WDW to Miami drive ideas

We fly back to the U.K. from Miami, so will be driving on a Sunday from WDW to MIA. The flight isn’t till 2110 and we will have a 2 and 4 year olds with us. Have to check out of POFQ at 11 so was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of the route to take and anything interesting or fun to do, places to eat etc… en-route or any thoughts of what we could do in the morning whilst on property.

My guess is we want to be getting to MIA around 530pm and with the little ones we probably don’t want to be doing the drive in one run, a little break at a playground or something would be good. Also probably want to avoid the beach so they’re not all sandy for the flight!

Many thanks

:laughing: that was going to be my suggestion
sand will fall off too :wink:

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Rubbing cornstarch on the skin will cause all the sand to easily fall off!

We have driven the reverse route from Miami to WDW. But since we are adults, we just changed drivers and kept on moving. If your kids nap in the afternoon, you may be able to do the same and keep going. Otherwise, you can probably find a playground along the route.

You need to allow 4-5 hours for the drive and more, if the kids need a break. So plan accordingly.

If you haven’t been to Disney Springs during your stay, that would be a fun, unstructured time. Parking is free in Disney Springs. Just plan for going through security in the parking lot. There are great QS options (Dluxe, Polite Pig). If you want TS and don’t have a reservation, stop by when they open and they might be able to work you in. We didn’t have reservations for Homecomin but we asked how long was the wait around 9:30 am and they seated us shortly afterwards. I still dream about those Thigh High Biscuit Sliders! :yum: Desserts at Amorette’s are delicious and beautiful. The kids can run around Disney Springs. There’s also the Lego Store, the M&M Store, the Disney Store, etc. to “play” in at Disney Springs.

I presume you’ll have a rental car. Some roads in the Orlando and Miami areas are tolled. They automatically scan the license plate and charge the toll. If you don’t want to have to pay the rental company for use of its toll transponder for each day you use it (Around $5/day you use it plus the toll), set your GPS to avoid tolls (this will add almost an hour to your trip) or buy a SunPass Mini Sticker Transponder, which you can only use on one car.

https://www.sunpass.com/en/about/whereToPurchaseSunPass.shtml

Yardbird Southern Table and Bar in Miami Beach has the BEST fried chicken we’ve every had! I wrote about it here:
https://forum.touringplans.com/t/eating-my-way-through-fl/82755/16?u=stlouie. You can get a reservation for it.

If you want Cuban food, I highly recommend Puerto Sagua Restaurant in Miami Beach. The food was so delicious! I have pictures of the Cuban food here: https://forum.touringplans.com/t/eating-my-way-through-fl/82755/31?u=stlouie.

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Gatorland!

We love Gatorland.











You can eat there, too.

maybe don’t zip line with babies :wink:

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oh oh oh… I have a ‘drive’ idea or tip: Stay out of the left lane unless you’re passing; and make it fast. There are some serious 100+mph drivers on I-95. :grimacing:

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Thank you all - maybe the beach is a little option since we could always use the showers in the lounge at MIA!

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One more thought…we did an airboat ride a few years ago and thought it was a BLAST. The place we went to is out of the way for MIA but there are a lot of them on the western edge of the Miami suburbs, and some have animals on display as well. It was a fun way to kill a few hours between a cruise and a late flight!

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