Miami...

The beach and the nightlife adjacent to the beach are not to be missed. This includes Miami Beach, South Beach and the Art Deco Historical District, Lincoln Road Mall, and the Bayside Marketplace downtown on the Biscayne Bay waterfront.

There are diverse shopping opportunities at multiple malls and indoor and open air shopping areas such as Bal Harbour Shops, Aventura Mall, and Bayside Marketplace. Miami has a great art scene, with many studios and galleries on Lincoln Road, Coral Gables, Bal Harbour, and downtown in Miami's Design District. Don’t miss the funky shops, galleries, and cafes of Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach.

The Miami Seaquarium is an awesome diversion for children. It provides a Sea World-like experience with great shows and photo opportunities.

Quick Tips:

Miami has a wide range of hotels, from beautiful brand new resorts, to grand old hotels restored to their former glory, to old hotels in varying need of restoration (South Beach has the largest concentration of 1920’s and 1930’s Art Deco architecture in the world). If you are not familiar with where you are staying, when inquiring, be sure to ask if they have construction or renovation in progress during the dates of your stay, and find out when the property was last renovated. Many hotels renovate parts of their property at different times. If there is construction in progress or the property is dated, move on or negotiate lower prices.

Occasionally it seems like the service industry in Miami (in the tourist areas) has become complacent with the endless number of visitors over the years. Maybe I have developed higher expectations over my travels (or shorter patience with my years), but don’t hesitate to make your reasonable expectations understood if they not being met by a restaurant, hotel, or other service staff. This resolves virtually all shortcomings, and if it doesn’t, just take your future business elsewhere. Fear not....Miami has many world-class hotels and restaurants for your enjoyment.

Best Way To Get Around:

Parking is enforced vigorously. Most parking meters are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have a time limit (2 hours) that is well less than needed for a day at the beach or a night out. If you are heading to South Beach, lose the car or be prepared with lots of change for parking meters, tolls across the intercoastal causeways, and small bills for valet tips.

Miami’s mass transit provides a decent alternative to driving. There are electric bus/shuttles that go around South Beach, up and down Collins and Washington Avenues and over to Lincoln Road Mall (see journal) for only a quarter. This route runs from 8am (10am Sundays) until 1am, and will take you all over South Beach and the Art Deco district. To get around downtown, they have an elevated light rail called the Metro Mover. If you use taxis, Miami Beach and Key Biscayne are divided into 5 zones that determine the amount of your fare.

The Fountainebleau Hilton is a large resort with over 1,200 rooms and suites in 3 buildings over 20 acres. I got a group rate of $169 per night for a business function, which they honored after my business concluded.

This Hilton is famous for the celebrities and dignitaries that have stayed or performed here, and the movies that have been filmed here over the past 50 years. The common areas are kind of dated...they are preserving the historical glory of the resort.

The Fountainebleau Hilton Resort has very nice grounds. They have 2 large pools, one for kids that has water park-like waterfalls and slides, and a river you can ride around in a tube. Outside the kids pool, there are poolside cabanas for rent (full day $92, half day $59). The other pool has rock formations that create neat waterfalls. There are lighted tennis courts nearby.

In the lobby and in the lower level of the resort, there are shops in case you forgot anything, or want to shop for gifts or souvenirs.

We stayed in a standard room that was done in soft greens and dark woods. If you are a member of their customer loyalty program, you have access to "The Towers" and access to a private lounge with free continental breakfast, evening snacks, and incredible views of the resort grounds and the beach.

The resort has about ten restaurants and lounges that have something for everyone. In the lobby are the Bleau View restaurant (dress code), a large lobby bar, a quiet lounge called Stephen's Lounge, and the Club Tropigala where you can have dinner and drinks during the Las Vegas style floorshows. In the lower level, there is the Kamon Sushi bar, and Trop-Art Cafe...my favorite in the resort. It has a varied casual menu and breakfast buffet (you can't live on free continental breakfast) and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

By the pool there is the Lagoon Saloon under the waterfalls, and at poolside, there is Coconut Willies the poolside bar, and Beach Broiler, the poolside snack and sandwich restaurant. Not far from the pool is an excellent outdoor Tapas restaurant and bar called Tapas Under the Trees.

The resort has all the facilities and services you would expect such as an ATM, Barber Shop, Beauty Salon, Car Rental, Florist, Currency Exchange, Safety Deposit Box, safes in the rooms, and a lot more.

