Howdy, Y’all! I hope everyone is staying safe with COVID-19 on the loose. You may have noticed that I have been M.I.A. the past few weeks on the blog, but only because I was living it up on a girl’s trip to Miami, Florida (and just disconnecting from my computer in general)! Let me quickly add, this trip was booked before COVID-19, and we went before there were any cases in the United States. Don’t worry, I’m staying safe at my apartment now. If you remember back in December, I posted about my U.S.A travel bucket list, and Miami was actually one of the top destinations. Of course, that means when my friend found cheap tickets to Miami, we obviously booked them! Needless to say, we had a blast! There are so many things to do in Miami! As per usual with my travel posts, I want to share my top suggestions on what to do in Miami! Side Note: I apologize for the lower quality photos, I just used my phone for this trip.
Cheap Travel to Miami
Okay, I can’t dive into all the wonderfully fun things to do in Miami without first telling y’all how we got there for only $70 round trip! Technically, we flew out of DFW to Fort Lauderdale. From Fort Lauderdale, we took the Brightline train to Miami. The train ticket only cost $14, and that was still way cheaper than flying directly into Miami. The train was only about 25 mins too. Honestly, I would look into doing this if you can’t find cheap tickets to Miami directly.
Transportation Around Miami
Jumping off of my last point, once you are in Miami, public transportation is pretty great! You can get a day pass for the Miami-Dade buses for around 5 dollars. These buses will even take you to Miami Beach (which prior to this trip, I did not realize was its own city!). If you’re only in Miami Beach, the trolleys are completely free to hop on and off, and they will take you ANYWHERE. Miami is also pretty walkable! We walked in total about 10 miles a day!
Little Havana & Calle Ocho
“Havana, Oh Na Na” Little Havana is the Cuban district of Miami. It is full of cultural flavor, and delicious Cuban coffee (if you can’t tell from my blog, I like coffee. A lot.). Our Airbnb was located in this area! It was proximity wise, but I wouldn’t want to stay there again if I am being honest… it can definitely be a loud neighborhood! We also had several people warn us (two young girls) not to be out late in Little Havana. Which can be a little alarming if you are not from the area. So if you stay in this area, keep that in mind.
The main tourist attraction to Little Havana is Calle Ocho street. Funny story: There was a very loud Trump rally going on while we were walking around Calle Ocho. Definitely a unique experience that not many tourists can say they witnessed. On Calle Ocho street, you can check out some of these cool attractions:
- Domino Park
- Tower Theatre
- Cuban Memorial Boulevard
- Cuban Cigar Shops
- See all the painted Chickens
- Azucar Ice Cream Company
- Walk of Fame
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
If you like plants, this is the place for you! This 1916 waterfront estate home, has over 10 acres of gardens, plus beautifully decorated rooms! Walking around the estate, I felt like I was back at Highclere Castle! The villa is styled in the Italian Renaissance and is filled with European furniture and decorative arts from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Vizcaya is open 9:30-4:30 every day (minus holidays) & is $22 for regular adult admission.
South Beach
Miami Vice fans, where ya at?! South Beach is located in the iconic Art Deco District of Miami Beach. Between the beautiful Art Deco buildings and the beach is Lummus Park Beach, an urban park in the middle of all the action. It’s an iconic spot that has been featured in countless films, television shows, and music videos!
We had originally planned to watch the sunrise on South Beach, but unfortunately due to a marathon, our bus was 45 mins late, so we watched the sunrise from the Overtown neighborhood in Miami while we waited for a connecting bus. Apparently, Overtown is incredibly dangerous, but luckily I only had one weird interaction of a lady telling me I’d look better with tattoos…
Once we made it to South Beach, it was amazing! The water was crystal clear turquoise blue, there was a little market going on, and the whole atmosphere was just so fun and relaxing! Let me just say, I understand now why people retire to Florida!
Art Deco Tour
You didn’t think that the person who works in the field of architecture wouldn’t talk about the Iconic Art Deco buildings of Miami Beach, did you? Obviously you can walk around and look at all the buildings by yourself, but you know me, I’m a sucker for walking tours (throwback to Luxembourg anyone?).
My friend and I took the Art Deco Tour that is offered by the Miami Design Preservation League. The tour costs $30 dollars ($25 if you are a veteran, senior, or student) and runs every day at 10:30 am. All of the money goes into preservation efforts! The people that work at the MDPL are volunteers. The ticket for the tour also gives you access to the Museum, and a discount at the souvenir shop! The tour takes about 2 hours, so wear comfy shoes… Or you’ll end up like me… trust me my feet are still recovering a month later…
Y’all, the walking tour was AMAZING! I learned SO much, and it really put the whole development of the city into perspective! Later, when I was telling my Grandma about the trip, she told me she stayed at one of the iconic hotels when she was a child in the 30s, aka the prime of all those hotels! How cool is that!
Broken Shaker
While my “Things to do in Miami” list is still in Miami Beach, I must mention the Broken Shaker! Besides being a super instagramable place, this bar makes an AMAZING Mojito (just don’t spill half of it on yourself as I did. And No I hadn’t even taken a sip yet. I’m just clumsy). The Broken Shaker is attached to the Freehand Hostel in Miami Beach. You can easily get to it via the free trolleys. Unless you want to walk a few miles which is also nice (unless you happen to be wearing the same shoes as me…). The whole place has a backyard vibe to it! It is so cool!
Wynwood Walls District
Wynwood walls might just be the most Instagrammable place in all of Miami, and it is so artsy! You’ll be hard-pressed not to find a wall of a building without a cool design on it! There are also many art galleries and some really cool (but expensive) shops in the area! My friend got this super cute anklet at this one shop!
Pérez Art Museum
If you like art & history then the Pérez Art Museum is the perfect place to check out. They have a lot of art that depicts the viewpoints of often-overlooked groups in the Miami-Dade area. Seeing the art and reading the meaning behind pieces, really makes you think about things. There is this one piece, “Worst to be First”, that depicts an African American tennis player, and it just really spoke to me so much.
The museum also has a gorgeous landscape design outside that encompasses its sculpture garden. There were these swing installations while we were there that overlooked the waterfront, and I do believe we both fell asleep!
Watch the Sunrise
I mentioned earlier that we attempted to watch the sunrise on Miami Beach, and unfortunately, that did not work out. We tried again the next morning, but this time we called an Uber! Well actually, we tried Lyft first, but Lyft kept dropping our rides. Thankfully, Uber got us to Bayfront park and we were able to watch one of, if not the most, beautiful sunrises I have ever seen! And I saw some gorgeous sunrises in Germany!
Miami Coffee Shops
We had SO much coffee in Miami! I mean we woke up every day at 5 am, so we were tired girls. We tried to go to several really cool coffee shops while in Miami, so I wanted to list them here so you know some good ones to check out! Side Note: Most lists of Things to do in Miami will list Panther Coffee, but it was so crowded when we went that we ended up walking out empty-handed.
- Aroma Espresso Bar (Aroma Loews, 1601 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139)
- Andrix Cafe (1443 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139)
- Vice City Bean (1657 N Miami Ave unit c, Miami, FL 33136)
- Mina Bistro (63 NW 9th St, Miami, FL 33136) – This place has good food too and is by far the most affordable place we ate at!
- Old Station Cafe (1256 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135)
Well, I hope this list of things to do in Miami made you want to travel to Miami! I know you’d probably like to travel anywhere even just to the dentist right now with the Coronavirus on the loose. If you want, make a mojito at home, and as you read and share this post, you can pretend you are in Miami too! Stay safe everyone!
