Fun and Fit as a Family: South Beach Wine & Food Festival with Kids

"Fun and Fit as a Family" is one of the only South Beach Wine & Food Festival events that allows kids under 21.  We attended this weekend in hopes of seeing some of the kids' favorite Food Network stars: Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri, and Robert Irvine.

It was a last-minute decision for us to go, primarily because I noticed on the ticket website that availability for the event was still quite good.  We paid $20 each (even for the 2-year-old!) and arranged to pick up the tickets at Will Call.

The event was held at Jungle Island in downtown Miami.  Considering admission to that park alone was more than $20 each, plus we had the bonus of "Fun and Fit as a Family", I convinced myself it was going to be worth it.  (However, when I arrived and learned LivingSocial had a promotion for $11 per person, I was a little bit annoyed.)  Tip: the event website didn't mention parking at Jungle Island; it's $8 per car CASH ONLY (I never really carry cash, so this caused a bit of a hiccup in our morning).

We arrived at 10am, which was when the park and event opened.  After picking up the tickets and taking an obligatory photo with some parrots, we made a beeline for Rachael Ray's 11am cooking demo.  By the time we got there, they were turning people away from the line saying that the event was already full to capacity!  So much for "good availability"!  At that point, my 10-year-old was upset because she was really looking forward to Rachael Ray's demo.  We hung around, and eventually got a spot in the way-way-way back, standing room only.  The kids got to "see" Rachael Ray, but they weren't able to sit in the kids section on the floor right in front of the action.

Guy Fieri was on at 1pm, and that time, we were in line for a seat...or so we thought.  I think people cut the line (a main theme throughout the day - hey, long lines are frustrating, but wait your turn!).  So by the time we got up to the door, again, we were in the way-way-way back, standing room only.  One consolation was that Guy Fieri was pretty entertaining.  (The kids felt Rachael Ray did more cooking, and Guy Fieri did more talking!)

All events throughout the day focused on staying fit and eating healthy.  There was an obstacle course, zumba for kids, and other activities designed to inspire kids to get moving.

All of the cooking demos revolved around family-friendly meal ideas, and meals that kids can help cook. There were two areas for cooking demos: one was where we got a peek at Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri (sorry Robert Irvine, we wanted to watch you too, but the kids had enough by 3pm).  And then, at the very end of the day, we happened upon the "Whole Foods Market Food Lab", another cooking demo area where star chefs gave kids hands-on cooking lessons. They were scheduled almost simultaneously with the other celebrity chef cooking demos, so you couldn't do both.  For example, while Rachael Ray was whipping up her kid-friendly, veggie-filled dishes at 11am, Rocco DiSpirito was leading the kids in a hands-on demo at 11:30am.  Another helpful note for parents: to participate in the Whole Foods Market Food Lab, kids had to be at least 5 years old, and no parents were allowed into the demo area.

Again, we found this fun-looking activity around 2:45, when kids were filing out of the room with their freshly-made goodies in hand.  Jeff Mauro was going to be on at 3:30, teaching kids how to make Chicken Parmesan, Salad, and Breadsticks.  A line was already forming outside, so we knew we'd need to start waiting right away in order to make sure the kids got a spot.  Then we'd have to entertain the two younger ones for an hour or more while the big kids got to cook.  At that point, we were tired (and tired of waiting in lines), so we just decided to call it a day instead.  The kids were hot and tired and didn't protest.  The last stop on the way out was the face-painting station set up by Carnival Cruise Line, and all 4 kids really liked that.

Although Fun and Fit as a Family didn't exactly meet our expectations, we still made a good day out of it.  The kids were able to get a glimpse of some TV personalities they know, and there was free food throughout the park - if you were willing to wait on a long line (for example: veggie-thin crust pizza from Domino's, Tropi-Chop from Pollo Tropical, and frozen yogurt with berries and/or granola from Carnival Cruise Line).  The kids also got some free goodies to take home, like kid-sized aprons and chefs hats, Guy Fieri t-shirts, temporary tattoos, jump ropes, beach balls, and the like.

Will we go back next year?  Probably not.  However, if there is a good deal on Living Social, then I reserve the right to change my answer to "maybe".