by Kaleel Sakakeeny

You'll be forgiven if your image of Miami is of a frightened Elian Gonzales accosted by a gun-wielding federal agent, or of a stern-looking Secretary of State trying to explain the tortuous election that almost wasn't.  Truth is, Miami is a very family-friendly place, rich in cultural diversity and just plain fun.  Perhaps it's the pervasive influence of the Latin culture with its multigenerational families, close and comfortable with each other.

Maybe it's the warm climate that encourages relaxation, or the fact that most of Miami's family attractions are built around the outdoors, incorporating palm trees, water and open sky.  Whatever the reason, it's a fun and affordable place for a long weekend, or even a full week. 

Most of the really good, large, beachfront hotels have smart and well designed Kids Clubs of one sort or another, a trend we saw start at the Caribbean resorts and move to the States, in recognition that family travel is a huge market.

Top Hotels Welcome Families

Some kids programs are outstanding, like the one at the Bal Harbour Sheraton (305/865-7511, 866/716-8106) a half-hour drive from the airport. Somewhat upscale but never pretentious, the Bal Harbor has managed to create the right mix of luxury and accessibility. Surrounded by palm trees, carefully placed and sculptured water falls, pools inhabited by variously colored fish, rope bridges, flowering plants and wonderfully terraced walkways, the Bal Harbor is beautiful and classy. 

At the same time, however, there is a sort of "creative chaos" to the place. A steel drum duo plays live by the heated pool (itself a marvel of pastel bridges and islands) making it impossible not to move with the rhythm. Somewhere, kids are singing "Happy Birthday" to Amanda, which the musicians pick up and render in Calypso. The shrieks of children trying to break the Piñata at Amanda's party mix with the cries of the tropical birds and the laugher of guests, so the entire "feel" is one of care, fun and spontaneity.

For adults, the resort has a fully equipped Exercise Room and Spa, where I had one of the best, well-deserved massages of my life. The staff, naturally gracious and helpful, are comfortable with the guests, their jobs and each other. 

Plan an afternoon in the town of Bal Harbor, which boasts some elegant shops, too rich for my blood but exciting to look at. Oxygene Mini-Kids Shop, tucked among the outdoor cafes and boutiques (in the Bal Harbor "Mall") is a  one-of-a-kind children's clothing shop. And there is Versace, Tiffany's, Lacoste, Gap Kids, and so on. 

Situated a few feet from the ocean you will find the Bal Harbor Kids Club where the staff is CPR-trained and educated in childhood development. The director points out that the objective is to teach the little ones but let them have fun, with activities like arts and crafts classes (using only the natural materials of the land and ocean) and water basketball for the older children. Apparently, around Halloween, the Haunted House is as scary as it gets.

Look for that maddeningly funny little frog, Loqui, who grins out at everyone from the colorful brochures, T-shirts and signs that invite parents to the Harbor Kids Club.

A Zoo Beyond Lions, Tigers and Bears

The Miami MetroZoo (305/255-0400) is one of those places where you don't feel bad for the animals. I think it's the preservation of natural habitats, the imaginative use of coral rock, grassy areas and shady plains, which creates a positive environment.

There is something about a zoo in a sub-tropic region (and this one is about five times larger than the average.) The lack of tight cages, the warmth, the sense of the animals being in the outdoors with you, in a natural space, bring out the best in beasts and people.

This zoo is so far beyond lions, tigers and bears. The staff throws a Christmas party for the animals, for example, where gaily colored and wrapped packages filled with fruits, food and clothing are placed in the fields for the chimps to open and play with on Christmas morning. Quite a sight I gather. Throughout the zoo, regularly scheduled Keeper Talks enlighten visitors with extra information about tigers, meerkats, elephants, and other animals.

The educational program is fun and lively. The popular Zoodler Academy (for 2 to 4-year-olds) includes storytelling, crafts, and a meeting with some live animals.  To get the most out of your visit, I would take the monorail for a good overview of the zoo, attend one of the classes and a few of the shows in the Ecology Theater, then see some of the scheduled keeper talks and animal feedings.

Learning Through Interaction

The Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium (305/646-4200) is a Spanish mission-style building, low-slung and surrounded by palm trees and bright Bougainvillea. It's a simple one-story affair with an adobe roof, and it's quite unlike any museum I've seen.  Like so many other attractions in the sun, it is built as part of the landscape. Some indoors but mostly outdoors, the museum has a rehabilitation center for injured or abandoned creatures, a full-scale learning center with free-access computers for after school programs, a state-of-the-art Planetarium, and a variety of rotating exhibits, currently including "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition."

One the two big attractions is the Wildlife Center that fascinated the families I saw. The empathy for a blind and gun shot-injured vulture, no beauty contest winner, was somehow deeply reassuring, and the quiet contemplation of a pair of injured Bald Eagles raised questions that the staff were eager and very capable of answering. It's truly a mystery how animals help kids and families bond. 

The other attraction is a Smithsonian Expedition, one-of-a-kind in museums anywhere. In deference to Miami's Latin Culture, the Smithsonian created for the museum a living, interactive exhibit of early culture in the Americas. There's a Caribbean village; Palapa houses; Olmec stoneware, Andean music and a chance for the kids to conduct a "dig" as they search for archeological remains.

Those accustomed to the heavily programmed and somewhat frenetic pace of Boston's very contemporary Museum of Science may find the slower pace, multi cultural staff and open-air exhibits a bit strange at first. But you'll soon get into the rhythm of the place and appreciate how natural and in keeping with the environment it all is. And in some very big news for 2007, the popular museum will be receiving a brand new and expanded home next to the Miami Art Museum sometime in 2009.

Parrot Jungle Island (305/2-JUNGLE) and the Miami Seaquarium (305/361-5705) round out my short list of recommended family attractions. 

The Parrot Jungle is just that: a rainforest populated with talkative cockatoos, brightly plumed parrots, flamingoes, baby apes, alligators, tortoises and lots and lots of cacophonous bird calls that come from everywhere.

The Seaquarium, like all the attractions I saw, is also staffed by genuinely friendly, animal-loving people. It's very rewarding to see a staffer casually patting a parrot while talking to a herd of manatees swimming lazily in circles. Many sea movies have been filmed here (there's a great shot of Robert Dinero swimming with the dolphins) and their Swim with our Dolphins Program is one of the best I've seen, done in a nurturing and educational atmosphere. 

What makes Miami special, finally, is the celebration and use of the outdoors and nature. That, plus the laid back manners, the rich cultural variety, and the apparent comfort of different generations relating easily and respectfully to one another, make it genuinely friendly and welcoming to families.