Turks and Caicos Top Things to Do for Kids

Discover the Incredible Beaches 

The country's primary attraction is its beaches, and one of the top things to do in Turks and Caicos with kids is discovering these pristine coasts at your own pace.

Some beaches on Providenciales stand out as being especially great for kids due to their shallow and calm water. Sheltered Taylor Bay Beach near Chalk Sound National Park is shallow, typically calm, and usually a little warmer than the north coast beaches. Turtle Tail Beach is another great spot with similar conditions and several small rocky islands off the coast. Sapodilla Bay's ocean conditions are great for children, though the ambiance onshore isn't very family-friendly.

While they aren't quite as shallow, famous Grace Bay Beach, the Bight Beach, and Leeward Beach are still great beaches for kids, as they have wide shorelines with perfect sand for sandcastle building and generally calm water year-round.

Go Snorkeling 

Snorkeling is something that both kids and parents can enjoy, and there are several easy-to-access and lively reefs that start directly off the beach.

The Bight Reef is a great place to start and offers plenty to see. This fairly shallow reef off the Bight Beach has various corals, schooling parrotfish, and even the odd sea turtle. Since the Bight Reef is a popular snorkeling location, there's almost always someone around in case of an emergency.

The larger Smith’s Reef is another beautiful spot for snorkeling, and these coral heads near Turtle Cove are a popular place for spotting eagle rays, sea turtles, pufferfish, and various other sealife. The outer reefs of this system are a little too far out for young kids—and see significant boat traffic—but there’s still plenty to explore right off the beach.

You can also try a dedicated snorkeling cruise to the spectacular offshore reefs.

Book a Boat Cruise 

Many boat charters and shared cruises offer tours that are great for kids and teens. Excursions often combine several of the top things to do—exploring uninhabited islands, seeing unique wildlife, snorkeling, and jumping into crystal-clear water. Some tour boats even have water slides and diving boards.

Boat tours often visit Leeward Reef, Half Moon Bay (a pristine sandbar with a shallow lagoon), and the Turks and Caicos Islands rock iguana sanctuary of Little Water Cay. There's also Water Cay, Pine Cay, and Fort George Cay, which collectively have miles of deserted beach to discover.

Most daytime excursions include refreshments, snacks or lunch, and snorkeling. There's often no fee for kids under 2 on shared cruises and discounted pricing for kids between 2 and 12.

Attend a Beach BBQ 

Like a good sunset cruise or glowworm tour, a beach BBQ and bonfire is a great way to entertain the kids after dark. Barbetta House Restaurant hosts a weekly beach BBQ event with a live entertainer, dance competition, a daring fire dancer, and a buffet spread that has something for everyone. This BBQ takes place right in the sand by The Somerset Resort and starts shortly before sunset.

The food at the local BBQ events varies, but it often combines typical BBQ foods like ribs and corn on the cob as well as local cuisine like jerk chicken, local lobster, conch, and peas and rice. Some events offer a discounted price for kids.

On New Year's Eve, several bonfire events (complete with fireworks) take place right on Grace Bay.

Ride Aboard the Semi-Submarine 

Kids can discover the archipelago's amazing reefs and marine life (without having to get in the water) aboard the Undersea Explorer, a semi-submarine operated by Caicos Tours. The Undersea Explorer is a large and stable boat with an air-conditioned cabin located below the water's surface. This cabin has large observatory wraparound windows that are great for waving to passing green and hawksbill turtles, stingrays and eagle rays, reef sharks, nurse sharks, and schooling fish.

These tours, which are especially exciting for budding scientists or kids that love nature, visit the coral heads near Turtle Cove, Smith’s Reef, and Babalua Beach. The company also offers a Mermaid Adventure tour, where kids get the chance to see a freediving mermaid swim past the submarine and wave to them. You can book tours aboard this semi-sub as public or private excursions.

Hang Out at Stingrays 

Stingrays Social is the largest sports bar and arcade in the country, and there's plenty to keep kids entertained here (from arcade games to bowling and simulation sports). There’s something for the parents here too, with billiards, darts, and TVs broadcasting baseball, football, hockey, and more. Fully indoors and air-conditioned, Stingrays is the perfect place to cool down on a hot day or spend an afternoon if the weather is bad.

The family-friendly restaurant serves a large menu of sports bar food that's popular with kids, such as wings, nachos, and burgers, and has a kids menu as well. It is located in the heart of Grace Bay within walking distance of many beachfront resorts.

See Iguanas 

Little Water Cay is a small uninhabited island and nature reserve located near Providenciales. It is the best place in the country to see the docile and unique Turks and Caicos Islands rock iguana.

These large lizards are endangered due to their very limited range, so visiting Little Water Cay gives your kids the rare chance to see an at-risk species in its native environment. You'll often see these reptiles right on the beach, crawling around the dunes, or relaxing in the shade of a tree.

Many boat cruises and kayaking and paddleboarding tours stop at Little Water Cay. There's also a beautiful beach with crystal-clear water that's perfect for swimming or playing in the sand.

Ride Horses on the Beach 

Several stables offer this unique activity, but the oldest and best-known stable is Provo Ponies, which offers public and private horseback riding on beautiful Long Bay.

Rides primarily take place on the beach, with the option to wade into the perfectly clear and shallow turquoise water offshore with your horse. This stable also has smaller ponies and gentle horses that are ideal for young riders, and tours are led by knowledgeable and experienced guides.

