summer heat)
 
FREE BOWLING THIS SUMMER 2012 AT BIRD BOWL
9275 S.W. 40thStreet
305/221-1221
This bowling center is offering free bowling all summer (pay for shoes only – about $4). Simply log on to the website below, and pre-register. This is free for kids under age 15.
 
Super Wheels Roller Skating
12265 S.W. 112 Street
305/2709FUN
CRYSTAL PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER
$10 per person ($2 skate rental)
 
KENDALL ICE ARENA –ICE SKATING
10355 Hammocks Blvd.
Kendall
$6 per person entrance ($3 per skate rental)
 
The ACTOR’S PLAYHOUSE 2012
MIRACLE MILE
SATURDAYS
2:00 P.M.
Raised price to $17 per person
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
June 27 – August 4
 
MIAMI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
MIAMI BEACH
THE THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH IS FREE
(From 3:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.)
305/373-5437
 
MIAMI ART MUSEUM
SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH IS FREE
101 W. Flagler Street
305/375-3000
Hands-on art programs available for parents and kids. Tours given.
 
SHAKE-A-LEG POGRAM
FREE KAYAKING FOR THE FAMILY!
262 BAYSHORE DRIVE
(NEXT TO MONEY’S IN COCONUT GROVE)
305/858-5550
THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
(call first because program is sometimes suspended in the summer)
This program has helped empower disabled children every year through their sports programs. They now have funding to host, “Community Family Day” every 3rd Saturday of the month. We went and the kids had a blast!  They have inflatable obstacle courses, scooters, car racing, face painting, and kayaks. You sign up to go on a kayak, and a boat takes you to a nearby island (they provide life jackets). You then proceed to choose your kayak and paddle around the island! A few life guard/guides are in the water, if you need help, but you have the freedom to tour the water on your own if you prefer. We were on the island about an hour. My kids loved it!
 
The outdoor movies under the stars (free movies in the middle of parks) will resume again in October (UM, Pine crest Gardens, Shelley Park, Doral, Miami Springs, Key Biscayne). I will provide you with start date in the fall.
 
THE RAILROAD MUSEUM
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH IS FREE
Located inside parking entrance to Zoo Miami
Train rides are additional, but minimal fee.
305/253-0063


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