Best Animal Attractions in Miami

This small but delightful animal park is located right in Miami on tiny Watson Island (also home to the Miami Children’s Museum). The emphasis at Jungle Island is really on encountering exotic wildlife from an educational perspective while maintaining that sense of wonder and awe.

Some of the exhibit highlights include the avian Winged Wonders, the big cat-focused Wild Encounter, and the unusual Wild Adventures. Check out upgrades to include special animal experiences where you can meet creatures like lemurs, sloths, and flamingos.

Part immersive aquarium, part conservation center, the Miami Seaquarium offers an amazing array of animal shows, feedings, demonstrations, and much more. See playful dolphins and feisty sea lions perform for their trainers. Sink your hands into an exotic touch pool featuring a variety of tiny critters.

Hang out with penguins, snap photos of flamingos, and learn all about the rehabilitation efforts of the Miami Seaquarium and their work with manatees. You can also opt to upgrade to personal animal encounters for an even more special experience.

With over 3,000 creatures housed at Zoo Miami, this expansive zoological park is the perfect place to take the kids to meet their favorite animal friends. These animals (as well as over 1,000 different plants) come from Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Amazon. Roam through five themed areas and say “hello” to bears, elephants, jaguars, and many more creatures. There’s also a Jungle Journey Playground just for the little ones, as well as the Critter Connection petting zoo.

Lion Country Safari is a truly unique drive-through safari experience. This animal park is a rare opportunity to see exotic animals in an approximation of their natural habitat. The park is divided into seven themed areas, with animals roaming the plains and forests along your four-mile drive through Lion Country Safari.

See a few of the 900 critters that call this place home. Then, spend a while at the Safari World Amusement Park. Here you can feed a giraffe, enjoy a petting zoo, and learn more about the animals you saw on your journey.

If you’re in the mood specifically to see Florida’s most iconic critters, then you’ll want to head to the Everglades Alligator Farm. It's home to more than 2,000 of these intimidating animals! This attraction allows you to see how keepers interact with and feed the gators. There’s even a snake show, for those who want to attempt to handle these scaly critters. Visitors will also see plenty of other wildlife on the included airboat ride through the Everglades. This is where snakes, turtles, birds, and other wild gators roam free.