8 Things to Do in the Islands with Kids
Nothing beats family togetherness on an island vacation. With kids, and possibly grandkids tagging along, the last thing you want to do is struggle to find genuine family activities in an unfamiliar resort town. If you need help in deciding your next vacation activities, don’t stress, we’ve got you covered with our ‘8 Things to Do in the Islands with Your Kids’.
Swim with Bottlenose Dolphins
Dolphin Cove in Jamaica and Dolphin Cay in the Bahamas are special tourist attractions known for the thrill and wonder they present to families. Imagine swimming alongside these gentle giants and even learning to perform acrobatic acts with them. It’s an experience that both you and the kids will never forget!
Explore Lagoons
Blue Lagoon is nature's phenomenon at its finest, tending to develop a deep color of turquoise reflecting the ocean’s floor. It’s a must-see adventure for all age groups. You can witness the intensity of its color at the Blue Lagoon, one of several natural wonders of the Caribbean. The lagoon’s temperature is much cooler in the daytime and much warmer at nighttime than its surrounding waters.
If you are In Jamaica, next to the Blue Lagoon is Monkey Island, a small land mass surrounded by a private beach. While there, you and your kids can continue to enjoy more of nature in its perfect form.
Do a Night Tour of Glowing Magical Creatures
Your trip to a lagoon in the Caribbean is not complete until you have taken a nighttime tour to a lagoon glowing in an out-of-this-world sight!
Stretching across marshlands in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica is the home of millions of glowing organisms, called bioluminescent dinoflagellates. However, you aren’t limited to seeing these lagoon creatures in Jamaica only. Several islands of the Caribbean are home to these organisms. Anywhere in which salt and fresh water combine to create this rare environment will host these lagoon creatures. These glowing creatures can be found on the island of St. Croix, the Bahamas, Grenada, and Tobago.
Visit the Largest Water Parks in the Islands
Kool-runnings of Jamaica competes with Beaches Resort, and Pirates Island of Turks & Caicos for the title of the biggest and best Caribbean water park for families. From waterslides to waterfalls to lazy rivers and kids-only swim-up bars and an array of other exciting amenities, you are guaranteed to find something memorable at these impressive waterparks for all the family to enjoy.
From Scallywag Bay, Trinidad to Rainforest Adventures, Jamaica, the Caribbean’s flavor for entertainment takes on its own energy based on an island vibe.
Here is a short list of some of the exciting amusement parks you can visit on the islands:
- Dominican Republic: Ocean World Adventure Park--an interactive marine park.
- St. Maarten: Kids World-SXM, the largest park on the island, is a playground with customized attractions.
- Jamaica: Go Jump Island, Negril—competitive water games, themes, and attractions, for all ages.
- Bahamas: Aquaventure—a massive (141 acres) waterpark filled with rides, attractions, and slides including a secluded lagoon.
Go Lazy River Rafting and Tubing
With river rafting, your personal guide steers your bamboo raft through a scenic route down the length of a very large river. Jamaica has iconic stories of its river rafting adventures down the Martha Brae River. Not to miss out, other islands such as the Bahamas, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Lucia, and Grenada offer a variety of ways to experience a lazy river including canoeing.
In Dominica and Jamaica, white river tubing is one of the most exciting ways a family can have fun bouncing and gliding down a sure path to safety. The journey is a thrilling experience for families. During your ride, tour guides remain alert, standing in place to ensure your safe passage.
Visit Island Safaris
Black River Safari, Jamaica is a wildlife sanctuary. Guests are taken on this exciting safari journey through a mangrove forest on a boat steered by a tour guide. Black River is home to a variety of wildlife species including crocodiles and large rare birds. The safari tour is both exciting and educational for families.
Tour Turtle Center: In the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Turtle Center is the only wildlife tourist attraction of its kind in the world. The facility is both a research center and a farm for endangered green sea turtles. The facility is also the largest land-based tourist attraction on the island.
Other island safaris of the Caribbean include:
- Aruba: Island Ultimate Jeep Safari
- Dominican Republic: Safari Private Jeep Tour-Open Top Experience
- Turks & Caicos—Turtle Eco Tour on Kayak
- Antigua—Island Safari and Stingray Fantasy
Snorkeling
Get close up to live, colorful sea creatures freely swimming in their natural setting while snorkeling the reefs. One of the benefits of snorkeling, especially as a kid, is you don’t have to know how to swim to experience your island’s underwater treasures. Two gorgeous locations for snorkeling are in the Bahamas. They are:
- Blue Hole snorkeling and Turtle Park, East Grand Bahama, and
- Paradise Cove Day Pass West Grand Bahama (with private setting)
Both locations offer unique opportunities for new snorkelers, as well as experienced ones. In West Grand Bahama, the snorkeling setting is secluded and private for visitors who prefer to enjoy their underwater adventure without the crowd.
Three other island sites best known for snorkeling are:
- Stingray City—Cayman Islands
- Bonaire Marine Park—Bonaire
- The reef of the island of Canouan—The Grenadines
Tour Majestic Waterfalls of the Islands
Majestic waterfalls are some of the great gems of an island. Some of these waterfalls stretch so high unto tall mountains that they seem to fall directly from the heavens. A tour of these spectacular marvels is a sight definitely worth seeing and sharing with the entire family.
Waterfalls begin as streams of water that flow from soft rock to hard rock and over a steep edge where it plunges into a waiting pool of water sometimes far below it.
Trinidad and Tobago has some of the most stunning waterfalls in the Caribbean. Other gorgeous waterfalls in the islands include:
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St. Lucia
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Jamaica
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Dominica
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St. Vincent
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Grenada
