Family Fun Days at History Miami

Join History Miami the second Saturday of each month from 12 to 5 p.m. for FREE things to do, learn and experience with the whole family!
Spend the afternoon exploring the history and culture of our vibrant metropolitan city.

Family Fun Day Schedule

Passion for Fashion

July 14, 2012
Strike a pose in celebration of our new exhibition The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story. Learn how clothing can tell stories about the past and present on our “Time Travel through Textiles” tour of the galleries, and enjoy a guayabera-inspired craft activity.

Summer Games

August 11, 2012
Come play with us! Celebrate the closing of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a full day of games and sports. Visit a variety of game stations throughout the galleries, learn about local athletics and create your own Olympic gold medal.
Family Fun Days are presented with the support of Miami-Dade County, The Michael and Diane Rosenberg Foundation, The Bachelor Foundation and The Carnival Foundation. 

Contact the museum if you have any questions:

Education Center
HistoryMiami
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
305-375-1629
tmartin@historymiami.org

Free Museums

These are my two little ones loving life at new EcoDiscovery Center at the Museum of Discovery and Science. K. and A. are watching otters frolic around in the new tank. We arrived at the museum around 1 pm. The kiddos played, explored, touched, and watched the exhibits for over two hours. In the end, it was my husband and I who wanted to leave to go take a nap. :) Well, both whippersnappers did pass out in their car seats as soon as we drove off the parking lot. One great part of the museum visit was to see my children learn and enjoy themselves. But a huge bonus was that neither my husband nor I had to pay the price of admission. We use the Museums on Us program by Bank of America. If you have a Bank of America card, you get in free to many museums in our area the first full weekend of the month. This weekend coming up counts because it is the first full weekend in July. The museum is worth the money, even if you don't have a Bank of America card. But, if it's already in your wallet, why pay full price?

My Top 5 Favorite Spots for Kids

At Vista View Park when my K. was a toddler

Maybe it's because I'm in my thirties and I have two little ones, but as of late, I've begun to feel like I'm truly rooted in South Florida. Now, I've lived here for almost 25 years. It was about time, I guess. I was born in Nicaragua and that's where I lived the first decade of my life. That will always be where I'm from. But, like I said, I've realized what a great influence South Florida has had on me. It is such a part of who I am and I'm glad it is.
One of the reasons this place has a permanent spot in my heart is because it has so much to offer. My family and I enjoy visiting different places every weekend. The other day I started an album on Facebook with some of my favorite pictures of my crew and me enjoying the area. One of my friends asked for recommendations of places to visit. This gave me an idea. I decided to post my five all time favorite spots to take the kids. Here it is:

Little Java's Family Fun Center in Weston
Two of best things about this place is how clean it is and how friendly the staff is. Both of my kids could play here for hours. They never want to leave. The management/owners have done a great job lately of providing more activities for the kids who are a little older. They now have a bigger game room, a rock wall, and this week then are installing some kind of high ropes activity. I haven't seen it yet, so I'll have to update you. Or you could go check it out.

Young at Art Children's Museum in Davie
If you have kids, you already know that YAA has reopened in a new and fabulous building. This is like a child's paradise. There is so much to see and do that your kiddos will be thrilled and eventually exhausted from all the fun. Nap time, anyone? :)

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca
My kids love animals and plants. This place is so educational and enjoyable. They have an outdoor walking path and tanks with all sorts of marine creatures. Make sure you go in the gift shop because they have an interesting hands-on display and a short video about sea turtles.

Alvin Sherman Library at Nova in Davie
Many of my friends go for the activities, like story time. The activities are so good and so popular that it gets really packed during those times. We like to go when it's quiet. A. loves the little tables with crayons and papers and K. loves the computer games. My husband checks out CDs for the kids. Their selection is incredible. And my favorite activity is sitting by the big windows in the back in one of those really comfy, huge, floor-chair things watching my kids be calm (most of the time) and happy. (You do pay a small fee for parking.)

Vista View Park in Davie
This park is covered and they have a great selection of play areas for the kids. I love driving up to it and seeing all the colors of the play equipment. It also has a great section for children with special needs. Love that.

Entry to Metro Zoo is Free this Saturday!

