You know? When I say that it is awesome to live in a place where others vacation, it was no lie. Sure, it has it’s pros and cons like everywhere else, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. Let’s start off with the cons, I live in South Florida and there are beaches everywhere. Beaches = Tourists = Lots of extra people in your city and the WORST traffic ever in life.
The PROS! It’s warm all year long, the sun is out, the nights are warm, there is no snow here and there are endless possibilities of things to do. I feel as though, when you are up north, the snow kinda makes you hibernate and you just kinda want to stay indoors and SLEEP. ALL THE TIME! At least I did! I would sleep all day and night under my covers. Even when I go home now, that’s what I do.
Luckily, I currently live in a place where there are endless possibilities to explore! Today, I will be giving you my favorite things to do in Miami. If you get a chance to visit Miami, I recommend the things I will be discussing!
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne is a chain of keys (very small islands) that are linked by The Rickenbacker Causeway and a road that leads to Bill Baggs Cape State Park. Because this is a group of keys, they are surrounded by water. There are areas that have a narrow piece of beach that lead into the water and parking is free when you first enter the causeway. Many people will park here, spend the day at the beach or go running/walking or even biking up the bridge and down the causeway. It is approximately 17 miles round trip from beginning to end. It is a breathtaking view and an incredible challenge when you go up the bridge. But wow, you feel accomplished when you do, but I digress. There is one of the best views of Downtown Miami if you are there at night. It’s simply beautiful. The bridge crosses the beautiful Biscayne Bay, you can drive through the cute town of Key Biscayne to the State Park. You can drive, walk or bike through the park, go to the light house or spend some time at the beautiful beaches that are there. Like with all state parks here in Florida, it will cost $8 to get in. I believe it’s $2 if you are on a bike.
In the city of Key Biscayne, there are marinas, restaurants and bars that are there and again offer amazing views of Downtown Miami. There is one in particular, The Rusty Pelican that offers THE BEST VIEW in my opinion. It is a high-end restaurant so make sure you dress to impress if you go there. If you are looking for something a little more casual and bar-like, you can go to Whiskey Joes, which sits directly behind The Rusty Pelican.
South Point Park and Pier (Day & Night Fun)
South Point Park and Pier is the very end of South Beach. It is south of 5th Street when you cross the MacArthur Causeway. MacArthur Causeway lines the Port of Miami and you will drive passed all of the cruise ships that are docked preparing to depart for the day. Additionally, this is where you access the infamous Palm Island, Hibiscus Island and the EVER SO FAMOUS, Star Island. The best way to get to South Point Park is to make the first right after the causeway and drive straight. You can pretty much park anywhere you can find parking! But here’s a tip, if you get there before 9 AM the parking is FREE! Who doesn’t like free? It’s a great place to walk, run, roller blade or even bike. It even offers yet another awesome view of Downtown Miami. Here you will also find probably the only hill that is in South Florida that is not a garbage dump. There are small hills with paths and that you walk through or just sit, have a picnic, lay out in the sun or do some yoga to start your day.
At the very end there is a pier you can walk to and has a super nice view of the water and Fisher Island. Fisher Island is a private island that is filled with everything that they could possible need. It is self-sustaining, the only kicker is that it is ONLY accessible via a ferry. There is no bridge access here. But again, I digress. I really enjoy coming to the park to watch the cruise ships depart for their cruises. So, as I did with the other place, I will give you some places to eat when around that area! For a high-end steak lunch/dinner I recommend Smith and Wollensky. If you want a casual bar type of place, I recommend Monty’s. If you are in the mood for some Brazilian, I recommend Fogo De Chau. Delish! They are very close to South Point Park.
Haulover Beach & Sandbar (Day Time Fun)
The Haulover Sandbar is a very popular place to take your boat or a rented boat for the day. Everyone that owns a boat goes to the sandbar. You park your boat, go swimming in the very shallow waters and enjoy the sunshine and company around you. It is a party on the weekends when you go to the Sandbar. Hundreds of boats are anchored, music is playing and people are floating around, drinking, eating and having fun. Now, the Florida sun can get very strong, so please, please, please wear the sunblock. You can scroll through the next photos!
I have a friend who owns Oceanview Yacht Charters, they have great competitive prices and really gives you the full sandbar package! I HIGHLY recommend them. The pictures you see are their pictures! He has 2 boats for your boating pleasure, depending on what you kind of experience you want. So if you are in Miami and you want to spend some time with the Sandbar Life in Haulover, you can check them out here: Just tell them I sent you ! https://www.instagram.com/oceanviewyachtcharters/
If you are more of a beach person and not so much of a boat person, you can actually just go to Haulover Beach. It is a nice relaxing beach that has boat access on the bay side (intercoastal) and it has a tunnel so you can walk under the road safely to the ocean access. I will forewarn you though, part of Haulover Beach is a nude beach, so beware. There are signs around letting you know what area you are in. It may not be so kid friendly if you travel with kids.
Wynwood (Day & Night Fun)
The next area that we are going to discuss is Wynwood. Wynwood settles in between North Miami Avenue and west to 5th Avenue. Wynwood is close to downtown This is considered the Art District of Miami and offers several art galleries for display. You can come here during the day to see the many murals that are the buildings, take pictures, have some lunch and doing some shopping at wholesale prices. At night, the city changes. The art galleries are still open, you have all kinds of bars, restaurants, café’s to choose from, depends on what your mood is. If you want to dance, this is definitely an option! My choice would be, El Patio! This is probably the busiest club in Wynwood but they also play the best music if you are looking for a latin flavor. But if you are in Miami, get ready for the Latin Flavor.
