A Family Guide To The Perfect Weekend in Miami

My family and I have been planning a weekend in Miami and thankfully we will be off to Miami in the next couple of weeks to combine our valentine and family time together away from home in the last 5 years. I guarantee you, we will have a wonderful time and I hope you can join us through this guide, which you are free to follow.

Having been to Miami before, we know that the possibilities for fun, entertainment and learning are unlimited. Miami city is in itself an attraction to anyone from anywhere in the world. I have been there a number of times and could not wait to vacation there even for a weekend. Before I take you into our trip and the places we will be visiting, I must tell you a little more about Miami and what you can expect to see, do and enjoy when you are there as a family.

When I first arrived in Miami, one thing that caught my eye was its urbane look, the impressive skyline and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. This coastal City that has been a hive of activity and much history, culture, business, entertainment and commerce for hundreds of years has one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen from the top of any building, especially from the Biscayne building on Biscayne Blvd which we frequented between 2007 and 2009. Can you imagine taking a seat in an office lobby waiting for some unfinished business only to turn around and see one of the most amazing sights right outside the back window of an office? At the foot of the towering building lay sprawling for miles upon miles the green salty sultry water of the Atlantic Ocean stretching into the distant horizon and majestically laying claim to this city. I felt like I was on the ocean adrift a magnificent liner headed for some exotic Island. That is what it must feel like to work in Miami downtown and even better to be based in one of the ultra-modern condominiums that have been built there to accommodate tourists and travelers like you and me. The adventure begins before one even puts their suitcases down.

A ride around town took us to the front of the Miami Port which is the world’s largest Cruise Ship Port and I can attest to that because I saw so many cruise ships. The cruise ships were massive, comfortably competing with the surrounding architecture but in their unique way, they were majestic, standing like guardians of the water front, I was totally mesmerized. From then on I vowed to go on a cruise one day.

The beautiful city of Miami was built with a lot of care, style and I would swear, with tourists or visitors. Naturally, besides the ocean, Miami is also home to the Everglades National Park that boasts temperate and tropical conditions and is a habitat to a huge variety of animals that are rarely found in these parts of the world but that coexist in there like the Alligator and the Crocodile. Known for its diverse people, cultures, businesses and attractions, Miami is better equipped to cater to the needs of all age groups and gender. This adds to the unique flavor of this major city that may be the only one of its kind conceived by a woman known as Julia Tuttle, a native of Cleveland who grew citrus fruits (which happen to be a main plant in Florida).

Once, we took a ride around downtown Miami and the surrounding area. It seemed there was something everywhere inviting us to stop and view or simply indulge. Miami has the world’s largest Art Deco District which constitutes several hundred architectural buildings that include hotels, houses and varied structures that have been built since 1923. These are unique and a pleasure to see. There are walking tours to view these buildings that take place every day of the week from the Art Deco gift shop. Not one to miss anything that is within reach, my husband and I parked our car in an arcade and walked down to what is called the mouth of the Miami river where we found indigenous people patiently fishing and gutting their catch for an evening meal or get together, so fishing is a pastime one could easily engage in right in the middle of town in full view of the Port. From that vantage point we could see part of the Port of Miami, its cruise ships and the business district. I had the wonderful and thrilling opportunity of seeing Miami downtown from a different angle. This time, I saw a coastal town competing for beauty with the natural shimmering ocean as the night lights came on.

This guide is tailored for a family of 6 like ours with 4 children that include 2 teenagers, a second grader and 1 year old baby. Miami beach is our destination and only a 2 1/2 hour drive from our city, Lehigh Acres.

On arrival in Miami we will head for the South Beach because that is where most of the fun takes place and especially a visit to the beach that the kids have awaited for a long time. Miami South Beach is one of the busiest and must see areas of Miami. The beach there is extensive and truly beautiful graced by myriads of buildings, beautiful architecture and all kinds of flavors of businesses and people. Like many large cities, parking in South Beach can be onerous to find but the last time we were there, we did not have much of a problem finding a place to park somewhere closer to the beach.

