If you’re in the Miami area, a great family travel spot to consider visiting is Jungle Island – A South Florida Tradition for over 80 years! Jungle Island recently hosted us following a cruise and it was such a fun way to spend the day!
Located between downtown Miami and South Beach, Jungle Island is a zoological park that began its tradition in 1936! They’re all about real-life jungle experiences centered on adventure, animals, discovery and play! Sounds like the perfect place for a family travel experience, right?! We really enjoyed it! So, today I’m sharing some of our highlights from our day there and 5 reasons why you should consider a visit to Jungle Island! 
We’ve only been to Miami twice and both have been travel days en route to other things. We spent the day in town on a 12-hour layover and then we had a day in town post-cruise. We had an evening flight out and didn’t want to spend the whole day in the airport. With luggage in tow though, it can be hard to find something fun to do when you’re traveling through a city. This is something awesome about Jungle Island…
1. Great for travelers! Not only is Jungle Island located very close to the Port of Miami, but it offers luggage storage!!! This makes it a perfect stop for cruise passengers before or after their trip! Why wait in the airport all day when you can have a fun animal adventure? This was the BEST thing! We left the port in Miami and got an Uber ride over to Jungle Island. We arrived right when they opened (with luggage in tow) and spent the day playing instead of being stir crazy in the airport! It worked out SO wonderfully!!! 
2. Fun for the whole family! We were a multigenerational group at the park and we all loved the day! Between the jungle vibe, the flora, the shows, and various animal encounters, we were entertained the whole time. Plus, I LOVE that there is a whole playground for the kids! It’s great when parks like that have areas for the kids to play!
3. Free Animal Encounters!! As part of all that family fun, there are numerous animal encounters that you can have at the park! First up, there is a picture op with macaws when you first enter the park (just like the one shown above). Now, the photo is an additional cost, but the animal encounter itself is SO cool! Baby Brother could not stop talking about how he got to “hold a parrot like a baby”. SO fun! 
Then, when we were walking through the park, there was an alligator you cold touch and even hold! Little Brother was SO nervous about holding this little gator! Such a cool experience for him!
There are also interactive exhibits like “Kangaroo Konnection”, the Petting Barn & Tortoise Exhibit. Baby Brother thought feeding the goat a bottle was the funniest thing ever! And they LOVED hanging out with the kangaroos! These interactive experiences are all included with admission! Loved it!
4. VIP Animal Interactions – The free encounters were great, but Jungle Island also has some AMAZING Animal Interactions and VIP Experiences for an additional fee (*only for certain ages). Want an up-close experience with lemurs or sloths? You can do that at Jungle Island! We did the lemur experience…and WOW was that an experience!!! Truly one of the craziest things I’ve ever done – lemurs were jumping off our heads! Totally nuts and amazing! This is something we will not soon forget! The boys still laugh about this! 
5. Parrot Cove
How about some beach time as part of your jungle adventures? Parrot Cove is a little beach oasis right there at the park. It was closed for some updates while we were there, so we didn’t get to check it out. But, it looks like a whole lot of fun and a perfect way to spend a few extra hours during your visit! It’s something unique compared to many zoos and parks that we’ve been to. So, this could definitely be a great bonus to your day there!
So much fun, right?! We had such a lovely day at the park and definitely recommend it if you love animals and need a family-friendly activity in Miami!!
Have YOU ever been to Jungle Island? What was your favorite part?
Like it? Pin it! 
Disclosure: We were hosted by Jungle Island for the purposes of this coverage. However, all opinions are entirely our own. We’re big fans of animals and parks, so this was a natural fit.
