How To Save Money With The Miami Explorer Pass

In a city like Miami, there is no shortage of things to do on any given day. If your travel style is anything like mine, you likely plan to stack your itinerary back to back with activities to see as much as you can while you’ll be in town. One hack that I found can save me money exploring Miami, even as a local, was by getting a Miami Explorer Pass.

I purchased the 3 activity pass from Hellotickets, which got me entrance to 3 activities from over 40 tour options, none of which I even had to make a reservation for after deciding. Here’s how it worked:

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Cost Breakdown Of Miami Explorer Pass:

With the Miami Explorer Pass, you have the option to choose 2, 3, 4 or 5 attractions to load up. As in all promotions, the more activities you do, the bigger the discount you’re getting in the end. I went with the 3 attraction pass for $99 and was able to choose 3 different tours to do around Miami. The experiences I chose were Island Queen Millionaire’s Row Sightseeing Cruise ($35), Lion Country Safari ($55) and Everglades Alligator Farm and Airboat Ride ($36). I ended up saving $26/person + tax overall with my pass, without having to search for any promo codes.

How The Miami Explorer Pass Works:

Once you purchase your pass, you’ll receive an email with all of the information showing you how to download the pass onto your phone and choose your attractions. Some attractions, like the Key West Day Trip, do require you to book the experience with your unique code beforehand. However, none of the activities I chose required a pre-booking. I just simply showed up when I wanted to and hopped on the next tour. Once your pass has been activated, you have 30 days to visit the remaining attractions, which is why I think this is a GREAT option, even for locals who want to explore!

Island Queen Millionaire’s Row Cruise

The first tour I hopped on was one I’d had my eyes on for awhile…well, at least since I’d done the Jungle Queen Tour in Fort Lauderdale and began to wonder how the mansions compared in Miami.

The cruise departed from the iconic tourist hub, Bayside Marketplace, and lasted 90 minutes. It was a very laid back experience (and yes, there is a bar and concessions on board). Our tour guide was bilingual and gave us all of the history of the sights we passed by in the turquoise waters.

We took in views of the Miami Skyline and Fisher Island and pointed out homes of the rich and famous, which I had passed by on other boats before, completely oblivious of the history. A few highlights were:

• The home where an episode of Miami Vice was filmed
• The Greece-style mansion, now owned by Eddie Irvine, ex Ferrari Racer
• The home of the owner of the Memphis Grizzly Team, complete with an indoor basketball court
• The biggest house on the island owned by the inventor of Viagra with 8 bedrooms, a botanical garden, a tennis court and more- just for him and his wife to enjoy
• The (now construction) site of Rick Ross’s home in the making, which he’s normally sitting outside and enjoying with the workers on weekdays

So, if you enjoy a relaxing tour, can appreciate a well-designed mansion or maybe have a local celebrity crush, I would recommend choosing the Island Queen Millionaire’s Row Cruise as one of your attractions.

Lion Country Safari

Believed to be the first cageless zoo in the country, this is now the largest drive-through safari in Florida. This was one of the COOLEST places to visit- I would go back again next weekend. Now, there are a ton of different and equally awesome things to do here for all ages, so bear with me.

Drive-Through Safari

I began in the drive-through safari, which is divided into 7 main habitats, each filled with tons of exotic animals. You do need to keep your windows closed at all times (for your safety and the animals’) and a QR code was provided at the entrance, which I scanned to listen to a guided audio tour as I went through each section.

There are over 900 animals that call this place home. I had ostriches sneaking up on my windows and giraffes crossing right in front of my small car. However, my favorites were by far the lions. I heard the best time to see the animals active was in the rain or the early mornings, before it gets too hot and they all just want to nap. I’m usually the opposite.

I arrived right when they opened at 9:30AM and my car was SHAKING with the roar of these lions. They paced just 5 feet to either side of my car calling out to each other. I’ve truly never seen anything like this. It was one of those experiences I’ll remember for a lifetime. However, this was just the beginning of Lion Country Safari. Although, I should add, you can drive as many laps through this section as you want.

Walk-through Portion of Lion Country Safari

After driving the four miles through the park, you can park the car and enter the walkable section, finding smaller animals like spider monkeys hanging around and parrots squawking as you pass by on your way to the nature walk. There is also paddleboating (included with your ticket) where you can get a closer view of the flamingos and a pontoon ride (included with your ticket) to cruise over to the monkey islands.

Friends and families can enjoy the animals, rides and the concession stands (with very strong margaritas, might I add). You can also bring your own lunch in to picnic in the park before enjoying the Splash Zone or waterslides. I opted out of this area, but did add on some other cool experiences, like feeding the Lorikeets nectar for $3 and feeding the giraffes lettuce for $6.

This is one of those places that really can be enjoyed equally by the young and the old and I will keep this in my pocket as one of my best recs when I have visitors in town. So, if you’re an animal lover, an adrenaline junkie OR just looking for a family-friendly option, this is a great tour to use your attraction pass for.

Everglades Alligator Farm

Did you know the American Alligator was nearly extinct in the 1950s? There was a pretty high demand for the hides and meats, which led to poaching and a rapid decrease of the population. Commercial alligator farming was licensed by the state of Florida in the 80’s and by 1987, the American Alligator was removed from the Federal endangered species list.

It was hard to believe this at first, as millions of alligators can be found in the wild today, but places like the Everglades Alligator Farm had a lot to do with replenishing the ecosystem. Everglades Alligator Farm is actually South Florida’s oldest alligator farm and there was plenty to see and do once arriving.

Airboat Tour in The Everglades

Included in your entrance is access to viewing all of the animals on the farm: Tons of gators of all ages (big and small), emus, foxes, snakes, chinchillas- you name it. On top of this, were a few extra special activities. I started out with a ride on an airboat through the Everglades to see some of the wild gators, rather than the ones on the farm. We were cruising through pathways the size of our boat and doing 360-degree-turns. We definitely got splashed and it felt quite amazing in the afternoon sun.

After the ride, there were two shows to attend: The Alligator Feeding, where rats were tossed to the big boys for lunch and then the Alligator Show. I have been on quite a few alligator-related tours in my time, and I can honestly say this is the most information I had ever learned about them in such a short amount of time.

Alligator Shows

We were shown the Seminole’s method of how the tribes used to catch American Alligators for dinner, without needing anything more than two hands. I also took home some valuable information, like the debunking of the myth, “Run in zig-zags if an alligator is chasing you.” Apparently, the only thing that’s going to do is slow YOU down. Just run as fast as you can, no zig-zag’s needed.

This advice comes directly from a guy who has studied alligators his whole life in a place that has re-homed more than 75 “nuisance” gators since 2017, which, without doing so, would have led them to be euthanized by the government instead.

With all of these fun facts aside, this is another one of those places that is really a cool spot for the young and the old to visit. You’ll see all types of people here, just eager to learn more about these guys and feel the adrenaline of coming face to face with an American Alligator.

In Other Words…Book The Trip!

So, if you can’t tell by now, the Miami Explorer Pass led to me having a pretty decent week if I do say so myself. No matter if you’re young or old, a tourist or a local, I think it is such a great hack to keep in mind when you’re ready to start exploring Miami & the neighborhoods around it.

If you’re looking for more budget-friendly things to do around Miami, make sure to check out my other post: Unique Things To Do In Miami Under $100. Happy adventuring!