Beat the Heat on the Cheap
By Heidi Perez
SouthFlorida.com
Florida is a great place to live, especially if you know how to stay cool with the kids in the heat of the summer. Luckily, we have diverse options in southeastern Florida, making life here more than bearable. If you get giddy over a good deal (I know I do), here are some ideas that might make you jump up and go.
1. Hollywood Beach
Hollywood has recently renovated its Broadwalk, making this beach worth the drive for a day of fun. The Hollywood Broadwalk is a great place to bring a wagon, roller skates, bikes or a baby in a stroller. You can enjoy a shaded beachfront restaurant while your children play in the sand within eyeshot of your table. You can rent a small cabana (basically two lounge chairs with an awning) for the day, eliminating the need to drag your own chairs and umbrellas with you. If you still aren't cool enough, the ocean awaits you, and there are a number of places to buy ice cream.
On the cheap: Free live music and festivals occur often, so be sure to check out www.hollywoodfl.org and click on "Parks & Recreation" for an up-to-date schedule of events. These free events are a low-stress way to introduce your children to art, music and culture.
2. Playmobile Fun Park
Playmobile offers an affordable day of indoor fun for little ones. The recommended age is 2 to 9, but 9 is really pushing it. And the fun costs only $1 per person to enter. Since it is small and enclosed, it is a great place to meet a friend and talk while your children create their own fun with all those plastic people and settings. You can order pizza or sandwiches from a nearby pizzeria (ask for a menu at the front desk) or bring your own snacks in with you. www.playmobil.com or 561-691-9517.
On the cheap: Avoid the Playmobile store, which you must pass through, or at least go in with a preconceived budget in mind. That's where they get you!
3. El Loro Pirate Ship
This partially air conditioned pirate ship is a replica of a Spanish Galleon from the 16th century that sails from the Bayside Market behind the Hard Rock Café. If your kids are as obsessed with pirates as mine are, this boat ride, complete with a costumed crew, is sure to be a hit. In fact, you will probably enjoy the one-hour sightseeing cruise as much as they will! Stopping for a meal at Bayside's Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Chilis or the Hard Rock Café is a sure way to round off a great afternoon. www.miamiaquatours.com. Or 305-860-8854.
On the cheap: The Miami Entertainment Book offers a coupon for this attraction. Visit www.entertainment.com for more information.
4. Wannado City
There's no place quite like this indoor theme park just for kids at Sawgrass Mills. Wannado City takes kids into a world where they become the city's firefighter, archaeologist, actor, news reporter, chef, dentist, veterinarian, doctor and a host of other professions. The park promotes the value of hard work and responsibility within a fun, entertaining environment. You can spend the day there, but beware that they really focus on the kids' play and there's not much for parent to do but watch – which can be pretty fun. Or simply drop your older kids off while you shop. Wannado City is best for children in elementary school. Preschoolers are a little young to get the full experience, but they do have fun there. 954-838-7100 or www.wannadocity.com
On the cheap: South Florida Parenting's Kids Fun Pass, (available at participating Toys R' Us, ACE and Party City locations) offers discounted admissions to the park. The pass costs $11.95 and more than pay for itself in a few outings with your child. You need one pass per child. Also available by mail when you order online at www.sfparenting.com.
5. Sugar Sand Park
This park makes the summer heat manageable with a cool tri-level playground, splash area and a small air-conditioned science museum, the Children's Science Explorium. The park also has indoor basketball courts, nature trails, a carousel, picnic benches and plenty of green open space and shade. www.sugarsandpark.org or 561-347-3900.
On the cheap: The tri-level playground and indoor science museum are both free. What more can I say?
6. Chuck E Cheese's
With four locations in Miami-Dade, and others in Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Boca Raton and Stuart, Chuck E. Cheese's is close enough for almost everyone, and can be fun for the entire family. (I personally play a mean game of air hockey!) To help separate the older kids from little ones, the game rooms are arranged into different sections (toddler zone, kiddie area and skill/arcade games). Try going as soon as they open in the morning, as this is the least crowded time (most open at 9 or 10 a.m.) – and the more crowded it gets, the noise increases and the fun decreases. Entry is free and most games cost 25 cents.
On the cheap: Chuck E Cheese's often offers coupons in the Sunday paper, but you can also get them through the Web site, www.chuckecheese.com. If your kids are really little, you can just let them play with the steering wheels and buttons without putting tokens in at all. Now that's cheap!
7. Castaway Island at T.Y. Park
This small water park is one of our favorites because of its reasonable price, as well as its size. Nobody gets lost here. The park features seven water slides, two pools, trees that spray water, a small play area designed for toddlers, picnic and shaded areas, a concession stand and restrooms. When you've finished your time inside the water park area, you can hang out on a sandy lake beach or picnic in the shade in one of several picnic areas.
On the cheap: The park sells two-hour time slots, so call ahead and plan to arrive close to one of the entry times to avoid the cost of paying for an extra time slot. You can also purchase an all-day pass if you plan to stay for the day.
8. Lion Country Safari
Now this is a cool zoo. It's a drive-through "cageless zoo," so you can enjoy the animals in the comfort of your car's air conditioning. At the end of your safari adventure, you will find a theme park with miniature golf, paddleboats, a small train ride, petting zoo, carousel and more, all included in the price of admission. There's also a splash park, so be sure to pack a towel and a bathing suit for everyone. www.lioncountrysafari.com or 561-793-1084.
On the cheap: On Father's Day, June 15, dads get in free with a coupon from the Web site. If you plan to visit more than twice a year, it makes a lot of sense to buy an annual membership, which also gets you free parking, a 20 percent discount at the gift shops and restaurants, 20 percent discounts for your other guests' admission fees and discounts on camping rates. Visit the Web site to find out about any other summer discounts they might be offering.
9. Miami Children's Museum
This museum is such a gem; it's even worth the drive from up north. MiChMu has a kid-sized bank, grocery store, television studio, fire station, karaoke studio, fishing boat and much more. In celebration of the Summer Olympic Games, the new exhibit opening this month features activities related to the games, including gymnastics equipment just the right size for play and a bouncy obstacle course. If you don't feel like bringing your own snacks, not to worry, there is a Subway on site. If you're traveling to get here, the Miami Children's Museum is not far from Bayside Marketplace (where you can catch the El Loro) and even closer to Jungle Island, which offers a lot of cool fun of it's own. www.miamichildrensmuseum.org or 305-373-KIDS.
On the cheap: Currently MCM is reciprocal with more than 100 museums nationwide within the Association of Children's Museums. So, if you own a membership elsewhere, check to see if they are reciprocal with MCM. The museum also is free from 3 to 9 p.m. the third Friday of every month. Free Fridays usually include extra activities as well as the usual museum fun.
10. Your local library
Finally, I must implore you to visit your local library. Most have story times, craft times and other special events for children. There is no cost, and they are air-conditioned. And with your library card, you can extend the fun by bringing home a pile of books to read together.
Really folks, unless the libraries start giving away free pizza, it's not going to get any better than that!
Previously a preschool teacher and nanny, Heidi Perez is now the mother of two and a freelance writer living in South Florida.