After our dip in the ocean about or after midday, we plan on spending time relaxing on the sand, viewing the beautiful architecture and buildings in that area and delving in the human activity at the beach front. Even if that part of the city is quite busy, one can still ride around to see some of the things that are better seen from a moving vehicle because of the distance.

We have booked a rental home way up in Miami Beach which is about 13 minute drive from downtown Miami. The place is affordable and like some of the beautiful vacation rental places available in Miami besides the hotels, even if they require patience and research, our accommodation offers the following incredible amenities very well suited for a family our size:

Newly remodeled Italian kitchen ,

2 master bedroom s,

1 twin bed,

Large heated pool,

Patio over- looking the bay

A manned security gate

Concierge Service at no additional cost

Cable TV

Internet

LCD TV

The beach is not far from this house which is within walking distance of many restaurants, a marina, boats for rental and rides to any place one desires ( we might take a boat ride on our first evening). There are also clubs that are alive at night. There is a golf course nearby other fun sports.

I believe when we get home the first evening, there will be a lot to tempt us to do more. We will not be watching tv because we plan on spending most of that time together playing board or card games while at home waiting for the next day. We will definitely be swimming in that warm pool. I love the fact that there is a kitchen because I think we will make a big saving as we can prepare quickie meals from the house. We plan on having at least one meal of the day on all three days out somewhere either in North or South Miami Beach, the selection of good and varied restaurants are unlimited.

On Saturday Morning we will head towards the downtown area to visit the Seaquarium which I am certain the kids will love. Tickets are $29.95 for adults (from age 13 up) and $22.95 for kids (3 – 9 years old) which I think is on the high side. But, with a Miami Go card, entrance is free but we do not have one.

The Seaquarium features sea turtles, sea lions, seals and the Florida Manatee besides dolphins, killer whales and other outdoor marine. They have on offer for visitors to the Seaquarium a trained dolphin show, Lolita the Killer Whale show and at least one feeding and trainer presentation sometime during the day. That will be fun. As you can see it is close to a half day packed with activities that we adults will love and enjoy too. I hope they have snacks in there. If they do not, this will be our chance to head downtown for a special lunch at a most recommended Cuban restaurant known as D. Rodriguez Cuba on Washington Avenue. This restaurant serves signature cocktails, a list of mostly Spanish appetizers, entrees, desserts, beer and microbrews.

After lunch, we are taking the kids for a ride on the Metro-rail or Tri-rail because our kids have never been on a train and our second youngest one who is 8 has never even seen one. We hope that we can ride around with the train to it last destination and back again to downtown in time to go home.

On Sunday, we will visit the Miami Children’s museum which charges $12 for all Florida residents (children and adults included). This is going to be more of an educational tour but it is fun too. Since the museum is located on McArthur on the causeway between Miami downtown and Miami beach, we will have an opportunity to view another wonderful site in the city of Miami. The Museum offers the following features which are designed to pique the imagination of kids through permanent and traveling exhibits:

• Banks
• Castle of Dreams
• Health & Wellness Center
• Pet Central
• Safety Zone
• Supermarket
• Television Studio
• Meet Miami
• The Sea and Me
• Ocean Odyssey
• Everglades Park
• You and Me and Teddy Bears Too
• Port of Miami
• Cruise Ship
• All About Art
• World Music Studio
• Mt. MiChiMu

The kids are guaranteed to have endless fun and ceasing challenges here. After that, we will plan on taking tour of the Art Deco District which takes about 90 minutes. If there will be enough daylight remaining, we plan on taking the kids back to the beach to have fun before we head to head to Golden Coral for dinner and then home to relax by the beachfront.

Monday morning is our check out day. We hope to sleep in a little and then head to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and hit the road back home after an adventurous weekend in Miami.