Halloween 2016: The 15 Best Family-Friendly Events in Miami

Miami does Halloween for adults so well that it's easy to forget that the October 31 holiday is mainly for kids in most other parts of the country. It's pretty great to live in a place that lets you live out your spooky shenanigans well into middle age, but it's even better to know that kids in the 305 aren't left out either. In fact, Miami's party expertise extends all the way to its family-friendly Halloween events — making them fun for kids and parents alike. (You'll have to bring your own flask to most of them, though.)

Halloween Week at Miami Children's Museum
Miami Children's Museum hosts an entire week of family-friendly fun, with gentle frights and exciting costume opportunities for kids of all ages. Brave children who want a little spook can wander the haunted house, while others simply prance from ghoulish craft table to ghostly game, showing off their outfits. 
Daily October 25 through 30, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 980 MacArthur Cswy., Miami. Visit miamichildrensmuseum.org.

Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch Festival at Regatta Park
Regatta Park will transform into an orange-tinted playground this weekend when the Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch Festival throws down. A full carnival, a maze made of corn stalks and hay bales, a scarecrow dressup station, and, yes, a pumpkin patch will keep the kids' heads on a swivel. And grownups aren't left out: Beer bars will add an Oktoberfest vibe to the fun.
October 21, 6 to 10 p.m.; October 22, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and October 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 2699 SW 27th Ave., Coconut Grove. Visit coconutgrovepumpkinpatch.com.

Zoo Boo at Zoo Miami
Trick-or-treating with tigers? That's a standard Halloween at Zoo Miami. Included in the cost of admission, Zoo Boo offers kids the chance to trick-or-treat and compete in costume contests, all while the zoo's permanent residents get some treats of their own. From elephants bobbing for pumpkins to giraffes playing with creepy-themed toys, animals and humans alike get into the spooky spirit.
October 29 and 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 12400 SW 152nd St., Miami. Visit zoomiami.org.

Spooky Cinema at SoundScape
Pack some spider cookies and witches' brew and make it a movie night under the stars at SoundScape Park, where the last two weeks of October's cinema series celebrate Halloween. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas runs this week, while the 1986 classic Little Shop of Horrors closes out the month.
The Nightmare Before Christmas, October 19 at 8 p.m, and Little Shop of Horrors, October 26 at 8 p.m., at 400 17th St., Miami Beach. Visit mbculture.com.

Howl-o-Ween at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
What's the one thing that could make Halloween better? Puppies, duh. Especially puppies in silly and adorable costumes. Fairchild has all of that and more during its celebration Howl-o-Ween, which also packs in a tram ride around the beautiful grounds (for dogs and human companions alike).
October 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables. Visit fairchildgarden.org.

Halloween Haunted Trails and Kids Fun Zone at Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park
Hayrides and live entertainment join the two marquee attractions — haunted trails and a fun zone for kids — at Elaine Gordon Park in North Miami. Someone on the organizing team is a parent for sure, because they thought to secure extra parking at nearby Johnson & Wales University, plus shuttles to and from the festivities every 15 minutes. 
October 28 and 29 from 7 to 11 p.m. at 1725 NE 135th St., North Miami. Visit cityofnorthmiamifl.gov.

Mall of the Americas' Halloween Bash
The mall's Halloween festivities begin with a meet-and-greet with Gigi the Witch, who leads kids in a series of fun games for both English and Spanish speakers. Then it's time to trick-or-treat through the mall. And frankly, if you've figured out a way to trick-or-treat with your kids in air conditioning, you're doing Halloween right.
October 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 7795 W. Flagler St., Miami. Visit malloftheamericas.com.
Downtown Fright Night: A Halloween Spooktacular
For the first Halloween ever, downtown Miami's East Flagler Street is getting the exclusive spooky treatment, shutting down to traffic and letting little ghouls and goblins run free. Kids can trick-or-treat up and down the street, catch live music and magic performances, and explore a family fun zone with face painting and arts and crafts. Just don't keep the kiddies out too late; the after-hours vibe is decidedly adult, with a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show and a sexy costume contest.
October 29 from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. on East Flagler Street, downtown Miami. Visit eventbrite.com.

Monster Splash Weekend at Miami Seaquarium
The Seaquarium is celebrating the season with Halloween-themed animal shows and a daytime party with trick-or-treating. As part of Flipper's Fall Fest, the event also features a hay maze, pumpkin patch, dance party, face painting, and other fun.
October 29 and 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4400 Rickenbacker Cswy., Miami. Visit miamiseaquarium.com.

Spooktacular Grand Opening at the Shops at Downtown Doral
What better way to get a glimpse at the new shops and restaurants in Doral than to trick-or-treat through them? Kids and parents can hit up the shops' face-painting booths and rides, nosh on cotton candy and popcorn, and put on their scariest grimace in a spooky photo booth. 
October 29 from 3 to 6 p.m. at 5335 NW 87th Ave., Doral. Visit facebook.com.

Monster Mash Halloween at Founders Park
With bounce houses, fortunetellers, and a trick-or-treating trail, the City of Aventura's Halloween party is bound to be a graveyard smash. Food trucks will be onsite to keep everyone's blood sugar levels up, and parents can watch the kiddos in a costume parade.
October 29 from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at 3105 NE 190th St., Aventura. Visit cityofaventura.com.

Roary's No Scream Halloween at FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium transforms into Miami's largest trick-or-treating venue during Roary's No Scream Halloween, a family-friendly pregame event for Florida International University's football matchup against the Middle Tennessee State. Before kickoff, kids can jump in bounce houses, play carnival games, and collect some of the 15,000 pieces of candy up for grabs at the venue.
October 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 11310 SW 17th St., Miami. Visit eventbrite.com.

Harvest Festival 2016 at Margaret Pace Park
Here is the order in which your kids should experience the attractions at Harvest Fest. First, the fun rides at the carnival. Then a roll in the hamster balls. And after they're done with all the spinning, dizzying amusement, only then should you hit the candy stations and the booths handing out free cotton candy and popcorn. To do so in opposite order could get messy.
October 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1745 N. Bayshore Dr., Miami. Visit eventbrite.com.

PAMMoween
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) has a full lineup of artsy Halloween fun for kids this year. Inside the museum, children can go on a spooky scavenger hunt. On the terrace, they can decorate their own Halloween cookies. And if your younguns come in costume — and what kid wouldn't? — they get free museum admission and the chance to trick-or-treat onsite.
October 29 from noon to 4 p.m. at 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Visit pamm.org.

Jungle Island's Knock Knock Halloween
At Jungle Island, kids can go on a wild trick-or-treat hunt, featuring special doors throughout the park that'll give up the sugary goods. Halloween-themed arts and crafts, scarecrows, and animal shows with a spooky theme are also on the agenda. Plus, kids can register for a costume contest to be judged by Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen delegates.
October 29 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami. Visit jungleisland.com.