Only have 48 hours in Miami? Here’s a great way to fill it! My friends were visiting from New York and we wanted to see The Everglades and experience the Miami Beach city life. Here’s how we did it.
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Stay: Freehand Miami
The Freehand has everything you need! They have a bar and restaurant called Broken Shaker, a pool, a nicer restaurant next door, and an upstairs club called the Eagle Room! I ate the tostones with Guac once a day while I was there (she knows what she likes, ok!), and we ate dinner there before going out one night. I had the carnitas street tacos Lisa had the shaker burger, and Hafiz had the falafel burger. All of us were happy with our decisions and would 100% recommend them. They also have a pool and theres a small grocery/convenience store across the street. They have a little cafe in the mornings with coffee and pastries, and there’s a starbucks around the corner. The hostel is in a convenient location so you aren’t far from a ton of things to do.
Things to do:
Everglades Tour:
Even as someone who lives in Florida and has done a TON of airboat tours, I really enjoyed this one at The Everglades. I researched a lot to find a tour that included transportation at a reasonable price. This one includes bus transportation, an airboat ride, and an educational show, and it is only $57! You get about 2 hours at the park, including your 45-minute airboat ride. It’s just enough for your ride, the show, and some time to eat at the Gator Bites cafe and check out the gift store. You’ll want to carve out about 5 hours of your schedule for the tour to account for the time it takes for the trip there and back.
Drag Brunch at R House:
R House was like the Disney of drag shows! They had the system worked out perfectly for a good time. It’s a mandatory $55 per person at the show but the menu has a $55 option that includes bottomless mimosas, mojitos, or sangria, and a ton of food served family-style for the table. So everyone can have some of whatever they want and you don’t have to sit there and pick and choose and try to hit the $55 limit. They served french toast, little croissant ham and cheese sandwiches, cheeseburger sliders, chicken tenders, rice and beans, a quinoa bowl, and I’m sure some more things that I’m forgetting. They have an ATM if you need one and all the servers have change for you. You can also buy a giant fan for $20. Trust me, when you’re there you’re going to want one! I lost mine and was so sad! I’ll just have to get another next time! The show was broken into two parts with a halftime show in between and was honestly very well done!
Things to know:
You need to make a reservation online on their website. They do shows a few different times a day. https://www.rhousewynwood.com
If given the option, sit inside! They brought us to an inside table and I asked if we could go outside like an idiot lol. It was still fun but we were in the back and it was REALLY hot.
Wynwood Walls and Museum:
The Wynwood Walls are still amazing; you just need to pay for them now, and they are blocked off from the public. Admission was $12.00, and there’s also an inside gallery with paintings from the walls in the past and other work by the artists who have done work there. If you’re planning to visit I would purchase your ticket ahead of time and skip the line. You can purchase your skip-the-line ticket here. Another great option that is only $20 is this guided tour with your skip-the-line ticket. The tour is only an hour long so it’s easy to include in your day and I’m sure you’ll be happy to have the guide!
Pool Time
You can’t go to Miami without spending some time at the pool! If you stay at Freehand they have a pool to hang out with, and so do so many other hotels in the area. We had another friend staying at Moxie and we hung out at her pool too. (It was pet friendly btw!)
Places we ate:
(besides Broken Shaker!)
Rosinella
I had the lobster and crab ravioli from the specials menu!
Not pictured: The equally as good salmon and lasagna my friends had for dinner.
525 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
I Scream Gelato
Try the popcorn gelato! There’s caramel corn in the gelato and it’s so so good!
211 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Mercato Della Pescheria
I got spaghetti and meatballs and an espresso martini because I’m basic and also what’s not to love about spaghetti and meatballs and espresso martinis??
412 Española Way, Miami Beach, FL 33139
R House
Drag brunch! I LOVE a drag brunch!
Not pictured: The many other family style food items served, the drag queens, and the giant fans you have to get! (Scroll back up to my list of things to do for more!)
2727 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
(It’s in Wynwood so combine it with your trip to see the Wynwood walls!)
Smorgasburg Miami
This was like a collection of food trucks/stands in an area of Wynwood. Lots of options! Lisa and I got churros and ice cream here. We didn’t have an actual meal because we had just walked over from brunch at R House!
2600 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Nightlife
The Saxony at Faena:
This bar looked really cool! We couldn’t go in because one of the people in the group had shorts on. We walked around the hotel a bit instead and it was worth the trip just for that. (It’s also only a couple of blocks away from Freehand!) If you want to go make sure that you are dressed up and are not wearing shorts no matter how nice of shorts they may be or they will not let you in! (I kid you not they looked at our friend and said, “MAJOR FAUX PAS!” It was a running joke for the rest of the weekend lol)
The Basement:
If you want to go to a club that also has bowling and ice skating, this is your chance. It’s really cool, but if you aren’t interested in those activities it might not be worth it for you to go.
Mangos:
It gave me major Tropical Isle in New Orleans vibes, but they have a band playing with dancers and felt very Miami. We actually had a lot of fun!
The Eagle Room at Freehand:
This was really cool. It was basically like the top floor of a house and had a DJ in it and a disco ball! They were playing more DJ house music and not typical club hits. We really liked the vibe a lot! You can come here casual or dressed up and you wouldn’t feel out of place. We did this our last night in Miami instead of going to Story (a famous Miami club) and all agreed we made the right choice for us.
The Broken Shaker:
Great spot to have a good cocktail and sit by the pool! They close around 11 I believe, but the Eagle Room stays open so you can walk upstairs and keep the night going there. (Also the place at Freehand!)
El Salon:
Quiet small bar inside the Esmé hotel on Espanola Way. I wouldn’t want to spend all night here but they did have really good cocktails and a cool vibe! It’s kind of hard to find so when you walk into the hotel don’t be afraid to ask someone to point you in the right direction!
Miami is famous for it’s nightlife, food, and tropical atmosphere! Even if you only have a little bit of time there you can make the most of it. Leave a comment and let me know what places in Miami I should check out next time I go!