The second Saturday of every month in Wynwood is called “Second Saturday,” respectively. Wynwood has an event where the galleries are opened later, there is a field of food trucks and vendors with homemade goods for sale. Swarm Agency (local Miami Entertainment Company) typically holds the events where the food trucks are, they supply the bars with alcohol and provide the music for the night. Sometimes, they have live music, other times they have a DJ, all depends on what is going on for the month. It’s a great time and there are all kinds of things to do to keep your mind occupied. So if you are in Miami for the Second Saturday, I recommend checking out this place!
Calle Ocho (Day & Night Time Fun)
Calle Ocho is a street in Miami that is part of the Historical Little Havana! Here you will find a very large population of Cubans that have settled here in Miami. You have Cuban bakeries, bars and restaurants at the tips of your fingers and it is even a stop on the Hop On Hop Off City Tours. On the corner of the streets, you see the elderly men playing Dominos just like they would be doing in Cuba. Its very cool to experience.
Calle Ocho actually holds a special place in my heart because that is where I met the love of my life. We had planned to go there for our first date and essentially had the best time! We met at Cuba Ocho which is a bar and art gallery displaying things unique from Cuba. There is a great bar and dance club called Ball and Chain that is very popular on the weekend. Typically, they have live music there, so if you want to go dancing, salsa, bachata and meringue will be your dance of choice for the evening. Go check that out!
Good Cuban Eats
Now let’s discuss food options! We often go to Little Havana for Cuban breakfast/brunch. Our go to place is El Exquisto. A typical breakfast is eggs, bacon/sausage, Cuban toast, juice and a café con leche. Now if you never had Cuban coffee, this is the place to go! The Cuban coffee is super strong and the milk is extra steamy. Most of the coffee is delicious down here, but for some reason, its extra tasty here. But for the breakfast, it’s just around $5 for everything! You can’t go wrong there. If you are here for lunch and dinner, you have the option of ordering the classic Cuban dishes as well, my favorite is the Vaca Frita, which is fried shredded beef. You will have the choice of also having the typical rice and beans, sweet plantains or the moro, which is the black beans and rice mixed together.
Spanish Flavor In Little Havana
Another favorite of ours is Casa Panza, we also went here on our first date. Casa Panza is a Spanish restaurant that offers a menu of tapas, entrees and a flamenco show. If you have a love for Spanish food and culture, I recommend Casa Panza. The Flamenco show is quite the experience. I love Spain and everything it has to offer so maybe that’s why I love this place so much.
The Frita
Now there is the Frita. What is a frita you ask? The Frita is a Cuban style hamburger that is comprised of beef and chorizo, topped with your desired sauces and potato chip stix. The chorizo gives the patty a lot of spicy flavor and a new spin on the burger. Our place of choice in Little Havana is El Rey De Las Fritas. The perfect pairing to the Frita, are the shakes that they make. The most popular one is the honey smacks milkshake. You might say, really? Honey smacks and milk? And I will say OMG, YES!
Now let’s move topics just for a second and that is the Cuban Cigar. Granted we are not able to get Cuban tobacco here in the United States, but you can have Cubans rolling cigars in the Cigar Factory that in Little Havana. The coolest one that I have been to is called, Cuban Crafters Cigars. They have an overwhelming array of cigars that they make right in house. You can watch them make the cigars, they have a café where you can get delicious Cuban coffee and they have the Cuban clothing for sale. You can spend all afternoon and night on Calle Ocho, so if you have a day to spend here, you will all have many options to choose from.
The Redlands & Schnebly’s Winery (Day & Night Time Fun)
Everything we have discussed so far has been pretty close to downtown Miami. Now, we are going to go way down south The Redlands. It is quite the drive from Downtown, so if you plan to go here, then make sure you leave plenty of time. One thing with Miami traffic, is that it is one of the worst in the country and you never really know what it will be like, so plan accordingly. On a good day, it will take 30 minutes on a more complicated traffic day you can anticipate 45-60 minutes. The Redlands are set in South Miami, in Homestead and surrounded by farm land. If you want space, you move here. Everything else in Miami is quite congested so when you get to the Redlands, it is a whole different world.
My favorite part of the Redlands is Schnebly’s Winery . It is a family owned winery that makes their own wines from fruits and avocados. They also brew their own beer but I would go there for the wine. You can walk up to the bar and start the wine tasting. It is approximately $12 for the wine tasting and can taste up to 6 wines and you get to keep the glass! It’s fun to go here with a group of friends. Over the last few years, they actually expanded and opened their own restaurant. The restaurant is relatively small, offering seating indoors and outdoors. However, if you choose to bring your own food you can do that too, you order the bottles of wine, sit down and enjoy the scenery. The property of Schnebly’s is quite pretty; they have waterfalls and a coy pond. You can have weddings on the property and take a tour of the winery and brewery.
After Schnebly’s we decided to make an impromtu visit to Matheson Hammock Park, which is in Coral Gables. It is a mix of a park and marina so you can easily spend your day here. Its is the perfect place to go at sunset; Very relaxing, very romantic. They have a small lagoon that is fed by the ocean and it gives yet, another beautiful view of Downtown Miami.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of my blog! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! If you like what you read, please share with your friends and sign up for my latest posts! There is definitely more to come about Miami!
