8 July 17-23, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Your Table is Ready. So Is Your Spot. For a list of participating restaurants and parking details, visit SavorMiamiBeach.com #SavorMiamiBeach JULY 1- 31, 2025 Stay cool this summer with dining deals and breezy parking Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Catch a Feeling Here’s where to find sensory-friendly family fun. BY MEGAN FITZGERALD W hen Cristina Castañeda brought her son Lucas to Superblue Miami for a sensory-friendly art event, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Lucas, 7, has autism and is nonverbal, and outings in overstimulating en- vironments can be unpredictable. But as soon as they entered the immersive mirror room, something clicked. “He just lit up,” she says. “He could touch the walls, see things bloom — it was calm and interactive, exactly what he needs.” For families of children who are neurodivergent, visits to crowded museums, noisy theaters, and busy restaurants can be overstimulating. Now, a growing number of venues across Miami are creating more inclusive experiences that consider sensory sensitivities. Sensory-friendly events are designed to support people with sensitivities to certain sights, sounds, textures, or smells. According to Dr. Lauren Carbonell, a licensed clinical psychologist with Pediatric Psychology Asso- ciates in South Miami, these sensory sensitiv- ities can affect emotional regulation and overwhelm the nervous system. “An individual who has more sensory dif- ferences may have one or all areas where it’s just harder for them to regulate aspects of that type of input,” says Dr. Carbonell. “In certain environments, it can cause them to become overwhelmed, irritable, or even panic.” While often associated with autism spec- trum disorder, Dr. Carbonell says sensory pro- cessing differences are also common in children with ADHD, speech and language delays, and learning differences. The benefits of sensory-friendly events go beyond just making outings more manageable — they help children feel empowered. “Events like this and having the ability to attend something they otherwise may not feel successful in is so huge to their sense of self and confidence,” she adds. These events also offer lower-pressure op- portunities for social interaction in support- ive spaces. “Inclusion is a feeling,” says Castañeda. “And our kids feel it.” Castañeda says sensory-friendly events benefit both individuals with sensory diversi- ties and their families. “It gives families an op- portunity to be present as opposed to dreading an event,” she says. “We’re always so worried about how our child will react, and not just them — the people around them.” Dr. Carbonell says parents can feel fear or embarrassment about judgment. “In a more sensory-friendly set- ting,” she says, “there is support and under- standing.” Looking for sen- sory-friendly events for your family? From museums to movie theaters, the Miami venues listed in alphabeti- cal order below offer sensory-inclusive pro- gramming. Check their websites and social media before heading out — events sometimes require an RSVP or run at limited capacity. Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre: The theater provides sensory-inclusive per- formances, pre-visit guides, modifications to lighting and sound, a quiet room, remote viewing of the mainstage performance, noise- reducing headphones, and specialists at each event. 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305- 444-9293; actorsplayhouse.org. AMC Sunset Place: The Sensory Friendly Film program allows kids to walk, sing, and move during select showings. The lights stay up, and sound is lowered. Programming occurs on the second and fourth Saturdays (family- friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature au- diences) of each month. 5701 Sunset Dr. #300, South Miami; 305-740-8904; amctheatres.com. Chuck E. Cheese: On the first Sunday of each month, locations across Miami-Dade open two hours early for Sensory Sensitive Sundays. Ac- commodations include lower volume, dimmed lights, and no animatronics. 8701 SW 124th Ave., Miami; 305-270-8716; 3805 W. 20th Ave. Bay, Hi- aleah; 305-826-0607; 20335 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. L-1, Miami; 305-936-0002; 18575 S. Dixie Hwy., Miami; 305-256-3886; chuckecheese.com. HistoryMiami Museum: On select dates, Sen- sory Sunday features modified lighting and sound, a sensory room, and support from lo- cal community organizations. 101 W. Flagler St., Miami; 305-375-1492; historymiami.org. Miami Children’s Museum: On the second Saturday of each month, the museum opens early for Sensory Friendly Saturdays, with ac- commodations including dimmed lights, re- duced noise, and limited capacity. 980 MacArthur Cswy., Miami; 305-373-5437; miamichildrensmuseum.org. Paradox Museum Miami: Sensory Friendly Saturdays, held the second Saturday of each month, include calming music, fidget toys, and covering exhibits that might be too bright or loud. 2301 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-614- 3808; paradoxmuseummiami.com. Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Sci- ence: Just for Me, the museum’s sensory-in- clusive events, take place monthly with reduced lights and sounds. Backpacks with noise-reducing earmuffs, weighted blan- kets, and fidget toys are available for check- out at the museum’s front kiosk. Social narratives are available online to prepare families for their visit. In 2023, Frost Sci- ence was recognized as an “Autism Friendly Partner” by the Center for Autism and Re- lated Disabilities (CARD) at the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern Univer- sity. 1101 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-434- 9600; frostscience.org. Superblue Miami: This immersive art experience offers low-sensory sessions with mirrored rooms and digital walls that respond to touch. Quiet rooms and sensory kits with earplugs and sunglasses are also available. 1101 NW 23rd St., Miami; 786-697- 3405; superblue.com. Zoo Miami: A Certified Autism Center, Zoo Miami provides trained staff, quiet zones, and sensory backpacks with earmuffs, lap pads, and fidget items. 12400 SW 152nd St., Miami; 305-251-0400; zoomiami.org. [email protected] ▼ Culture Frost Science is recognized as an “Autism Friendly Partner” by the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. Photo by World Red Eye/Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science “INCLUSION IS A FEELING. AND OUR KIDS FEEL IT.”
