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Showing posts with label adventures in miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures in miami. Show all posts
Adventures in Miami :: Exploring the Everglades, Tamiami Edition
by CK 

The Tamiami Trail (TAMpa to mIAMI) was completed in 1928. The first east to west route ever built across the Everglades of South Florida. Fast forward to today, and most of us take I-75 Alligator Alley when heading west. Tamiami Trail, a National Scenic Byway by USDOT, is still around and leads you to some beautiful parts of the northern section of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.
Peaceful Bike Ride Views
Shark Valley, Everglades National Park
Heading West on Tamiami Trail, some 40 miles from "Miami Proper", you will find the entrance to Shark Valley Visitor Center. (NO sharks here..,) The $10 entrance gives you access to Everglades National Park for one week, but while you're here, the thing to do is bring or rent a bike ($7.50/hr), and bike their 15 mile trail through the park. Along the trail, you will find walking paths that lead to different ecological environments, you will see alligators (do not feed or pet), tropical birds, an occasional snake (no boas...), hammocks, and mid-way through the trail, you will find yourself at the Observation Tower. The Observation Tower has a beautiful view of the Everglades. Not a building in sight (minus the actual tower), for miles. The ride is easy, but can be intense if you're not used to a 15 mile trek..Be sure to bring water and snacks along for your ride, and for the non-bikers, there is an informative tram ride for $23.

Bike Trail
Observation Tower
SunSeekers

hey buddy!
Miccosukee Indian Village
Continue traveling west on Tamiami Trail, and in one mile, you'll arrive at Miccosukee Indian Village. If you grew up in Miami, you were probably put on a school bus and sent on a field trip to the Miccosukee Indian Village. You watched alligator wrestling shows, held a baby alligator, learned about the Miccosukee tribe, bought random crafts, took an airboat ride, and maybe...you tried alligator! Well...this place is still the same! A little touristy, a little ketchy, but uniquely Miami, and a glimpse of what our lives may have been like without all those Miami developers!!

If you're around December 26, 2014 - January 1, 2015, Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Annual Miccosukee Indian Arts & Crafts Festival and Fashion Show at the Miccosukee Indian Village. Doors will open daily at 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM -rain or shine.


Big Cypress National Preserve
(technically not at all in Miami-Dade County...but if you're this far out west, might as well visit!)

Nap Time
When I was younger, we would visit Marco Island pretty often and drive through Big Cypress National Preserve. Always curious from the car window, I never stepped foot in this park until my college years. My science course, Ecology of South Florida, had us visit this park...and take hikes through wet, muddy sloughs. Terrified, but brave, we walked a mile and learned something about gumbo limbo trees...and holy shit, there are alligators all around us. Yeah..didn't listen or learn a thing after I heard that. Fast forward almost 10 years...and this place is still beautiful (no longer interested in wet hikes). The preserve allows the more outdoorsy people the opportunity to hike, hunt, kayak and canoe, and if you're lucky...you can participate in their Night Sky & Astronomy Programs (usually held in winter months).

-PS-
The best time of year to visit the Everglades is late fall, winter, and maybe spring.
Remember it is hotter/colder inland, so plan ahead!
 (No food, water or gas in this area....or really, for miles....except for alligator bites... Plan ahead!)
Adventures in Miami: Little Havana Food Tour

As Miami natives, we have visited and biked through Little Havana many times. As Brickell residents, and with Little Havana less than two miles away, we’ve enjoyed Viernes Culturales, Paul George’s walking tour, tostadas, pastelitos and cafecitos, watching the viejos play dominos, and biking around the area. Somehow, we have been slacking on the food adventures, so experiencing Miami Culinary Tours ‘Little Havana Food Tour' (one of our Miami Musts!) was just what we needed to complete our ongoing adventures in Little Havana. The Little Havana Food Tour occurs every Thursday-Saturday at 12:30pm, and stops at 5-6 off the beaten path spots.

Our tour guide, Mirka, was an excellent host, and we had a great group of curious Miami locals and tourists. We ventured into art galleries, cigar shops, and stopped at five eateries. Along the way we sampled handmade beef empanadas, plaintain stuffed with chicken, media noche sandwich, jugo de guarapo (sugarcane juice), pastelitos de guayaba, and my favorite stop, Azucar Ice Cream, homemade Cuban ice cream! You will have to experience the tour for yourself to learn more about Little Havana, and the great restaurants, shops and galleries along the way!

Our Meeting Point
Our group
Lazy Cat Nap


Making Cuban sandwiches
Cuban Cafecito Window
Handmade Beef Empanada
    


The 55+ member only Domino Club in Little Havana. No gambling, drinking, or smoking allowed. 
Love her Miami Fashion style!!!


