Welcome to Miami!
In August of 2022, we headed down to Miami, Florida to embark on a Caribbean cruise. Before (and after) we sailed the open seas, we spent some time exploring Miami itself. All told, we ended up spending the better part of three days in the Magic City.
Have a few days to spend in Miami? We have a few suggestions for you.
Check out a baseball game
One of the main reasons we came into Miami a few days before our cruise was to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Miami Marlins. One of our goals is to watch the Braves play in every major league stadium (see where we’ve been here), so we planned our cruise around one of their games. But even if your team isn’t in town, or you don’t really have a favorite team, games at Loan Depot Park are fairly cheap and they have a domed stadium so games will never be cancelled or delayed due to rain.
Take a food tour
We took a food and cultural tour of Little Havana. We have done several food tours, and this ranked among the best. There was ample food including a Cuban sandwich, a croquetta, a churro, a quava pastry, and an empanada. Honestly, there was so much food, we almost couldn’t eat it all. We also were treated to coffee, a mojito, and fresh pressed sugar cane juice. All the food and drinks were delicious and truly gave us a taste of Havana. The tour took about two and a half hours and our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and its rich history. She explained both the significance of the food and locations. We also learned about the people who made Little Havana, Miami, and Cuba what it is today. Before this tour, we did not really enjoy mojitos, but having a freshly made one by someone who knows how to make it properly turned us around on them. Now, we will probably be snobs about them and only order them so we can talk about how much better the ones were in Little Havana.
Visit South Beach
South Beach is full of white sandy beaches, lots of sunshine, cute and colorful lifeguard towers, and towering palm trees. It is an Instagrammer’s paradise. It is also full of fashionable people, bars, clubs, and beachfront restaurants. We walked along the beach and took some pics in the ocean and of the brightly colored lifeguard houses. We went for supper at Havana 1957 where we shared a Cuban sampler and had some more mojitos. We then walked around to check out all the sites and shops and finally went to the Palace for a drag show. We sat at the bar sipping cocktails and beer and watching the performers put on an incredible show. The fact that they do this nightly is impressive.
Go to a museum
On our last day in Miami, we decided to check out the Frost Science Museum. We heard it had a special Sherlock Holmes exhibit and knew we had to go. This museum is part interactive museum and part aquarium. We were able to conduct electricity through our bodies, solve a mystery (or at least attempt to), and learn more about hummingbirds than we probably needed to know but wanted to know nonetheless. We aren’t actually sure how hummingbirds survive. Go through the museum and do the math yourself. It is above our paygrade. The Sherlock Holmes special exhibit was our favorite part. When you enter, you learn a lot about the history of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Then, you can get a booklet and navigate your way through a mystery as if you were the detective himself. The booklet may seem a bit Elementary to some, but we enjoyed doing the experiments, finding the clues, and trying to solve the mystery. We will never be too old for stuff like this.
Miami was a fun city with friendly people and great food. We know we have only scratched the surface of what Miami has to offer, but hopefully we gave you a few ideas of what to do in this south Florida city.
Adios!
Our McTravels 