Most stables have a minimum age for riders (typically around 7 years old) and don't allow kids under 12 to ride unaccompanied.

Sign up for a Kids Camp 

Kids camps are a great way for your children to meet other kids, experience and learn about the local wildlife, and see beautiful and interesting locations in the Turks and Caicos. A few local companies host organized meetups for a range of water sports, eco-adventures, and historical and cultural activities. The agenda depends on the child’s age, the season, and some other factors, yet often includes kayak or paddleboard eco-tours, hiking, and snorkeling.

Some camps focus on helping your children learn a skill or obtain a certification, such as swim training or PADI Open Water scuba diving certification.

Water sports company Big Blue Collective hosts a kids camp for a few weeks every summer for children aged 10 to 15. Their camp combines a great range of educational and fun activities, including snorkeling, exploring West Caicos, wetland eco-tours, and much more.

Paddle in the Mangroves 

Something that both younger kids and teens can enjoy is a clear kayaking or paddleboarding tour in the mangrove forests of Mangrove Cay. This small cay, just a short paddle away from Providenciales, is one of the best places to see green turtles in the country. These turtles often swim right beneath your kayak or paddleboard, and it's possible to see more than a dozen on a good day at the cay.

The shallow and crystal-clear channels here are also home to stingrays, starfish, queen conch, and even baby lemon sharks and nurse sharks. There's plenty you can see without having to paddle too far, and many companies have tandem kayaks to accommodate parents with little kids or toddlers.

Some tours also include a stop at the beach and trails of Little Water Cay (Iguana Island).

Walk a Potcake 

The Turks and Caicos and Bahamas have their very own breed of dog: the Potcake. Potcakes are mid-sized dogs that are a mix of terriers and other breeds that were introduced into the tropical Atlantic in the late 1700s and 1800s.

Potcake Place is a non-profit rescue charity that offers visitors and locals the chance to walk adorable Potcake puppies on Grace Bay Beach. The charity is located at the Saltmills Plaza in Grace Bay, and its primary goal is to place stray local dogs in caring homes.

Most puppies at Potcake Place are very affectionate and friendly, and love cuddling with humans. Fair warning: you may very well end up taking home a new pet.

Go Fishing 

Reef and bottom fishing can be a thrilling activity for the whole family, and good fishing typically isn't more than a 10–15 minute boat ride from the island's main marinas. Yellowtail snapper, barjacks, strawberry grouper (rock hind), and triggerfish are a few of the lighter catches that kids often have a blast reeling in to the boat.

For older kids with fishing experience, you may want to try deep-sea fishing. These trips target larger and deeper-dwelling species like tuna, wahoo, and kingfish, but typically have crew on board to help young anglers reel in big catches.

While most fishing in Turks and Caicos is through private charters, there are a few companies that run shared fishing tours.

Try Parasailing 

Parasailing is the perfect way to get a beautiful bird's-eye view of the island, and many companies can accommodate riders of all ages. This sport takes place off the island's north coast at Grace Bay and the Bight Beach. There’s an incredible range of sights to enjoy from above, including the intricate barrier reef, the beach, clear turquoise water, the resorts, cruising boats, and even possibly JoJo the Dolphin.

Most parasail boats can send up to three riders in the air at a time, allowing you to fly with your kids. The typical flight on a public tour is 10–15 minutes, though private tours allow you to ride for longer.

Learn a New Water Sport 

Turks and Caicos is an incredible destination for picking up a new water sport, whether you want to book lessons for sailing, swimming, kiteboarding, diving, and wakeboarding.

Provo Swim School offers swim instruction for all ages, and also specializes in infant self-rescue training. This course gives babies, toddlers, and young children the skills and confidence to float, swim, and survive in the water.

Sailing is a very popular activity with both local and visiting kids. Hobie Cats are the most common vessels to sail, and many resorts have at least one or two of these little catamarans. The Provo Sailing Academy has several different types of Hobie Cats, Picos, and Laser sailboats, all of which are virtually unsinkable and easy to sail.

With modern kites and gear, kiteboarding has become easier than ever for beginners to pick up. Most kids can get on the water after only a few hours of professional instruction.

See the Corals Feed 

If you're looking for an interesting educational experience for your children, consider watching the weekly coral feeding at the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund office. This conservation group has a lab with several tanks of live corals from around the islands, as well as a microscope you can use to look at coral specimens and sand samples from across the archipelago.

Corals are fed by staff every Wednesday around 2:00 PM, and the Reef Fund's conservationists are happy to answer questions about the local reefs and show children natural treasures from around the islands.

Attend an Event 

While the event scene is a bit quieter in Turks and Caicos than in many other Caribbean countries, there's still something to do any given week of the year with kids. Many of the weekly live music shows are family friendly.

Several annual events are particularly great for kids. The Valentine's Day Cup on Middle Caicos is a model sailboat race where beautiful handmade miniature Caicos Sloops compete in shallow water. This is a popular event for people of all ages, and it’s common to see both old and young racing their model sailboats.

Another event that welcomes kids is the Race for the Conch open water swimming competition on Providenciales. The June event features a 100-meter (328 ft) kids race for children under 10, with extensive support paddleboarders and event staff to keep swimmers safe. Entry is only $15, and kids have the chance to win a conch medal or trophy.