The Fontainebleau Hilton Resort is located at 4441 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. To get there from Miami International Airport, take 112 East to 195 East, and when 195 East splits, take Arthur Godfrey Road to Indian Creek Drive, turn left and the resort is two blocks North on the right. From Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach airports to the north, take I-95 South to 195 East (exit 7), and follow directions to Miami airport.

El Rancho Grande is an authentic and very nice Mexican Restaurant and Cantina near the shops and galleries of Lincoln Avenue (see my journal entry).

The decor and furnishings are all done in colorful traditional Mexican colors in the bar and the spacious dining rooms. Out the front of the restaurant, El Rancho Grande has a patio that is great for people watching (and watching the time remaining on you parking meter).

El Rancho Grande is open for lunch and dinner, and they have a large menu. They have a large selection of Appetizers ($3-$7), and a huge selection of beef, chicken, pork, fish, and shrimp dinner plates/entree ($10-$19). They also have a large lunch menu ($3-$11). They have a full bar with beer and margarita happy hour weekdays from 3-7pm.

Our visit was for an early dinner. I got my Tex-Mex fix with a Beef Fajitas platter ($13). My family had Enchiladas, Tacos al Carbon, and other dishes, and everyone was pleased with the food and the service.

El Rancho Grande is a nice place for good Mexican food in an out of way location in South Beach, near the trendy shops, cafes, and galleries of Lincoln Road Mall.

El Rancho Grande is located in South Beach at 1626 Pennsylvania Avenue, near the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Lincoln Road. To get there from Miami Beach, take Collins Avenue south to Lincoln Avenue, turn right, then turn left on Pennsylvania Avenue, and look for parking, because the restaurant is very close on the right. If you don't care to visit, they will deliver...their phone number is 305-673-0480.

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is a casual rustic Gulf Coast seafood chain restaurant based on the theme and characters of the popular movie "Forrest Gump." The location we visited is in the Bayside Marketplace (see my journal entry) in downtown Miami.

This Bubba Gump Shrimp Company has several indoor dining rooms, a bar, and a large outdoor patio with lots of seating. Every dining room has outfits and props that are from sets that were scenes in the movie "Forrest Gump." In one dining room, there is the bench and the outfit Tom Hanks wore in the movie, with the box of chocolates and the magazine that Gump and his sidekick, "Lieutenant Dan" were on the cover of. Other dining rooms have outfits of Gump’s love "Jenny," and his mother, played by Sally Field.

The outdoor seating is on bar tables or large picnic tables. They have signs on the tables you can turn to get the attention of you server, to enjoy you don’t have to wait for anything you need.

If you are not familiar with the movie "Forrest Gump," all the decor and references to the movie in the menu will not mean anything. If you did enjoy the movie, it is kind of neat to see all the outfits and props on display.

Naturally, they serve shrimp at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company has a large menu of Appetizers ($3-$13), Salads ($2-$10), Sandwiches ($7-$9), Shrimp Entrees ($13-$17), and other Entrees ($10-$17) including fish, steaks, crab legs, and ribs. They also have a selection of desserts ($3-$6).

I had their Bone-In Rib-Eye steak ($17), served with cole slaw and French Fries. It was grilled perfectly as ordered and very tasty. My family has "Lieutenant Dan’s Drunken Shrimp" served in bourbon sauce with sausage and garlic mashed potatos...everyone liked them.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is located in downtown Miami in the popular Bayside Marketplace on the Biscayne Bay waterfront at Biscayne Boulevard and 4th Street, next to the American Airlines Arena. Bayside Marketplace has a large parking garage (fee). To get there, take Biscayne Boulevard (US-1) south to downtown Miami, and look for 4th Street at the American Airlines Arena and the Port of Miami where cruises leave from. Turn left on 4th Street and go right into the parking garage.

The 11th Street Diner is an authentic Art Deco style dining car restaurant from the 1940's in Miami's South Beach. The dining car was moved from Pennsylvania and restored, and placed into service in Miami's Art Deco district.

It is very novel, very popular, and open 24 hours a day 7 days a week (what diner isn't?). The 11th Street Diner must be quite an attraction, because there are celebrity pictures and notes on the walls, with many articles and reviews from magazines and travel guides. They sell the Art Deco diner coffee mugs and T-Shirts. The 11th Street Diner is packed on weekends when the late night crowd leaves the South Beach clubs.

