Our Favorite Places to Play
For a child with autism or sensory needs, finding a park that works is not as simple as finding a park.
Is the playground fenced, or will you spend the whole visit within arm's reach? Is there shade in August? Can a child who uses a wheelchair or walker actually get around it? Will it be too loud by ten in the morning? Those are the questions that decide how a morning goes, and most park guides do not answer them.
We are Metamorphosis ABA Therapy, a BCBA-owned practice providing mobile ABA therapy across Miami-Dade County, in the home, at school, and out in the community. We take children to these parks every week as part of therapy, so we have learned which playgrounds are autism friendly and sensory friendly, which ones work with planning, and which ones are worth skipping depending on your child.
Here is our honest take on each, including the things most guides leave out. If you have a favorite we have missed, we would love to hear about it.
Tamiami Park
Tucked beside the pool at Tamiami Park is the Superhero Garden, a sensory playground Miami-Dade County designed specifically for children with autism when it opened in 2019. It is one of the few fully enclosed playgrounds in the county, which makes it one of the first places we suggest to families of children who elope.
Fenced
Yes. A five-foot fence with privacy screening surrounds the sensory playground.
Shade
Native trees and plantings around the garden rather than shade structures, so check how much of it is covered at midday.
Surfacing
Engineered wood fiber. Soft for falls, but harder to push a wheelchair or walker across than rubber. An ADA accessible walkway leads to the play area.
Equipment
An ADA accessible spinner (the Whirl), a Spinami motion spinner, an adventure crawl tube, a cozy cocoon play berm, and sensory play panels.
Where to find it
Next to the pool, steps from the Miracle League baseball field. Park benches sit alongside the play area.
Also on site
A year-round public pool (ages 3 and up), tennis courts, and the county's Therapeutic Recreation & Inclusion afterschool program for ages 6 to 22.
Built with autistic children in mind, and one of the easiest parks in the county to supervise.
For many families it is the right first park to try.
The fence changes the whole visit. With a five-foot fence and privacy screening, you can let your child explore instead of shadowing them step for step. Still check that the gate is closed behind you, and agree on where the exit is before you go in.
The equipment is chosen for sensory seekers. The spinners give strong movement input, while the crawl tube and the cocoon berm give a child somewhere enclosed to retreat when they need a break.
Plan around the surfacing if your child uses a wheelchair or walker. The walkway is accessible, but the wood fiber inside the play area is much harder to move across than rubber.
Good for
Children who elope, children who seek spinning and movement, and families who want a calmer, contained first outing.
Plan carefully for
Children who use a wheelchair or walker, and hot midday visits with limited shade.
Common questions from Miami parents
Which Miami-Dade playgrounds are fenced?
Fencing matters most for children who elope, and it varies widely across the county. We note it first for every park in this guide. The sensory playground at Tamiami Park is fully fenced, with privacy screening, which makes it one of our first suggestions for a child who bolts.
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 or spinning. Miami-Dade County Parks has also earned a Certified Autism Center designation, with staff trained in autism and sensory support and designated quiet spaces at select parks.
Are there accessible playgrounds in Miami for children who use wheelchairs?
Yes. The surface matters as much as the equipment. Poured-in-place rubber surfacing is far easier to move across than wood chips or sand. Tamiami Park uses engineered wood fiber, so it is worth planning around. We list the surfacing type for every park in this guide.
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.
← See all the parks in our guide
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.