What: Smithsonian Magazine Free Museum Day
Who: Two people per household, all ages
When: Saturday, Sept. 26th

Smithsonian Magazine is hosting a free museum day this Saturday. You need to download a card here. Provide some information about yourself and then receive free admission to many local museums and cultural venues. Below is a list of some participating places. Please call before you go to make sure they are still participating:

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
Hollywood
Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Hollywood
Bass Museum of Art
Miami
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Boca Raton
Cason Cottage Historic House Museum
Delray Beach
Coral Springs Museum of Art
Coral Springs
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Miami
International Swimming Hall of Fame Museum
Fort Lauderdale
Lowe Art Museum
Coral Gables
Miami Art Museum
Miami
Miami Metrozoo
Miami
Norton Museum of Art
West Palm Beach
The Frost Art Museum
Miami
The Wolfsonian - FIU
Miami Beach

Your Library Card is Your Ticket

What: Family Tour and Story Time at the Museum
When: Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2 - 4 pm
Where: The Museum of Art - Fort Lauderdale
How Much: Free for kids with a Broward County library card, regular museum admission for adults ($10)

The Museum of Art - Fort Lauderdale is opening its doors to families this Saturday. They are hosting 'Stories and Sketching with Spring Raulerson'. This event will begin with a family tour of the museum and continue with the reading of a story. Afterward, all budding artist can sketch in the galleries to celebrate the opening of the Glackens as Illustrator Exhibit. Even if you're not a library-card-carrying-member, you can sign up to get one at the museum that day.

Free Fridays at MODS

What: Free Ford Fridays
Who: All Ages
When: Sept. 18th and 25th, 10 am - 5pm
Where: Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale
How Much: Free

One of the best places in South Florida for kids is the Museum of Discovery and Science. It has tons of interactive exhibits. You can find the largest living Atlantic coral reef in captivity and a great exhibit on the Everglades, among many others. The Discovery Center is also designed especially for children under seven. For the last two Fridays in September, you may now enjoy all of this free of charge.

Win 4 Passes to Alice's Wordenland Tea Party at Young at Art

What: Alice's Wonderland Tea Party
Who: All Ages
When: September 26th, noon to 4 pm
Where: Young at Art, 11584 West State Road 84, Davie
How Much: Free if you win the 4 passes, come dressed as an Alice in Wonderland character, or are under 2 years of age, otherwise it's $8

Young at Art Children's Museum is throwing Alice a tea party and you are invited. In addition to the exhibit, there will be art activities, games, face painting, stories and more. The party is to say goodbye to Alice's Wonderland: A Most Curious Adventure exhibit. Remember, even if you don't win the passes, you can still get in free if you dress up as an Alice in Wonderland character. Don't be late to this very important date.
The museum also offers other permanent wonderful exhibits. You can read a little more about the museum here.

In order to win the passes to the tea party, answer the following question in the comments:

What is your favorite children's book or your favorite children's book character?

I will announce the winner on Saturday, Sept. 19th. Good luck.

Miami Children's Museum Family Carnival

What: Family Carnival
Who: All Ages
When: Sunday, Sept. 13th, 1 - 6 pm
Where: Miami Children's Museum, Watson Island, Miami Beach
How much: $35 for children (1 – 12 years), $50 for adults (13+ years)

This carnival event will be celebrated in conjunction with MCM’s 6th Birthday on Watson Island. Whether you explore the Museum’s 14 galleries, visit one of the specialty booths, play some carnival games, or visit the Big Bazaar, you and your family are bound to have a blast! Proceeds from this event will benefit arts & education programming at MCM.

UNDER THE BIG TOP
Games, activities, a big BBQ & more! You won't want to miss the fun. There are even great prizes to be won! Sponsors include: Vitamin Water, ice cream by Farm Stores, and soft frozen lemonades by Del's Lemonade.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MCM!
It's the Museum's 6th Birthday too! Wear your party hat and eat some cake with MiChiMu, MCM's mascot.

SERENITY LOUNGE
Ahhh….this spot sponsored by Bloomingdale's, will include beverages by Starbucks, and pampering for the adults!

GRANDPARENT'S CORNER
Celebrate National Grandparent’s Day with special activities sponsored by Baby Abuelita®, giveaways and a commemorative photo! Also sponsored by Humana.

LITTLE MASTERS
A one of a kind experience! Work with Miami artists, like our friends at Ruthless & Toothless, Alex Yanes, Daniel Marin, and MCM’s own Artist-in-Residence, Guillermo Piloto. Take home your own masterpiece!