Inside the diner, there are classic stainless steel walls, counters, and counter fronts. Overhead, there is an art deco curved ceiling decoration that compliments the curves of the counter.

The 11th Street Diner has a huge menu that has a surprising selection of many things you would not expect in a diner. They serve a wide range of breakfast dishes ($4-$9) and sides ($1-$4) that are served 24 hours. They also have a large range of both light and hearty lunch and dinner items. They have appetizers ($2-$10), salads ($4-$10), burgers ($6-$9), hot and cold sandwiches ($4-$8). Most notably, they have hearty dinner dishes ($8-$17) that includes steaks, chicken, ribs, turkey, and more. They also have pasta and rice dishes ($10-$12). A large selection of desserts is available ($2-$6), and they have a full bar.

Our visit was for lunch. I had fish and chips served with cole slaw ($9), with a soft drink. My family had turkey sandwich ($7) and a patty melt ($7) both served with French Fries. It was all very good.

The service was very accommodating and the food was very good, and the novelty of the diner atmosphere made it a unique and very cool experience for us.

The 11th Street Diner is located in Miami Beach at the southeast corner of 11th Street and Washington Avenue. If you go by car, look for street parking (enforced parking meters), as the diner has no parking lot.

San Loco Mexico Cantina is a casual funky Mexican restaurant and cantina in Miami’s South Beach (they have a second location in Ft Lauderdale). Although the format is fast food (you order and pay at the bar and find a table), their food is great, and the staff is very friendly.

I stumbled onto San Loco by accident... one evening I parked on 14th Street (at Collins) to go to a very nice restaurant nearby, but I didn’t have enough change for the parking meter for the time needed to enjoy a nice meal and drinks without rushing. Imagine my surprise when the snob hostess refused my request to make change for the parking meter! So, I walked half a block (west on 14th) and found San Loco, and had a great time at less than half the amount I would have spent at the snob hostess place (all in plenty of time before my parking meter expired!).

I often find that some of the best things about travel are the unplanned places and things you find when you are flexible. I liked San Loco so much that I brought my family with me on a return visit.

San Loco uses all fresh ingredients and makes all the food in their large menu from scratch. They are also vegetarian-friendly if that is what you like...they refry their beans in soy oil instead of pork lard. Their Pico de Gallo is very nice, with fresh ripe tomatos, jalapinos, fresh squeezed lime juice, and lots of fresh cilantro (yum!). They have a range of four salsas to choose from for your chips and to season your food with...the hottest of which is called Stupid Hot (believe it).

San Loco Mexico Cantina has a large ala carte menu that has Tacos ($2-$4); Taco, Queso, or Guaco Loco ($4-$6) which is a hard shell taco (beef, chicken, rice, bean, or fish) wrapped in a soft tortilla spread with beans, cheese, or guacamole; Enchiladas ($5-$7); Quesadillas ($4); a wide range of Burritos ($3-$8); Salads ($4-$6), and more. They have side dishes, desserts, and serve beer.

In both of my visits, I had their beef "Guaco Loco" which is a huge taco, with chips, salsa, guacamole, and lots of their fresh Pico de Gallo. My family enjoyed their food as well.

San Loco has a rustic (but clean decor). They do not accept credit cards. If you forget, don’t worry...there is an ATM in the neighborhood.

San Loco Mexico Cantina is located in South Beach at 235 14th Street, between Collins and Washington Avenue. To get there from the Fountainebleau Hilton Resort (see my journal) or anywhere in Miami Beach, go south on Collins Avenue to South Beach, turn right on 14th Street, and start looking for street parking, because San Loco is less than one block on the right.

Delano is a very trendy and very cool boutique hotel, restaurant, and bar in the South Beach Art Deco district. Our visit was to the Blue Door restaurant--the elegant, renowned, trendy, chic (and expensive) full service restaurant in the Delano Hotel.

The hotel has a grand entrance. After you leave your car with the valet or exit your taxi, the walk back to the bar and restaurant, is like walking through a dream. There are long white sheer curtains everywhere blowing from the high ceilings around huge white columns, and over wood floors and trendy furnishings. There are beautiful people everywhere, and this is the kind of place celebrities probably frequent.

Along the hallway, there are semi-private lounge areas with contemporary furniture and art. There is a sushi bar and a billiards table, the Rose Bar, and some of the hottest nightlife in South Beach. Modern music is playing everywhere.

Out the rear of the restaurant, Delano has a great patio and beautiful gardens. They have a unique setting with a huge chess board, hammocks for two, and other nice touches before you get to their incredibly long and beautiful swimming pool.

Inside, the Blue Door has a small menu that constantly changes. It has appetizers ($14-$24) and Entrees ($29-$46). They have separate menus for dessert and after dinner coffees and cocktails. A full bar has just about anything available.

They were called fancy French names, but I had a generous-sized Small Leaf Salad ($15) as an appetizer, followed by their Pan Seared Lamb Chop ($39) served with garlic rosemary sautéed potatoes, tomato and mustard seed demi glace. The lamb was cooked a perfect medium (as ordered). My guests (I was with a large group) had numerous other things.

Seating is available inside and on the covered back patio. No wrong choices, the Delano is nothing but cool inside and out. Our group sat at a large long table with large luxurious chairs on each end, a plush white sofa on one side, and several chairs opposite the sofa.

The Blue Door at Delano is the coolest restaurant I have ever been to. Everything about it was different and distinctive, and very very cool. It epitomizes places to see and be seen. It's also a place to get great food. If you are looking for value, look elsewhere.

The Blue Door is located in the Delano Hotel at 1685 Collins Avenue in South Beach. To get there from the Hilton Fountainebleau resort (see my journal entry) or anywhere in Miami Beach, take Collins Avenue south to 16th Avenue and the Delano Hotel is on the left. Look for the 35 foot sheer white curtains blowing around the entrance and the blue door at sidewalk level.

Phone number is 305-866-0311.

The Bal Harbour Shops are a European (Mediterranean) style 2 level outdoor mall in Bal Harbour just north of Miami Beach on Collins Avenue. It has beautiful outdoor gardens, fountains, and art, surrounded by very high-end shopping, cafes, and restaurants.

The Bal Harbour Shops are anchored by Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. In between these anchors, there are world-class designer boutiques including Hermes, Cartier, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Gucci, Versace, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and more.

Designer boutiques are not where I do my shopping, but my family likes having a look around here when we visit. This is where very rich people shop, and you can see this in the clothes they wear and the exotic cars they drive.

But it doesn’t cost anything to stroll the gardens and fountains and enjoy the beautiful grounds, fish ponds, and do lots of people watching.

Bal Harbour has a fee-based parking garage, and valet parking for the well-heeled. If you are staying at the Sheraton Bal Harbour Resort, it is right across the street (Collins Avenue), and you can walk over. Don’t look for anything as common as a kids play land or a food court. This place is way too chic for that. Take lots of money and/or credit cards...you will need plenty.

The Bal Harbour Shops are located at 9700 Collins Avenue in Bal Harbour. It is at the northwest corner of Collins Avenue and 96th Street just north of Miami Beach. To get there from Miami Beach take Collins Avenue (also called A1A) north past 96th Street, and you will see the mall on the left.

Phone number is 305-935-1110

Aventura Mall is a huge mall north of Miami Beach. It has huge indoor courtyards and a European emporium style outdoor courtyard where you can window shop or relax at the cafes or restaurants. There is also a 24 screen movie theater.

Aventura Mall has large popular high-end anchor stores including Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Burdines, JCPenney, Lord&Taylor, Sears, but has over 250 additional specialty shops that I tend to enjoy more. You can even get your car washed. They have a food court, plus several full-service restaurants (some are popular chain restaurants) in a very nice courtyard that have extended hours of operation.

Actually, my family is the real judge of the quality of shopping. I just enjoy staying cool and enjoying the art exhibits, architecture and fountains...and Aventura Mall is full of all of these things. Some the specialty shops are popular chains like FAO Schwarz, Gap, Crate and Barrel, Banana Republic, Restoration Hardware, and much, much more.

Aventura Mall is very friendly to the elderly or to those with disabilities. They have a shuttle that you can ride to the mall entrances from the parameter of the parking lot. Inside, they have these carts that shuttle people around (like you see in airports...and they make the same annoying beeping sound). The Mall caters to kids too...they have a playland for kids that took me forever to get our young daughter out of...good thing there was a Starbucks (coffee shop) nearby.

Aventura Mall is located at the northeast corner of Biscayne Boulevard (US 1) and 196th Street just a few miles north of Miami Beach across the causeway. To get there from Miami Beach take one of the causeways (there is no 196th Street causeway, so take 192nd Street causeway or one further south), and turn right to go north on US-1 (which is also called Biscayne Boulevard), and Aventura Mall will be on the right. They are open 10am to 9:30pm Monday through Saturday, and 12pm-8pm on Sunday.

Phone number is 305-577-3344

The Bayside Marketplace is an open air entertainment complex in downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay. Aside from the beaches, the Bayside Marketplace is one of Miami's most popular attractions. The Bayside Marketplace is situated on Biscayne Bay, next to the American Airlines Arena, and across from the Port of Miami, and all its cruise ships and freighters with stacks of large containers to/from just about everywhere.

The Bayside Marketplace has a large concentration of shopping, restaurants, nightlife, and boat tours of Biscayne Bay. They have free live entertainment including dancers and live bands on a stage. In addition to all the things to do, Bayside is a great place for a relaxing stroll in the sun and breeze, or on a nice evening. Bayside is in a very nice setting on the waterfront.

We visited here several times during our visit to Miami. We visited several restaurants and bars, looked at all the shops, enjoyed several live bands, and even took a boat tour. They have over 150 shops and restaurants in an open-air mall that is covered, but outdoors. Some of the shops, restaurants, and bars are in covered kiosks and gazebo-like structures.

There are a wide range of restaurants here. You can get Cuban food and hot music at Mambo’s, great Italian food at Lombardi’s, and Seafood at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (see my journal). There are popular chain restaurants including Hard Rock Cafe, Hooters, and more.

There are many specialty shops that are great fun to stroll. You can find a gift at Bay side Marketplace for even the hardest person to please. There are a lot of souvenir stores, but there are also nice specialty shops.

The restaurants, shops, colors, and live music of the Bayside Marketplace are rounded out with its Biscayne Bay waterfront location that provides views of downtown Miami, the Port of Miami, and the scenic bay. Bayside Marketplace is a great place to visit. Just look for the 60 foot guitar above the Hard Rock Cafe, and you know you have arrived.

The Bayside Marketplace is located in downtown Miami on the Biscayne Bay waterfront at Biscayne Boulevard (US-1) and 4th Street, next to the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat (basketball) and many other concerts and events. They have covered parking, but it is expensive. There is public parking on the Biscayne Boulevard median that was posted as $4, but we chose to use the garage.

Inside the Bayside Marketplace (see my journal) on the Biscayne Bay waterfront, there are many cruise operators that take sight-seeing cruises and tours, among the restaurants, cafes, and shops. There are large boats, fast boats, and even tall boats with sails. Island Queen Cruises is one of these operators. They specialize in tours in Biscayne Bay.

They have a tour that is about 90 minutes that provides views of the skyline of downtown Miami, the Port of Miami and all its cruise ships and huge freighters, and "millionaires row" so-named because of the value of the fantastic waterfront homes you will see. The tour guide will point out several homes that are owned (or previously owned?) by celebrities, or where movies have been filmed, as it passes Star Island, Fisher Island, and Palm Island. The tour guides speak both English and Spanish.

I was personally more interested in enjoying the views and perfect weather, than with gawking into celebrities backyards, but this cruise serves either purpose.

Island Queen Cruises has three very large boats that carry up to 140 people. They are called the Island Queen, Island Lady, and Pink Lady. They also have a smaller and much faster boat called the Bayside Blaster, if you have the need for speed.

In addition to daytime tours ($14 per adult, $7 for children 3-12) scheduled every hour from 11am to 7pm (weather permitting), they also have evening dance cruises with music and DJs. Island Queen Cruises also offers private chartered functions for weddings, birthdays, or other event.

Just about anytime that you visit, one of the cruise operators will have a scheduled departure soon. There are many operators and many scheduled trips, so you won’t have to wait long. In fact, take your time and have a meal and/or drinks and then look for a departure. I found all the operators priced within $2-$3 of each other, so canvassing the waterfront for the best deal provides little benefit.

Island Queen Cruises is located in the very popular Bayside Marketplace at 401 Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, next to the American Airlines Arena, and across the bay from the Port of Miami. Bayside Marketplace has a large parking garage (fee). To get there, take Biscayne Boulevard (US-1) to downtown Miami, and look for 4th Street at the American Airlines Arena. Turn into Bayside at 4th Street and go right into the parking garage.

