10 Best Family Things to Do in Turks and Caicos

Sapodilla Bay is a shallow bay that's ideal for wading, swimming, and sunbathing, even for small children due to its low depth and calm surf. This bay is the ideal setting for your family fun in the sun along Providenciales' southern shores, with scenic views and sheltered alcoves. Your kids can go snorkelling, see sea turtles, and catch sight of private yachts on the bay. You can head for oceanside shops where fishermen sell freshly caught fish, and you can visit outstanding seafood restaurants.

If you have teens, they will love engaging in watersports with equipment rentals nearby. This is a beach that offers everything from kayaking to surfing, sunbathing to swimming, and more.

The Thursday Fish Fry at the Bight Settlement offers a fun weekly event with delicious food, dancing, entertainment, and local live acts that are sure to entertain adults and kids alike. It takes place every Thursday from 5.30 to 9.30 pm, and tonnes of food vendors show up to offer specialities and local delicacies like fried conch, grilled fish, jerk chicken, and sides like mac and cheese.

You can browse arts and crafts vendors selling handmade jewellery, dolls, baskets, drums, and other souvenirs. For the grown-ups, grab rum punch, local craft beer, or a coconut cup cocktail. In the evening, a band takes the stage for live music accompanied by the Maskanoo dancers.

The Turks and Caicos National Museum offers remains, artefacts, letters, documents, and ephemera from early settlers along with the oldest European shipwreck in the Western Hemisphere. This is a must-visit site on any family holiday where besides artefacts from the Molasses Reef Wreck, you can see treasures from the Lucayans, Spanish coins that are hundreds of years old, and other interesting and exciting exhibits relating to the island chain's history.

You can also visit the museum's gift shop, which is full of fun books, souvenirs, and items to commemorate your visit while supporting the museum's efforts. The museum is located in Grace Bay and is a place where kids will have fun while learning about history.

Little Water Cay, also called Iguana Island, is amongst the only places in the world where you can see the rare Turks and Caicos iguana in its natural habitat. This pristine island, framed by limestone cliffs, is the home of this endangered iguana species. You'll need to catch a boat or rent a kayak or paddleboard to get to the island, but when you're there, you'll see hundreds of these big lizards skittering around. You can walk along two looping boardwalk paths or kick back on the beach.

If you paddle over yourself, you can explore tonnes of tiny islets on the way. You can also book a guided tour to learn about the lizards that live here.

Mangrove Cay is a serene and untouched island where you can go to see turtles, birdlife, and exotic flora as well as enjoy snorkelling adventures to see tropical fish. This small uninhabited island encompassing just 286 acres is just off the shores of the northeastern end of Providenciales. It's part of the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve, and almost the entirety of the island's interior is forested by red mangroves, with small, narrow dunes lining the coasts.

The island is great for paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkelling, and other water sports with shallow waters and scenic channels. You can even explore a shipwreck and see the tropical sea life that makes their home within.

Cockburn Town offers 200-year-old British Bermudan architecture and the opportunity to see historic sites dating back to the early days of the island's settlement. Here, on Grand Turk Island, legend has it, is the place where Columbus first landed upon arrival in the Americas. You can head for the Salt Museum to learn about the salt trade, the original core of the local economy, and walk streets that are lined with historic buildings and architecture.

If you are interested in history, particularly colonial history, you'll find a lot to excite and thrill you here. The kids will love the colourful and unique architecture and they'll have a lot of fun learning without even realising they're getting an education.

The Flamingo Pond wetland on North Caicos is the place to go to see the rare, beautiful, and brightly coloured West Indian Flamingo relaxing in its natural habitat. While you look at entire flamboyances of flamingos, don't forget to check out the overlook where you'll see peaceful tidal flats and endless views of the bright blue Caribbean waters. The lookout is about 300 feet from the pond, so it's a good idea to grab a set of binoculars to catch close-up views of the birds.

This island is reachable only by ferry from Providenciales. You can catch it from one of three docks there, and then rent a car to explore the rest of the North Caicos island.

The Crossing Place Trail in Middle Caicos is a hiking trail that offers fantastic views of the Mudjin Harbour, Norbellis Coves coastline, and other natural scenery. This hike through the 3-mile long harbour showcases gigantic sweeping cliffs and crashing waves as you get a view of the glory and power of nature along the ocean shores.

While this area is wonderful for hiking and scenic adventures as well as photo ops, it's not recommended for swimming as there are groups of grey reef sharks in the area as well as rough surf. Still, it's a main attraction for families looking to light up their social media feeds with gorgeous photos.

The Cheshire Hall Plantation allows you to visit the ruins of an important historic cotton plantation and learn about the importance of cotton in the island's history. This site on Provo is easily accessible by hire car. It dates to the late 18th century and is amongst the largest historic sites in the archipelago. It's also amongst the best preserved. You can let the kids run around this old, abandoned, and interesting property while engaging in some bird and wildlife watching.

The plantation ruins are accessible via guided tours where you'll learn all about the ruins. After the tour, you can visit a small gift shop that offers locally handcrafted souvenirs, jewellery, and woven baskets.

The Grand Turk Lighthouse offers the opportunity to capture photographs of stunning and spectacular views of the Caribbean and Atlantic at a vital historic landmark of the region. Even more enchanting to kids, however, are the free-roaming donkeys that can be seen all over the area. Kids can even pet them when you visit. While you can't go in the lighthouse, it's located on a scenic bluff where you can capture views and even bring snacks or a picnic.

Access to this historic site on Grand Turk Island carries only a nominal fee that makes it a great budget-friendly experience. Keep an eye on the younger kiddos, though, because some of the cliffs can be very steep.