CIRCUS ACTS
Test your agility, walk the balance beam, play the ball toss bonanza, and climb Mt. MiChiMu, the Museum's rock wall – all 30 feet! – and get fit!

BIG BAZAAR
Shop for a special gift & bid on some special items at the auction.

PLUS...
Gift Bags by I Am the Maven, face-painting, clowns, magic, balloon art, pony rides & much more!

Take a Hike, Go to the Museum, or Get Some Free Grub

What: Full Moon Hike
Who: All Ages
When: Friday, September 4th, 7:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: Long Key Nature Center
How Much: $3 per person, Preregistration is required by the day before the event

This Friday night is going to be a full moon, which means you can go take a hike at Long Key Nature Center and Natural Area. Long Key is one of my favorite nature spots in the area, day or night. The trails are lined by majestic live oaks and it's the perfect place to spot some owls and butterflies. Besides regularly holding Nature Tots, an incredible program for 2-4 year-olds, they also have fun nature activities for older kids and people of all ages, like the Full Moon Hike they are having this Friday. If you're never been to Long Key, you're missing out.

What: Target First Friday
Who: All Ages
When: Friday, September 4th, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: Young at Art Museum
How Much: Free

Another option for this Friday is a night at the museum at Young at Art. The current exhibit is Alice's Wonderland: A Most Curious Adventure. Thanks to Target, you don't need to pay the price of admission this Friday. Can't beat that, right? I also posted about Target Free Fridays here. The website says they offer hands-on art activities, music, story time, refreshments, and more.

What: Funtastic Fridays
Who: All Ages
When: Every Friday in September, 5-9 pm
Where: Anniversary Park (20th Ave. & Hollywood Blvd.)
How Much: Free

I've also been meaning to tell you guys about Funtastic Fridays in Downtown Hollywood. The website says that music, magic and more are in store for youngsters and their families at Funtastic Fridays and that it promises to be the best free family social event in town. Many eateries in the area, like Dolce Vita and Cafe Italia, offer kids eat free specials to go along with Funtastic Fridays.

If you check out the link to Cafe Italia, notice that Tuesday nights are kids night and they have a clown, face-painting, magic, balloons, and free gelato.

Operation Robot Days

What: Robots: The Interactive Exhibition
When: August 27 & 28, 2009
Where: Museum of Discovery and Science
How Much: Kids free
Contact: Jody Ligas, 954.713.0904

(I got the following info from a reader. Thanks!!
Please call and find out the details before you go.)

Ford has partnered with the Museum of Discovery and Science to bring Operation Robot Days to the Museum on August 27 & 28, 2009. Children 12 and under will receive free exhibit admission to see the traveling summer exhibit Robots: An Interactive Exhibition, witness a science demonstration from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Robots: The Interactive Exhibition, on display at the Museum through September 7, captures the fun and artistry of the 20^th Century Fox animated film Robots and translates it into an entertaining and educational experience for the whole family. The exhibit will generate excitement about the science and future of robots, while ultimately answering the question, “What really is a robot?”

The Museum is open seven days a week, 365 days a year; Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. with extended IMAX® hours on most evenings. General Admission prices are $15 for adults; $14 for seniors; $12 for children 2 to 12. Children under 2 are free.

Tillie's Masterpieces

What: Family Day (Theme -"Be Like Tillie")
When: Sunday, Aug. 16th, gallery open 12-4 pm, arts and crafts 1-3pm
Where: The Art Center of Hollywood
How Much: Free

Tillamook (Tillie) Cheddar is a world-class artist who has had 19 solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe. She uses a dynamic color transfer technique to create her work. She is described as "A Masterpiece of conceptualism" and has been featured on Good Morning America, Inside Edition, and Fox News Live, to name a few. Currently, you can relish in her work at The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. BTW, in case you didn't know, Tillie is a 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier. That's right, a dog. So it's art the kids are sure to dig. I mean, a doggy did it, how cute is that? This Sunday, you can check out her art for free during a Family Day at the art center. (Prices are usually $7 for adults, $4 for students, seniors and children ages 4-13, and free to children under 4 when accompanied by an adult.) On Sunday, the gallery will be open free of charge from 12-4 pm. From 1-3 pm, the kids can also participate in a free hands-on art activity titled "Be Like Tillie", where they can emulate Tillie's innovative technique and create their own masterpiece to take home. After all, if a dog can do it...