Phone number is 305-674-1300

Taste of the Beach on Lincoln Road is an annual festival where over 30 top restaurants (not chains) around Miami set up shop along the pedestrian outdoor mall of upscale shops, galleries, restaurants, and cafes on Lincoln Road (worth a visit on their own). The event is held over a mid-April weekend each year.

People can buy tickets ($1 each) to "taste" samples of each of the restaurants food ($1-$7 per taste), while enjoying live music from multiple stages, endless people watching, and window shopping at the shops and galleries...all in perfect weather.

Taste of the Beach at Lincoln Road is an excellent way to taste food from many different restaurants in one day or evening out, which was a real treat for us. We tasted many types of cuisine including, grilled meats, fried rice, sushi, and more. They even have treats for dogs, and they are welcome....we saw several.

We tasted food from more restaurants than we could have possibly visited in our vacation. It was great fun. In addition to the food and the music, there are demonstrations given by area chefs that are informative and entertaining. We had a blast visiting the casual galleries in between our tastes of food and drink.

There was even a Farmers Market (fruits and vegetables) the day of our visit to the Taste of the Beach on Lincoln Road.

Lincoln Road Mall (and the Taste of the Beach at Lincoln Road) is located in Miami Beach on Lincoln Road at 16th Street. Lincoln Road Mall has over 175 shops, galleries, and an art-deco style theater. It is next door to the Miami Convention Center. It has funky unusual gift shops, and art deco architecture, tropical gardens, and the art deco Lincoln theater, which has 1935 art deco architecture.

Don’t miss art gallery Britto Central (818 Lincoln Rd, 305-531-8821), home to Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto’s modern, colorful, and fun paintings, sculptures, and books. It has very friendly and helpful staff. They even gave our young daughter a postcard size reproduction of one of his paintings. Britto has been commissioned for advertising art all over the world. His work is seen on Pepsi cans and in liquor adverts.

Lincoln Road Mall is located on Lincoln Road in South Beach. To get there from Miami Beach, take Collins or Washington Avenue south to Lincoln Avenue and turn right. You can’t miss Lincoln Road Mall.

Phone number is 305-444-0777

CocoWalk is an open-air entertainment complex situated in an attractive Mediterranean style village in Coconut Grove, south of downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay. CocoWalk has funky cafes, restaurants, nightlife, specialty shops, and festivals, live music, and other activities.

CocoWalk has a cool inviting casual architecture and atmosphere that attracts visitors and locals. It has a brick sidewalks and a brick courtyard to invite and welcome you. The architecture is accented by reproduction gas street lamps, perfectly placed palm trees, and nice colors everywhere. The grounds are nice to look at, and there are many terraces and other vantage points to enjoy CocoWalk and the perfect weather.

CocoWalk has a few dozen shops (several were vacant during our visit) that have souvenirs, apparel, gifts, and other specialty items. Some of the shops are from well known chains like Banana Republic, B. Dalton Books, Express, Gap and Victoria’s Secret. You can get cigars, gelato, T-shirts, souvenirs, and more from the non-chain stores. There is also a large multi-screen movie theater at CocoWalk.

To me, shopping is not the attraction to CocoWalk at all. CocoWalk is arranged around a brick courtyard, where there is live music, and alfresco dining and cafes. Cafe Med is an outdoor cafe, restaurant, and bar that provides the focal point of the CocoWalk courtyard. CocoWalk also has Cafe Tu Tu Tango, and a Nicaraguan steakhouse called Los Ranchos. There is a Hooters restaurant and Fat Tuesdays bar on the upper level.

CocoWalk has a nice mix of shops, entertainment, restaurants, and inviting cafes and bars. It is a nice spend to spend an afternoon or evening. CocoWalk shops are open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 10pm (midnight on Friday and Saturday). The restaurants and bars of CocoWalk are open until 2am. While you are at CocoWalk, visit the Streets of Mayfair next door.

CocoWalk is located at 3015 Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove on Biscayne Bay. To get there, take Biscayne Boulevard (US-1) south of Miami Beach to Coconut Grove. Turn left at SW 27th Avenue, and go to South Bayshore Drive and turn right. Look for Grand Avenue and turn left. CocoWalk and its parking garage (fee) entrance will be on your right.