Miami Attitude
Pastelitos de Guayaba

© I Heart Miami 305 and I Heart Miami, 2008-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this website without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited
 Adventures in Miami: Exploring the Redlands


After two weeks of hectic holidays, and a miserably gray and cloudy Saturday afternoon, we decided we needed a peaceful day driving out in the country. (Yes dear readers, the fabulous and glamorous Miami has an agricultural country side to it!) When I was younger, I used to accompany my mom on trips down to The Redlands. Our day would consist of driving through narrow two lane roads through vast open farm lands in (South) South Florida, in search of plants, fresh fruits and veggies. Every now and then we'd come across old historic Florida homes, newly built McMansions in the middle of nowhere, palm tree farms, fields of u-pick strawberries, tomatoes and fresh flower farms, and quaint corner stores. Nowadays, the only time we drive through The Redlands is on the way down to the Keys.


I did some googling around to see what was open, and if the same spots I visited as a kid were still around, and came across a savvy blogger whose family roots are all over The Redlands, The Redlands Riot. Low and behold, Rob posted a self guided tour of the area with detailed information on everything/anything in The Redlands. Jotted down some ideas, plugged addresses into the GPS and our adventure was ready to begin! (The Redlands is about 28 miles south of Brickell heading down US1, it's not as far as you may think, but it really does take you into another world of the magic city!)

   

Our first stop was at Burr's Berry Farm, founded in 1965. This is THE strawberry place of my childhood. They have upgraded and modernized their strawberry picking area, so no more bending over, breaking your back searching and picking fruit on your knees. 


You can still pick your own strawberries, just walk through the fields and strawberries are at your hand/height level. (Though the best berries were on the bottom and hidden in the leaves...so you still bend down quite often) Rows and rows of searching for the juiciest strawberries, it's quite relaxing and competitive to see who can find the prettiest juicy red ones...you can also pick your own tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, different lettuce and herb varieties. We left with almost 2lbs of berries, for a measly $6. The stand in front also sells already picked fruits and veggies, but those are a tad pricier.

Burr's also sells one of the best strawberry milkshakes I've tasted, along with strawberry sundaes, cupcakes, coffee cakes and pretty much anything else you could add strawberries too. 

After some time in the fields at Buur's, we drove by Anderson's Corner: The corner store of the pioneer days. Deteriorating and pretty much not worthy of a picture with all the weeds surrounding it, but still, a historic landmark of South Florida's old farming days.




Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist Temple was our next stop. The Thai Temple is a pretty recent addition to the Homestead area considering the rest of the area's history. Constructed in 2002, we've always wanted to go by and wander through the golden gates of the temple. Surely, in the middle of nowhere, it is the nicest and best location for a Buddhist temple in South Florida. It's quiet, empty streets, and green fields for miles emphasize the peace of truly being disconnected. 


When you walk onto the grounds...the incredibly stunning vat (aka Buddhist temple) is the first thing you notice. White buildings, decorated with gold accents and Spanish tiles....how have we not visited this place any sooner? The perfect blend of Thai architecture with a Miami vibe. 
The scent of incense and serene silence immediately relaxes you as you walk around and soak in the surroundings. Several monks live at the vat, and are seen walking around most of the time. Sadly, we didn't come across any monks on our visit. There are several do's and don'ts to know before you stop by and visit!

I'm assuming anyone and everyone who has grown up in Miami has had a cinnamon bun and/or milkshake from Knauss Berry Farm. If you haven't, I'm sorry that you were deprived of this sticky warm goodness in your childhood. Saturday mornings, 8am, it is known that lines of determined, hungry customers wrap around the lot waiting for their order of fresh baked hot cinnamon buns. Rather than be an obnoxious, yawning person in line, we decided to make KBF our last stop. Wrong idea. The place is still packed around 4pm. Cars parked all over the street, lines worse than the morning rush....as much as we were in the country side and relaxed, there was no way in hell we were making that line. We're still city dwellers with zero patience and easily annoyed...Guess we'll just have to suck it up and wait in line at 7am next time.

As recent urban balcony gardeners there were two more farms we wanted to check out, Redland Organic Herb Farm and Fairchild Farm Fruit Market. Both farms were already closed for the day, so we'll have to make another drive down south to visit them and everything else we missed!

Besides the spots we visited, there are many other Miami Musts to do in The Redlands and surrounding areas. Coral Castle, Monkey Jungle, Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park, Everglades Alligator Farm, Robert is Here, Phil's Berry Farm, Cauley Square, Schnebly Winery, Fruit and Spice Park, and more are all within a few miles. If you're on the hunt for fresh, local organic farms, stop by Redland Organics for information, most of the farms sell to the public or offer CSA shares. Be sure to check farm hours on their websites, and note that most farms are cash only! 

If you're planning on a fun day trip down to The Redlands in the near future, check out the Redland Heritage Festival on Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12, 2014 and  Rob's Redland Riot Road Rallye on Saturday, January 18, 2014. A $10 scavenger hunt by car with fun gifts and prizes awarded at the end of the day.

© I Heart Miami 305 and I Heart Miami, 2008-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this website without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited