Time to hit the road: SouthFlorida.com

Feel like your toddler is outgrowing the Mommy and Me class you've been taking since she was a newborn? Tired of cleaning up the ground-in goldfish crackers from your carpet after hosting the weekly playgroup? Are you a first-time parent looking for fun, safe activities to do with your 12- to 36-month-old? If so, look no further. Whether you're looking for art studios, gymnasiums, cultural centers or just a really entertaining playground, South Florida has several places for young toddlers who enjoy being out and about. Below is a list of some of the most popular places on the local toddler scene in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Miami Children's Museum
www.miamichildrensmuseum.org
Address: 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami
Phone: 305-373-5437
Hours: Sunday�Saturday 10 a.m.�6 p.m.
Cost: adults/children $10; members and children under 12 months free
Features: The museum has a separate infant/toddler play area specifically for younger children and there are various sensory and auditory exhibits that are certain to amaze and entertain children of all ages. Some of the highlights include the supermarket where your child can fill up a cart with different types of play food, the WKID-TV studio where they can actually see themselves on a television screen, and The Sea and Me gallery where children can enjoy water play while gazing at the wall of bubbles.

Young at Art Children's Museum
www.youngatartmuseum.org
Address: 11584 W. State Road 84, Davie
Phone: 954-424-0085
Hours: Monday�Saturday 10 a.m.�5 p.m.; Sunday noon�5 p.m.
Cost: $8; members and children under 2 free
Features: This museum offers various classes for toddlers (see schedule, p. 26) and their parents. In addition to the Earthworks and the Global Village exhibits, the museum also features a giant play space for toddlers where they can engage in physical and sensory play with other children. Toddler classes (moms and 18 to 30-month-olds):
Tuesdays: 11 a.m.�11:30 a.m. Sensory Sensation. Create masterpieces with an array of textured materials such as cotton and feathers
Wednesdays: 11 a.m.�11:30 a.m. Musical Merriment
Fridays: 11 a.m.�noon. Story time Picnic. Bring a bagged lunch

Sugar Sand Park
www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/parks/Sugarsand.cfm
Address: 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton
Phone: 561-347-3900
Hours: Monday�Saturday 8 a.m.�11 p.m., Sunday 8:00 a.m.�sunset
Playground hours are Monday�Sunday 8 a.m.�sunset
Cost: Free
Features: This vast outdoor area contains 132 acres and has several features for lots of family fun. The park not only includes a Community Center with a theatre and science center, a science playground, and picnic pavilions, but also a merry-go-round and water sprinkler area for those hot South Florida afternoons.

Flamingo Gardens
www.flamingogardens.org
Address: 3750 S. Flamingo Road, Davie
Phone: 954-473-2955
Hours: Open seven days, 9:30 a.m.�5:30 p.m.
Closed Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day
and Mondays from June 1 through Sept. 30 (open Labor Day)
Cost: Adults $15, children ages 4�11 $8, 3 and under free
Features: 60 acres of lush gardens and is perfect for any child who enjoys nature. Some of the highlights include rare plant exhibits, a tram tour of the citrus groves ($4, adults; $3, children 4�11) and the Wray Botanical Collection. There is also the Free Flight Aviary which includes 25,000 square feet of wading birds, a live presentation of Florida wildlife, a rare bird habitat, an alligator lagoon, a butterfly and hummingbird garden, and of course, Flamingo Island. You can also enjoy the Tropical Marketplace and Flamingo Cafe Snack and Refreshment Center for delicious tropical treats.

Nature Tots
Secret Woods Nature Center
www.broward.org/parks
Address: 2701 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale
Phone: 954-791-1030
Hours: 10 a.m. the third Tuesday of every month
Cost: $3 per child
Features: Each month features a different nature theme where children ages 2�4 can learn about and explore various facets of the outdoors. Listen to stories, watch puppet shows, make arts and crafts and engage in scientific activities while learning about the great outdoors.

Music with Mar
www.musicwithmar.com
Address: Flamingo Road Church 12401 Stirling Road, Cooper City
Phone: 954-401-4654 or e-mail mitt
auerc@bellsouth.net
Hours: 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Fridays (class length is 45 minutes)
Cost: $6 per session or $25 for a block of five classes.
Features: Taught by instructor Stephanie Mittauer, Music With Mar holds classes for ages 6 months to 6 years that are classified as "brain-based classes." Caregivers and children learn fundamentals such as colors, numbers and sign language through musical activities that focus on the overall development of a child.

The Mall at Wellington Green
www.shopwellingtongreen.com
Address: 10300 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington
The children's play area is on the lower level in front of JCPenney.
Phone: 561-227-6900
Hours: Monday�Friday 10 a.m.�9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.�9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.�6 p.m. The play area closes 2 p.m.�2:30 p.m. every day for cleaning.
Cost: Free
Features: The mall boasts of a giant play area highlighted by "breakfast-theme" areas complete with oversized play waffles and fruit. If you're looking for a place to let your child stretch his legs after spending all that time in a stroller, this is the perfect spot to give him (and you) a little break from shopping.

Tradewinds Park
www.co.broward.fl.us/parks
Address: 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek
Phone: 954-968-3875 or 954-968-3880
Hours: 8 a.m.�6 p.m., winers (last Sunday in October to last Sunday in April); summer 8 a.m.�7:30 p.m. (last Sunday in April to last Sunday in October)
Cost: $1 per person over age 5 on weekends; free on weekdays
Features: Tradewinds offers pony rides 11 a.m.�3:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday for children who are less than 52 inches tall. Pony-ride tickets are $2 or four rides for $6. There is also a model steam railroad which runs the third full weekend of every month, 10 a.m.�4 p.m., for $1 per ride. Both features are sure to delight your future animal lover or engineer.

Miramar Regional Park
www.ci.miramar.fl.us/serv/park/regional.htm
Address: 16801 Miramar Parkway, Miramar
Phone: 954-883-6950
Hours: Monday�Saturday 8 a.m.�9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m.�7 p.m.
Cost: Monday�Friday free to the public except on holidays or during city events; weekends and holidays $1 per person; children under 5 free. Features: This new park features two separate, covered playgrounds, each with toddler-sized equipment that is perfect if your child enjoys climbing. There are slides of different shapes and sizes, a rock-climbing mountain and wall, and a giant car where your child can practice his driving skills while rocking back and forth. You can also bring your own pail and shovel for your child to play with in each of the playground's giant sand areas.

William B. Armstrong
Dream Park
www.ppines/com/parks/locator/william-b-armstrong.html Address: 1700 NW 160th Ave.,
Pembroke Pines
Phone: 954-435-6520
Hours: 8 a.m. to dusk
Cost: Free
Features: A passive park designed with arbors, meandering walkways and waterfalls. This locale is perfect if you're looking for a serene day at the park. If you and your toddler enjoy the outdoor scene and just want to get some fresh South Florida air, this is the place for you.

Children's Museum of Boca Raton
www.cmboca.org
Address: 498 Crawford Blvd., Boca Raton
Phone: 561-368-6875
Hours: Tuesday�Saturday noon�4 p.m.
Cost: $3 per person, infants are free; group prices: $5 per child, adults free -- minimum of 10 admissions.
Features: This museum features several exhibits, including Ricketts Corner Store, a replica of Boca's first grocery store, A Space Place for outer space exploration, Oscar's Post Office where kids can make their own handmade postcards, and FACES Multicultural Room with instruments, clothing and crafts from various countries. The museum allows you to expose your child to culture, art, music and education all in one experience.