The start of our 10 day Florida trip was two nights and one full day in Miami. In order to save a little money, we stayed at an Airbnb in northern Miami and, if you discount our "foodie" dinner at Siena Tavern, spent the day exploring for under $50. Here's how we spent our day and what I would highly recommend doing if you are ever in the southern Miami/South Beach area.
$6 breakfast from Tropical Supermarket
The night before, we stopped in a local grocery store and picked up some microwave oatmeal bowls and an orange juice to share. Our Airbnb provided coffee for us. It's so easy to spend a lot of money on breakfast and feel like "but I'm in a new place and on vacation, we HAVE to go out for every meal right?" Wrong! We love try out new restaurants and cafes but are trying to show ourselves that it really is ok to not eat out all the time. And honestly we had a super fun time having breakfast at our Airbnb with the resident chickens instead.
The night before, we stopped in a local grocery store and picked up some microwave oatmeal bowls and an orange juice to share. Our Airbnb provided coffee for us. It's so easy to spend a lot of money on breakfast and feel like "but I'm in a new place and on vacation, we HAVE to go out for every meal right?" Wrong! We love try out new restaurants and cafes but are trying to show ourselves that it really is ok to not eat out all the time. And honestly we had a super fun time having breakfast at our Airbnb with the resident chickens instead.
$8 entry to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
This would have been a few $$ less had we be entering by foot or by bike but since we had our rental car, it was $8 for a car with two people for the day. The park has plenty of walking trails and beaches to explore in addition to the historic lighthouse. Mark got some beautiful pictures of the lighthouse and I got evidence of him being his usual rebellious self ;)
This would have been a few $$ less had we be entering by foot or by bike but since we had our rental car, it was $8 for a car with two people for the day. The park has plenty of walking trails and beaches to explore in addition to the historic lighthouse. Mark got some beautiful pictures of the lighthouse and I got evidence of him being his usual rebellious self ;)
Look closely for the "Danger Keep Off Sea Wall" printed in black :-P
$20 for lunch at the Lighthouse Cafe
Scenic spot to park yourself for a quick sandwich. Food was acceptable. It was nothing special really but hit the spot. Hindsight I think it maybe would have been more fun to pack a lunch and pick a bench or picnic table on Biscayne Bay and listen to the waves crashing and feed the White-faced Ibis.
Scenic spot to park yourself for a quick sandwich. Food was acceptable. It was nothing special really but hit the spot. Hindsight I think it maybe would have been more fun to pack a lunch and pick a bench or picnic table on Biscayne Bay and listen to the waves crashing and feed the White-faced Ibis.
Free Tour of the Cape Florida Lighthouse
Our main focus of this stop was to check out the lighthouse which is the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. There are two listed daily guided tours but you can climb the lighthouse at no cost. They do have a donation box which I recommend "tipping" after your visit. It's only 109 steps up a tight, winding, metal staircase to the top where you get spectacular views of the 1.25 miles of beautiful Cape Florida beach, the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay.
Our main focus of this stop was to check out the lighthouse which is the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. There are two listed daily guided tours but you can climb the lighthouse at no cost. They do have a donation box which I recommend "tipping" after your visit. It's only 109 steps up a tight, winding, metal staircase to the top where you get spectacular views of the 1.25 miles of beautiful Cape Florida beach, the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay.
$10 for 4 hours of parking in South Beach
Depending on where you stay, you may be able to avoid the parking fees or go the cheaper route of renting a bicycle. If you are a people watcher, this is a great spot. Even now in what they are saying is "cool weather," there were plenty of people, couples, and families enjoying the sun and surf. The tide was also at a great point for surfers as there must have been 50-75 in the water. We watched a good number of them catch a wave. There was even a cat enjoying the sunshine on the rocks next to the South Pointe Park Pier.
Depending on where you stay, you may be able to avoid the parking fees or go the cheaper route of renting a bicycle. If you are a people watcher, this is a great spot. Even now in what they are saying is "cool weather," there were plenty of people, couples, and families enjoying the sun and surf. The tide was also at a great point for surfers as there must have been 50-75 in the water. We watched a good number of them catch a wave. There was even a cat enjoying the sunshine on the rocks next to the South Pointe Park Pier.
And something to know is that I guess all of South Beach allows for women to go topless. Maybe you see more in the summer season but we only encountered one and I'm not fully convinced she was sober :-P
Walking along Ocean Drive
The other really fun place to walk and explore is Ocean Drive just a block off the beach. There are blocks and blocks of fancy restaurants and cafes in what is called the Art Deco district. Here you will find numerous retro-style buildings from the 1920s and 1930s and plenty of locals showing off their expensive cars. In the afternoon/evenings, you can take your pick of cuisines at the walk-through cafes along the street. Italian, Cuban, Mexican, French...many of course featuring fresh seafood dishes. But for us the big attraction was coming in the evening when all the buildings turned on their neon lights.
Walking along Ocean Drive
The other really fun place to walk and explore is Ocean Drive just a block off the beach. There are blocks and blocks of fancy restaurants and cafes in what is called the Art Deco district. Here you will find numerous retro-style buildings from the 1920s and 1930s and plenty of locals showing off their expensive cars. In the afternoon/evenings, you can take your pick of cuisines at the walk-through cafes along the street. Italian, Cuban, Mexican, French...many of course featuring fresh seafood dishes. But for us the big attraction was coming in the evening when all the buildings turned on their neon lights.
So if we were to have chosen a less "foodie fancy" place for dinner I think the day for the two of us would have totaled around $75. $100 if you insist on wine and beer like we do ;)
