Clicky Skip to Content

Free and cheap things to do with kids for Spring Break in Miami

Spring Break for Miami-Dade County's public school students runs March 23-27, 2020. It's the perfect time to enjoy a family staycation and do for free what tourists pay hundreds of dollars to come here to do.

Here are free and cheap ideas for Spring Break kids' activities in Miami-Dade:

  • Go behind the scenes at the Adrienne Arsht Center. The Adrienne Arsht Center offers a free tour every Monday and Saturday at noon. The tour lasts about an hour. No reservations are required. Occasionally the tour is canceled because of a special event or holiday, so it's smart to call the box office at 305-949-6722 to ensure the tour is going on a particular day.
  • Learn about South Florida plants. Learn about the plants and flowers all around us during a visit to the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Admission is always free, and the garden has a self-guided tour. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Monday.
  • Take a self-guided tour of the Holocaust Memorial. Next door to the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is the Holocaust Memorial, which took four years to build. The memorial is free to visit. A brochure, available for a $2 suggested donation, leads you on the self-guided tour. Many schoolchildren learn about World War II and the Holocaust in school, and this is a good way to supplement the lessons.
  • Go back to the farm. Take a trip back to Miami-Dade's past at Bill Graham's Farm village at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah. The  pioneer farm has horses, ponies, cows, pigs, sheep, geese, chicken and even a donkey or two, plus a sugar cane press, an old general store, horseshoeing, cow milking, a fishing lake, bike trails and a dog park. Admission is free during the week and $7 on weekends and holidays. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. 
  • Crandon_Park_ModifiedGo to the beach. People come from all over the world to visit South Florida's beaches, but those of us who live here sometimes forget how much fun the sun and surf can be. The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau has information on beaches. While it's free to visit the beach, you usually have to pay for parking. Check out the Florida Rambler's stories on the state's best beaches. You may want to do a day trip.
  • Check out a free pass to a local attraction. The Miami-Dade Public Library System offers a chance to visit some of our best local museums for free. Go to your nearest branch library and get a museum pass with your library card. The Museum Pass offers free admission for a family of four to museums including the Coral Gables MuseumDeering EstateThe Bass, Fruit & Spice ParkHistoryMiami, Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, Lowe Art Museum-UMMiami Children’s Museum, Patricia & Phillip Frost Museum of Science, Perez Art Museum MiamiVizcaya Museum and Gardens, Zoo Miami and The Wolfsonian-FIU. You can check online to see which passes are available at which branches.
  • See museum art for free. Admission is always free at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum-FIU. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon to 5 pm Sundays. 
  • culture-shock-miamiSee shows for $5 and museums for $2.50. If your family includes a student age 13 to 22, one of the best deals around is through called Culture Shock Miami. Students can get discount tickets to performances in Miami for only $5 each, as well as admission to museums and attractions for just $2.50. Read more about how it works here. Best of all, each student can buy two tickets, and anyone of any age can use the second ticket. Tickets must be purchased at least one day in advance.
  • soundscape1See a free or cheap outdoor movie. ‘Tis the season for free and cheap outdoor movies. See the list here.
  • Go to the Miami-Dade Youth Fair for less. There are treats, games and rides for the family to enjoy. See all the coupons and discounts here
  • Join the Spring Break kids' club at the Mall of the Americas. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 23-27 in the mall's center court, children age 12 and younger can participate in arts and crafts, face painting and other activities. There will be a Pirates Day, a Magic Day and a Home Depot workshop, among the activities. The best part? It's free! For details, click here.
  • Watch free movies at SoundScape. Every Wednesday (through May 27), you can gather a blanket, prepare a picnic and take the family to SoundScape Park for a flick such as “Coco,” “Avengers: End Game” and “Captain Marvel.” Movies typically start at 8 p.m. 
  • Take your dog to one of Miami-Dade's dog-friendly parks. If your kids love to play with Fido, take them to a dog park and watch them enjoy the outdoors. 
  • Go biking! Another great outdoor activity, biking provides family friendly fun and fitness. Check out any one of Miami-Dade's free and cheap bike trails
  • Take a day trip to Broward County. Try free and cheap Broward activities for the whole family, from art workshops to inflatables to hayrides & s'mores. 

You might also want to do some of the activities aimed at tourists. Daily deal companies offer many activities at a discount.

If you're looking for activities to do at home, Heidi from Living on the Cheap has 21 fun things kids can do for Spring Break, including crafts, games and cooking projects.

More ideas for free and cheap fun during Spring Break:

See our day-by-day calendar of free and cheap things to do in Miami here.

Melina

About Melina

Melina I. De Rose is a veteran editor and communications specialist with a special love for all things Miami. The longtime resident spent 22 years at the South Florida Sun Sentinel in roles such as section editor, department head, social media specialist and web producer. Melina has much experience in the freebies-and-bargains arena, having edited the popular Sun Sentinel feature, “Doreen’s Deals,” for many years. She also is editor of ArtburstMiami.com, a media hub for local music, theater, dance, visual arts and independent arts coverage. Contact her at editor@miamionthecheap.com.

Living on the CheapMiami on the Cheap is a member of Living on the Cheap, a network of websites published by frugalistas, journalists and consumer advocates. Find practical advice on saving money on groceries, travel and shopping, plus tips from our experts on how to live the good life for less at Living on the Cheap.

Living on the Cheap in the Media