Jungle Island, packed with tropical birds, alligators, orangutans, chimps, lemurs, a (wait for it Napoleon Dynamite fans) liger (a cross between a lion and a tiger) and a Noah’s Ark of other animals, is a ton of fun. It’s one of those places kids (justifiably) beg to go, so just give up and prepare for some bright-feathered, bird-poop-scented fun in this artificial, self-contained jungle.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Miami Children's Museum

0.18 MILES

This museum, located between South Beach and Downtown Miami, isn’t exactly a museum but more like an uberplayhouse, with areas for kids to practice all…

2. Pérez Art Museum Miami

0.79 MILES

One of Miami's most impressive spaces, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron, integrates tropical foliage, glass, concrete and wood – a melding…

4. Freedom Tower

1.02 MILES

An iconic slice of Miami's old skyline, the richly ornamented Freedom Tower is one of two surviving towers modeled after the Giralda bell tower in Spain’s…

5. Bayfront Park

1.03 MILES

Few American parks can claim to front such a lovely stretch of turquoise as Biscayne Bay, but Miamians are lucky like that. Noted artist and landscape…

6. Museum of Art and Design at MDC

1.04 MILES

Miami-Dade College operates a small but well-curated art museum in Downtown; the permanent collection includes works by Matisse, Picasso and Chagall and…

7. Miami Riverwalk

1.14 MILES

This pedestrian walkway follows along the northern edge of the river as it bisects Downtown, and offers some peaceful vantage points of bridges and…

8. A1A

1.15 MILES

‘Beachfront Avenue!’ The A1A causeway, coupled with the Rickenbacker Causeway in Key Biscayne, is one of the great bridges in America, linking Miami and…