Phone number is 305-361-5705
Click here for there Web site.
Open daily from 9:30am to 6:00pm

I was expecting to visit an aquarium, but the Miami Seaquarium is much more than an aquarium. They have many aquariums, large and small, but more notably, they have awesome large outdoor shows with dolphins, sea lions, manatees, Lolita the killer whale, and a lot more.

The Miami Seaquarium is also home to Flipper Lagoon, which is where the 1960’s television show "Flipper" was filmed. They have dolphin shows in the lagoon, where the dolphins do tricks while music is playing. If you plan ahead, you can participate in a program where you actually swim with the dolphins.

The shows are very organized. When you enter Miami Seaquarium, they give you a map of the park and a schedule of the shows. No matter when you arrive, there is a show that is about to start. Once you find the first show, you can follow the rest of the shows on the schedule if you like, or you can go see some of the continuous shows and exhibits.

I assume their shows are similar to what you would see at Sea World resorts, but I haven’t visited any of those. The trainers do a great job, especially with the dolphins.

Some of the shows are combined with the animals feedings, and visitors can buy feed (small fish) for lively and very vocal (and hungry) Sea Lions. Miami Seaquarium also has marine exhibits. They have a large channel of small sharks, we saw them feed on large fish (gasp!). There are also areas for flamingos, turtles, and alligators.

The highlight of the park and our day was the dolphin show. This is a show of 6-8 dolphins in a huge tank with 3-4 trainers. They do acrobatic tricks, including jumping through hoops, jumping high for food/treats, and general amusement. The dolphins are well trained and the shows are excellent. They warn spectators to get back for the big splash finale, and they aren’t kidding. Our young daughter got the surprise of the day when one of the large dolphins splashed a bunch of water on her (and everyone in the vicinity). The look on her face was worth the price of admission!

The Miami Seaquarium first opened in 1955, so it is well established and worth a visit. However, during our visit, the grounds were a bit dated and the place could use some sprucing up...not what you would expect for $23 admission...but the dolphin shows alone are worth a visit.

The Miami Seaquarium is situated on 38 acres on Virginia Key on Biscayne Bay. To get there, go to downtown Miami, and take the Rickenbacker Causeway toward Key Biscayne, and the Miami Seaquarium will be on the right.

Phone number is 305-646-4200
Open daily from 10am to 6pm

The Miami Museum of Science is an interactive museum of hands-on exhibits that are powerful learning tools for young people. They constantly have rotating temporary exhibits, and have permanent exhibits and a planetarium. They have an observatory and have viewings on certain evenings, but our visit was in midday.

The first thing we saw was a planetarium show, since there was one about to start when we arrived, and they were highly recommended by the museum staff. It was on the history of the solar system, and I found it to be very dated, like watching old history films in school.

One of the temporary exhibits on our visit (and one of our favorite things in the museum) were of dinosaurs constructed from salvaged steel by artist John Payne. There are several large (life size?) sculptures of dinosaur skeletons that visitors can move and control with levers that raise and turn their heads and open and close their huge jaws using pulleys and levers. A utility pole was used to make the backbone of T-Rex, and its 100 pound jaw is controlled with levers, pulleys and springs from a garage door. It was kind of haunting seeing those big figures move.

There were interactive displays and computers with the exhibit where kids could relate shapes, sounds, textures and color to dinosaurs.

Another temporary exhibit we saw demonstrated atoms and electricity in an "Addam’s Family" horror house theme (remember the old TV show?) called "The Atoms Family." In it, they had interactive exhibits on static electricity and other examples of the behavior and awesome power of atoms.

Another area had an interactive physics exhibit that was a long chain of puzzles that dropped bowling balls, lifted ping pong balls, and made lots of noise like the kids cartoon Inspector Gadget.

A permanent exhibit in the museum is the "Smithsonian Expeditions: Exploring Latin America and the Caribbean," which highlight historical Smithsonian Expeditions across South America and the Caribbean, complete with real and reproduction artifacts. Very neat.

After walking through the temporary and permanent exhibits, you reach the rear of the museum, where there is an outdoor wildlife center. In it, they rehabilitate injured birds and reptiles (snakes and turtles), and there is a fragrant butterfly garden.

After seeing all the exhibits, you can visit their cool gift shop, with lots of educational toys and souvenirs.

The Miami Museum of Science and Space is located in Miami between Miami Beach and Coconut Grove. To get there from Miami Beach take one of the causeways over to Biscayne Boulevard (US-1) and turn left to go south, and turn left on South Miami Avenue, and follow the signs.