Hey guys! This past weekend I went on a trip to Miami, Florida and had so much fun exploring the city by myself! Miami truly has endless options for food, drinks, activities, and day trips. It can get a little overwhelming, so hare five of the things on my solo weekend trip to Miami that I would absolutely recommend to anyone!
1. A Food and Walking Tour in Little Havana
This was an activity that I was a little skeptical of at first. Before this trip I hadn’t even heard of the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami. As I was researching blogs while trying to plan my weekend, I kept running across this and decided to look into it further.
Little Havana is an area of Miami with STRONG Cuban influence. A lot of Cubans who have immigrated to Miami live in this area, so the Cuban feel is very authentic and extremely true to the real city of Havana in Cuba (or so I’m told – I haven’t been yet). One thing that Cubans are well known for is their food. I love to eat and I realized that I didn’t really know exactly what defined Cuban food before this trip, so I decided to take a leap of faith and try out this activity.
I booked it on Viator for $69 (you can see the experience I booked HERE – and it was worth every single penny and then some. The tour took place on Calle Ocho, the main street that goes through Little Havana and it was about 2.5 hours in duration. Our tour guide was a sweet man named Armand who was born in Cuba and had moved to America at the age of 12.
The first stop on the tour was a terrace-style restaurant with mostly outdoor seating. We were served a Cuban sandwich with a mojito (they had non-alcoholic options!). The second stop was a walk-up window style restaurant where we had a beef empanada and Cuban coffee. From there we went to Cuban cigar shop where they make all of the cigars in-house. We got to learn about the different types of cigars and even watch a man making one from scratch!
After that we walked around for bit learning about the history and significance of some of the landmarks on Calle Ocho. We went to Domino Park for a quick stop and then learned about a lot of the artwork and murals on the street. Our next food stop was a little bakery where we got to try guava pastries – apparently guavas are very prevalent in Cuba. We continued on from there and saw the Calle Ocho walk of fame and the Bay of Pigs monument. We finished the tour by looking at an authentic old car collection (much like you find on the streets of Havana) and eating some fresh churros.
For this to be an activity that I had no idea what to expect going in, I can truly say I cannot recommend it enough. It was the highlight of my trip. This was my third time in Miami, and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever actually experienced the city before this tour.
2. Wynwood
Wynwood is the art district in Miami. The streets are so vibrant and colorful and there’s not an empty wall in sight – they’re all covered with murals and graffiti. There’s also a ton of great restaurants to choose from in the area!
If you like art, I highly recommend paying the entrance fee to see the Wynwood Walls. It’s kind of like an outdoor art museum, but it’s all mural style. It was $12 to enter but it was well worth it in my opinion because I spent over an hour there walking around and taking it all in.
When I left Wynwood Walls it was still a little early for dinner, so I ventured down to Wynwood Brewing Company. There were games, TVs, and a packed menu to choose from. I got a blood orange pale ale and hung out for about an hour. It was a great way to sit and recharge for a while!
Afterwards I had dinner at a divine Peruvian restaurant called Manta Wynwood. After going on the Little Havana food tour, I made an effort to not eat any American food while I was in Miami and let me tell you: BEST decision of the trip! The food at Manta was absolutely incredible.
3. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
If you’ve ever been to the Biltmore in North Carolina, think of this like Miami’s Biltmore. John Deering was an extremely wealthy man in the early 1900’s who lived in Chicago. As he got older he got tired of the harsh winters and decided he wanted a winter home in Miami. The house was completed in 1916. Deering was a bachelor with no children, so when he died the house ended up as property of the state and is now a museum.
The designers and builders were heavily influenced by Italian architecture, so the house looks like a huge Italian villa on the water. It is absolutely breathtaking. The house is accompanied by massive gardens that span multiple acres.
It does cost $25 to enter. Is it worth it? To me it was. I LOVE history, art, and architecture so learning about this beautiful mansion was so much fun for me. I ended up staying on the property for about three hours, so for my time spent there it was worth the entrance fee. If history isn’t really your thing, I might not recommend it. It’s still a beautiful house, but if you don’t take the time to really learn about it, I don’t believe it would be worth the $25. I will say: there are options to add on a tour guide for additional costs – it is not necessary to pay that! They have an amazing app with an audio guide that worked perfectly for me, and that app is free.
4. Brickell and Brickell Key
Brickell is a fun area near downtown Miami where you can really feel the “hustle and bustle” of the city. Everything is within walking distance and Brickell City Center is a must! It’s a four-level mall and it has everything from luxury shopping and dining to a cinema and other options for entertainment.
After spending some time there, I took a walk to Brickell Key. It’s a tiny little island right off the coast of the Brickell area. Its main purpose is housing lots of luxury hotels and condos, but it also has a walking trail along the whole perimeter of the island. The trail is a little over a mile long and it offered amazing views of boats passing, cruise ships coming in, and the downtown Miami cityscape. If you like serene walks and beautiful views, this is a must!
5. Miami Beach and Lincoln Rd.
This one is a given! After I explored all day, I went back to my Airbnb and cleaned up a little and headed to Miami Beach for dinner. I chose a restaurant, Havana 1957, on Ocean Avenue because I wanted a chance to see it and be close to the water. It was SO good! Authentic Cuban cuisine and an amazing atmosphere. It was a little on the pricier side, but it was worth it for the experience.
After finishing dinner, I walked out to the beach to see the ocean and then made my way to Lincoln Road. It was about a ten-minute walk from the beach to where Lincoln Road started. It spans basically the whole width of the island, and is FULL of things to do and places to eat. If you wanted, you could definitely eat somewhere on Lincoln Road – the only reason I didn’t is because I wanted to see Ocean Avenue.
All the places to eat have their tables set up outside. You can’t drive down Lincoln Road because of all the tables and people (you can drive or Uber to the crossroads; just not directly down Lincoln). There are twinkle lights, art, and music everywhere and the atmosphere is truly one of a kind. I walked the entire length of the road and then stopped at a cute little place with outdoor seating for a drink.
There is so much to see and do in Miami, and I was only there for a weekend – two full days of exploring not including travel days. If you’re in the same boat as me, the options can be overwhelming! I hope this helps narrow down your options. As always, reach out if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to help!
