Glenvar Heights, FL Indoor Activities

Inspired by their two children, owners Janice and Leandro Lissa work to make Jumpin' Jamboree a place where kids 12 and younger can enjoy active play in a safe environment. In doing so, they pack their 14,000 square-foot supervised facility with wall-to-wall inflatable jumps, slides, and obstacle courses. Video surveillance and personal ID bracelets monitor little ones as they shoot hoops or bound over jungle-themed structures. Elsewhere, toddlers stretch their imaginations at a soft play area, birthday celebrations unfold within three private party rooms, and parents browse for gossip on their favorite cartoon characters via free WiFi.

Over the course of 24 hours, audiences await as six sailing vessels speed into the Port of Miami, one by one. At the helm stand six crews of 11 men from 15 countries around the world, many of them Olympic gold medalists and America's Cup champions. In the past five months, each one has helped navigate a route from Spain eastward, around Africa, through Indonesian islands, skirting Antarctic waters, and up the eastern coast of South America. The race pauses in Miami’s Bicentennial Park—its only North American stop—on May 6 for a 14-day celebration at the Downtown Miami Race Village, a 27-acre expanse filled with interactive installations and scheduled race-centric events.

Throughout the festivities, visitors can step onto the deck of a simulator that emulates the movements of a Volvo Open 70, the race’s official ship model, or gain access to the harbor to witness a real ship without having to wear a fake captain’s beard. Both festival weekends contain a dense roster of events, including a classic car show, steamboat races, and paddleboard competitions, as well as multicultural food tastings and youth sailing regattas. On the final weekend, in-port races pit the tournament’s crews against each other on a short, close-quarters course within the harbor, giving audiences a chance to see the crews in action. Amateur VIP sailors can also pit their sail-wrangling and tide-control skills against the professional competitors in the harbor pro-am race before the six competing teams leave port again for their next leg to Lisbon.

At Artists at the Falls Studio, Talia Rodriguez's artistic voice and guidance helps to breathe life into the up-and-coming Falls Art District and imbue kids and adults with aesthetic judgment. Within a former industrial warehouse, Talia leads classes in acrylic and oil painting, lending advice or letting students freely explore portraits, still lifes, and abstract representations of their school's mystery meat. The fun of classes can be extended to day camps and birthday parties, which branch away from canvases to explore clay and international art projects. Talia also hosts BYOB classes during evening hours, allowing adults to find their inner Monet or O'Keeffe with the help of liquid inspiration.

The seasoned instructors of Universal Dance Studios instill students of any age with the skills to pull off a panoply of forms ranging from ballet and acro dance to jazz and hip-hop. Kids 5–7 years old can harness Creative Movement classes to find self-expression through free-form choreography in various dance styles, or take a more structured approach through the French traditions taught in Pre-Ballet sessions. Swing-dance, salsa, and ballroom lessons equip older children and adults with the steps to commandeer any dance floor or spontaneous public musical number, and students looking for more heart-pumping excitement can also bust moves in dance-inspired Zumba fitness classes.