Halloween Events for Kids Near Me: Miami Children's Museum Not-So-Scary Halloween

Miami Children's Museum has three Halloween dates left this month: the Not-So-Scary Halloween weekend on October 24 and 25, 2026, Mini Monster Monday for the youngest guests on October 26, and MiChi-Boo on Halloween itself. The museum sits at 980 MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island, opens daily from 10 am to 6 pm, and charges $26 general admission or $20 for Florida residents with ID. For parents searching halloween events for kids near me, it is an air-conditioned Halloween with a haunted house sized for small kids.

The museum has run Not-So-Scary Halloween every weekend in October, and October 24 and 25 is the last of them. Kids step into the Mad Scientist Lab to make an X-ray picture of their own hand, walk through a Not-So-Scary Haunted House, and decorate mini pumpkins with paint, fabric and other craft supplies. The in-house theater troupe performs a Halloween show called Creepy Pair of Underwear, which is exactly as silly as it sounds.

There is also a ghost scavenger hunt: hidden ghosts are placed around the museum halls, and children who find them all get a chance to win a Halloween Squishmallow. That hunt is a smart way to steer a four-year-old through exhibits you might otherwise skip, and it keeps older siblings busy while a toddler lingers in the pumpkin-painting area.

Monday, October 26, is built for the smallest visitors. The museum's regular Mini Monday programming, sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers, gets a creepy twist for one day: costumes, trick-or-treating at noon and again at 3:30 pm, a performance of the new Creepy Pair of Underwear show, and the Haunted House for anyone who dares.

This is the day to bring a baby in a first costume or a two-year-old who would be overwhelmed by a packed Halloween Saturday. The regular Mini Monday play-based activities still run alongside the Halloween extras, and the two fixed trick-or-treat times, one late morning and one mid-afternoon, make it easy to plan the visit around a nap instead of the other way around.

On Halloween, MiChi-Boo turns the whole building into the party. The museum's listing promises slimy experiments in the Mad Scientist Lab, the Haunted House, mini pumpkin decorating, Creepy Pair of Underwear performances, a live DJ and a costume contest. Trick-or-treating moves through the exhibits, so kids collect treats at the pretend supermarket, a sandcastle, a giant piano and even a cruise ship.

Because Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, expect this to be the busiest of the three dates. Buying tickets online in advance is what the museum recommends for every visit, and on October 31 it is the difference between walking in and waiting at the door. If your kids also want to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood that evening, a morning arrival at 10 am leaves time for a nap in between.

The museum began in 1983 as the Miami Youth Museum, in a 2,000-square-foot space in a West Kendall shopping center. It moved and grew several times before opening its current 56,500-square-foot building near Downtown Miami in fall 2003, and it says it has hosted more than 5 million guests since, with annual visits reaching 445,000 in recent years.

The museum describes itself as one of the largest children's museums in the United States. Its exhibits lean on Miami life, which is why the trick-or-treat route can include a cruise ship and a supermarket: they are permanent play spaces, and Halloween just adds candy and costumes to them.

General admission is $26, and Florida residents pay $20 with a valid state ID. Members get in free, and children under 12 months are free. Bank of America cardholders get one free admission on the first weekend of each month through the Museum on Us program, but the remaining Halloween dates do not fall on a first weekend.

One firm rule: the museum does not admit adults without children, or children without adults, into the exhibit areas. A grandparent taking a grandchild is welcome, but an adult hoping to scout the haunted house alone will be turned away. The museum's FAQ suggests most families spend two to four hours inside, so plan lunch and snacks around that window before you arrive.

The museum sits on the MacArthur Causeway between Downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The Miami Parking Authority runs a 343-space lot on the east side of the building with two automated pay stations, at $2 per hour seven days a week. On MiChi-Boo day, arriving near the 10 am opening is the safest bet for a space.

By bus, Miami-Dade Transit routes C, K, M and S all serve the museum, which makes it reachable from both Downtown and Miami Beach without a car.

The sweet spot is babies through early elementary school. The museum says children up to 14 can enjoy it, but a ten-year-old who wants real scares will find the Not-So-Scary Haunted House exactly that. One honest call: skip the October 24 and 25 weekend if your child only cares about trick-or-treating, because the weekend program lists crafts, shows and the ghost hunt, while the trick-or-treat stops are on Mini Monster Monday and MiChi-Boo.

Jungle Island shares Watson Island and is a fellow stop on the Museum Mile Passport, which the museum promotes for collecting stamps across Downtown Miami and Watson Island museums. If you have energy left after the museum, it is the closest next stop.

Address: Miami Children's Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami, FL 33132. Hours: daily 10 am to 6 pm. Halloween dates: Not-So-Scary Halloween, October 24 and 25; Mini Monster Monday, October 26, trick-or-treat at noon and 3:30 pm; MiChi-Boo, October 31. Admission: $26 general, $20 Florida residents with ID, free under 12 months. Parking: $2 per hour in the 343-space lot. Buses: C, K, M, S.