3 Days of Family fun in and Around Miami.

Every year in February we somehow become beach bums with a will to escape the Minnesota winters. However in 2022, we tried something new and went to Joshua National Park(You can read all about it here). However the lingering feeling to enjoy a beach was still in there. So who cares about the month, given it is going to be warmer than Minnesota, so we decided to hop to Miami, Florida in April. We purposefully chose end of March so that we could avoid all the spring break crowd and surged prices.

Below is a 3 day itinerary in and around Miami. This time it was with my extended family. As we were researching for flight options from Minnesota we were able to get cheaper flight options to/from Ft. Lauderdale rather than Miami.(Just a hint out there as it’s hardly 1 hour drive difference between the two.)

Day 1

Our first day it was just the two of us(me and my husband). We landed in Ft Lauderdale late night on a Wednesday around 11PM. Then the next day, we decided to grab breakfast at Tinta watching the ocean waves on Ft Lauderdale beach. The food was delish. Now that we were full and we had to walk it off, so we decided to drive all the way to Nature Conservancy Blowing Rocks Preserve. This is a beautiful area with a less than mile walk through the mangroves with beach views on one side and mangroves on the other. The area is very clean, plus you can go to the other side of the parking lot to the dip your toes in the cooling waters of the Indian river that runs through this area. This is also a good beach for beach combing enthusiasts out there.

Our next stop after this was the Juno Beach Pier. However it was pretty windy that day and hence we decided not swim but just stroll on the pier. From there we drove to West palm beach at the beautifully located Worth Avenue Clock Tower. West palm beach has a luxurious kind of vibe to it. We mainly window shopped the entirety of worth avenue and also took a sneak peak at The colony hotel.

With all this walking our stomachs were pretty empty and we decided to do a quick takeout lunch. Little did we know that we would encounter this authentic new york style pizza place called Sazio Express. We were totally were in love with their pizza slices.

After lunch, we decided to take a quick nap at our airbnb to avoid the scorching heat. The backyard of our airbnb was really good. If you are party of two, you may want to consider this one.

Later at 4PM we ventured outside for dinner(This time it was simple at local Chipotle) and post dinner we went for a walk along new river along the Las Olas Blvd. We parked ourselves at the Las Olas Parking Shop & Dine at SE 8th Ave and walked all the way to entrance of the river walk at SE 6th Ave(26.11870, -80.13723). The twilight and sunset gave the river a beautiful shine with boats returning to docks. This is one of my memorable sunset walks and we do walk a lot! Post that we enjoyed a Tiramisu at the Pan'e Dolci Italian Bakery at the Las Olas Blvd.

Pro Tip: If you are want to shop around in the Miami Area, Aventura Mall is a good bet. Secondly try to get mundane tasks done early morning or at late night instead of getting stuck in traffic. Because sometimes it might take 20 minutes to cover 2 miles distance by car!

Day 2

On Day 2, We were joined by my extended family. So we decided to hit the beach as the weather was top notch conducive for a beach day. My top pick for family beach day is Cape Florida Beach in Key Biscayne. The water is calm for swimming and ideal for kids to play. They also have umbrella rentals that you can use on the beach. You will need to pay 8$ per car to enter the Bill Bags Cape Florida State park but it definitely is worth it. For the ones that are not excited by beaches, you could do the 9 mile Ricken Backer Causeway Trail or do the Crandon Beach Walk. We enjoyed a lot at the beach for nearly two hours. Dont forget to collect some shells if you are into beach combing. From there our empty stomachs took us to Taqueria Los Potrillos. This is chain and they serve authentic tacos. Their chorizo taco is a delight.

Tired and contented we took an afternoon nap at this awesome airbnb. If you are a party of upto 6 and are a nature lover, I would highly recommend you to stay here. During our stay we were able to witness a peacock and a peahen roaming on our house.

In the evening we decided to go to Children's Museum to entertain our 3 year old nephew. Post that we had dinner at Doce Provisions, a cuban restaurant. This is one of places that I had given the least thought before deciding to dine in and it turned out to be really good. If you happen to go here do not miss the Fresh Florida Mahi Mahi and a Mojito.

Day 3

On day 3, it was going to be rainy day in Miami so we decided to venture to Florida city. Our first stop was at Robert Is Here Fruit Stand, a family owned fruit shop with a milk shake counter. This shop bought back summer childhood memories where I used to pick all sorts of Indian summer fruits in my village from our neighbor's backyard. Smell and taste have a way to bring back a memory thats lost somewhere in you.This shop got me in love with soursop(Guanabana). From there we went to Everglades Alligator Farm. The entry fee is 32$ with air boat ride and alligator feeding session.

Pro Tip: For lunch, if you are craving some seafood, I highly recommend FreshCo Fish Market & Grill.

We drove Highway 1 all the way towards Florida keys. But before hitting the beach, we piled ourselves with some key lime at Blonde Giraffe's Key lime factory(I love their seating area). Our final destination was Bahia Honda State park. What a rewarding beach this is! Our family was in love with the calm, coral reef protected, shallow waters ideal for swimming. The most happiest person of all was our nephew. I think the part that he enjoyed to his fullest made all the drive worth it. After swimming, we all ate at Mahi Mahi,Seafood platter at the Keys Fisheries. Not one of my most flavorful places, but the service and location is pretty good here.