Day at the Museum

What: Family Fun Day
Who: All ages
When: Sundays, Sept. 13th and Oct. 25th, 2:00-4:00pm
Where: The Bass Museum of Art
How Much: Free

Yesterday we went to a free family fun day at The Bass Museum of Art. It’s a small museum in Miami Beach. You are not going to see an extensive collection of well-known artists. But the building is architecturally interesting and, while I am no expert or anything, I thought some of the art they had was thought-provoking and fun to look at. And they do an exceptional job with these family fun days. As the kids walk in, they receive an “art explorer” clipboard. It’s a scavenger-hunt-type set of questions like: Where is the fox and is it in its natural habitat? The kids go around the museum paying close attention to everything they see. At the end of the event, kids turn in the answers for prizes. One five-year-old boy was so excited when he found “the boy in uniform”. It was encouraging to see a little guy enjoying himself like that in a place that could otherwise have been pretty boring for him. They also had at least 8 different art projects going on at stations throughout the museum. Some little hands I saw were hard at work making ships and parachutes. In an airy, well-lit room, they gave away snow cones and popcorn for the kids and coffee for the adults while a young artist drew portraits for $2. Good deal. (He was good at what he was doing.) One of the highlights for me was the showing of Home, a fascinating documentary about our planet. We only watched the first couple of minutes at the museum because K. was not having it. But, I watched the rest on YouTube. The next family fun day will be Sunday, September 13th. Even if you don’t live near Miami Beach, it’s worth the drive.

When We Rejoin the World, We're Going to The Bonnet House

What: Family Days at The Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
Who: All Ages
When: July 18, Aug. 1, and Aug. 15, 10:00am to 4:00pm
Last house tour 2:30pm
Gates close at 3:30pm
How Much: Kids free, Adults $10, Broward County Teachers Free

I miss the world. K.’s stomach flu has held us captive for the last 8 days. I miss other kids and my mommy friends. I’m looking forward to rejoining humanity. When we get better, one of the first places we are going is the The Bonnet Museum and Gardens. We’re going to wander through the five ecosystems looking for squirrel monkeys, gopher tortoises, and cygnets. The monkeys are not captive, which makes me happy. I’m looking forward to seeing the house too. It belonged to an artist who designed it as a whimsical Caribbean plantation-like dwelling with airy indoor and outdoor spaces. The property is a place full of art and orchids. Great combination. Some Saturdays in July and August, they have family days. Which means kids are free and parents are half price. (Regular adult admission is $20). BTW, Broward county teachers get in for free all the time. During family days, the house tours cater to kids. They go a little more quickly. Another plus is that families can bring their own food to eat at one of their many picnic tables. They don’t sell food at the Bonnet House. And this bit of info may interest the kids, Bonnet House was the main location for the movie "Hoot" and the finish line for season 7 of the "The Amazing Race". So, don’t forget your camera.

Artsy Fridays

What: Free Family Museum Days
Who: All Ages
When: Certain Fridays
Where: Miami Children's Museum and Young at Art Museum
How Much: Free

Sacrifice is an integral part of motherhood. We all had a crash course in that lesson during childbirth, didn’t we? We constantly need to sacrifice alone time in order to tend to our little ones. Sometimes we put our careers on hold for our families. And now that the economy is struggling, we often need to make financial sacrifices in order to provide enjoyable experiences for our children. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. I want to share as many great free events with you as I can find. For example, did you know that Target hosts free family nights at museums across the country? These are two museums in our area that participate in the program:

Miami Children's Museum - Target Free Third Fridays
Free Third Fridays, 3–9 p.m.
980 Mac Arthur Causeway
Miami, FL 33132
305-373-5437
The next one will be July 17th, 2009

Young at Art Children's Museum - Target Free First Fridays
Free First Fridays, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
11584 West State Road 84
Davie, FL 33325
954-424-0085
The next one will be August 7th, 2009

Young at Art is a small museum. K. is still too young for Young at Art. She’s eight months old. Nevertheless, I went with one of my meetup groups and I watched kids in the group who were older enjoy the place. They had a great time at the Global Village banging on the African drums and they learned a little about recycling in the Earthworks exhibit. The current traveling exhibit is Alice’s Wonderland: A Most Curious Adventure. I think this is a good museum for children between the ages of 2 and 8.
Mommy Tip: I imagine it will get crowded since they are free events. Maybe it’s better to get there early.