Our Favorite Places to Play
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park
In 2023 Miami-Dade County opened a nature-based playground here, tucked into a hammock of live oaks and sabal palms and built so children of all abilities can play outdoors. There is a Sensory Dome, musical instruments, swings, and an ADA accessible play cottage. The tree canopy is the standout, and the open woodland around it is the main thing to plan for.
Fenced
No. The play areas sit open to the lawns, paths, and woods around them, inside a 175-acre park with walking trails.
Shade
Mostly. The playground was built inside a native hammock of live oaks and sabal palms, and the trees were kept. The climbing dome sits in a sunnier clearing. The county also lists outdoor misting stations in the park.
Surfacing
Wood chip mulch throughout the play areas, with low concrete edging around the planting beds. It softens falls, but it is hard going for wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers.
Equipment
A Sensory Dome that combines climbing with sensory play, musical instruments, springers, swings, and the Wizard's Hideaway, an ADA accessible play cottage with a double slide. The county lists the play sets for ages 5 to 12.
Setting
Play mounds, Australian pine logs to climb and sit on, and limestone boulders and benches, all woven through the trees rather than set on an open field.
Around the playground
A 14,000-square-foot skate plaza, three lighted softball fields, and three 18-hole disc golf courses share the park, so it can get busy and loud on game days. Watch for flying discs if you walk the grounds.
Also on site
A 32-acre nature preserve, walking trails, five covered picnic shelters, and an outdoor fitness zone.
Before a first trip
Call the park office at (305) 596-9324 to check hours. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.
A shady, sensory-rich playground in the woods, with a lot of open space around it.
For sensory seekers it can be a favorite. For children who bolt, it takes a plan.
The shade makes it usable in summer. The tree canopy shades much of the play area, which matters in Miami from May to October. Bring water anyway, and use the misting stations if your child gets overheated.
The Sensory Dome and the musical instruments give a lot of input. Children who seek climbing, pressure, and sound often settle in fast. If your child is sensitive to noise, the instruments can be loud when several children play at once, so start on the quieter side of the playground.
Plan for the open layout if your child elopes. There is no fence, and the playground opens onto lawns, paths, and woods. Decide who is watching before you get out of the car, agree on the boundary at the start, and consider bringing a second adult.
Natural ground is great practice, with one caveat. Logs, mounds, boulders, and the rope bridge build balance and motor planning. The wood chip mulch is harder for wheelchairs, walkers, and unsteady feet, so plan for some help getting around.
Good for
Children who seek movement and sensory input, families who need shade, and kids who love being outdoors in nature.
Plan carefully for
Children who elope, children who use wheelchairs or walkers, and busy afternoons when the skate plaza and ball fields are full.
Common questions from Miami parents
Is the playground at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park fenced?
No. The play areas are open to the lawns, paths, and woods around them, inside a large park with trails. If you need a fully enclosed playground, the sensory playground at Tamiami Park has a five-foot fence.
What makes a playground autism friendly or sensory friendly?
Usually a combination of things: secure fencing, quiet or low-stimulation areas to retreat to, shade, predictable layouts, and equipment that offers the kind of sensory input a child seeks, like swinging, climbing, or music. Kendall Indian Hammocks Park is strong on shade and sensory equipment, and weaker on enclosure.
Is the Kendall Indian Hammocks playground accessible for children who use wheelchairs?
The county lists the Wizard's Hideaway play cottage as ADA accessible, but the play areas are surfaced with wood chip mulch, which is hard to push a wheelchair across. If smooth surfacing matters for your child, South Pointe Park has poured rubber.
Does ABA therapy happen at parks?
It can. Our ABA therapy is mobile, so sessions happen wherever your child needs the skill, in the home, at school, or out in the community, including parks. Practicing at a real playground is often far more useful than practicing at a table. If you have questions about how that works for your child, we are glad to talk it through.
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Questions about your child's needs at the park, or anywhere else?
Metamorphosis ABA Therapy provides bilingual, mobile ABA therapy for children with autism across Miami-Dade County, in the home, at school, and in the community, with no waitlist. We are always glad to talk through what would help your family.