What to do in Miami

rude awakening

Another year, another list :pac:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Where to Eat

Map of all the below restaurants
http://batchgeo.com/map/fbe52219f82992d49d54d4898973bb69

Blimpie Subs & Salads
http://www.blimpie.com/
1523 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Cafe Mekong
http://mekong-cafe.com/default.aspx
18587 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Cafe Prima Pasta
http://www.primapasta.com/
414 71st Street, Miami Beach, FL 33141-3016, United States

Cafe Yunan
17849 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Capital Grille
http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/locations/miami/main.asp
444 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131, United States

China Garden
17207 NW 27th Ave # B, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

China Town II
http://www.chinatown-west.com/
15104 Southwest 72nd Street, Miami, FL 33193

Chop Suey
18053 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

De Reggae Cafe Restaurant
http://www.dareggaecafe.com/
17647 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Denny's
http://www.dennys.com/
3600 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33137


Emeril's Miami Beach
http://www.emerils.com/
1601 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139-3112, United States

Esther's 27th Ave
http://www.esthersrestaurant.com/
17751 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

IHOP Restaurant
http://www.Ihop.com
7990 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL 33023

Jerk Machine
http://www.jerkmachine.com
17225 Northwest 27th Avenue, Opa-locka, FL 33056

Joe's Stone Crabs
http://www.joesstonecrab.com/
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139-7395, United States

Little Caesars Pizza
http://www.littlecaesars.com/
17223 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Macca Tree Caribbean Restaurant
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Macca-Tree-Caribbean-Restaurant/113923861971670
18055 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Mahogany & Grille
http://www.mahoganygrille.com/
2190 Northwest 183rd Street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056-3728

Mi-Yard
18085 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Nemos fish and chicken
2675 nw 207th street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

News Cafe
http://newscafe.com/
800 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, 33139

Pantry Jamaican American
18581 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Pollo Tropical
http://www.pollotropical.com/
320 SE 1st Street, Miami

Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits
http://www.popeyes.com
3285 Northwest 183rd Street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 ‎

Shorty's Bar-B-Q
http://www.shortys.com/
9150 SW 87th Avenue, Suite 205, Miami, Florida 33176

Snappers Fish & Chicken
http://www.snappersfishandchicken.com/Coupon.html
17990 Northwest 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Wendy's
http://www.wendys.com/
3750 Utopia Drive, Miramar, FL 33023

For Shopping in Miami

Dolphin Mall
http://www.shopdolphinmall.com/
The Dolphin Mall, located just west of Miami International Airport, offers shoppers over 200 restaurants and stores. You'll find special values, shopping information and directions on this website. Read our Dolphin Mall profile for more information.

Sawgrass Mills
http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=1262
Famous for it's factory outlet stores, Sawgrass Mills Mall offers great bargains and outstanding dining opportunities (including a Wolfgang Puck Cafe). It's located in Broward County just about 30 minutes north of Miami. Read our Sawgrass Mills Profile for more information.

Lincoln Road
http://www.lincolnroad.org/
Full of stores, boutiques, art galleries, and museums, seven blocks of this ten-block mall have been closed to auto traffic. The unique atmosphere lends to some interesting people showing up, and you never know who you may see! Visit Lincoln Road as part of our South Beach Weekend Getaway.

Wildlife and Aquariums

Zoo Miami
http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/
Zoo Miami is fast becoming one of the best zoos in the nation. Its climate allows it to keep a wide variety of animals from Asia, Australia and Africa like no other zoo in the country. One of the first free-range zoos in the country, the exhibits are entirely cageless. Animals are grouped according to their geographic territory and animals that live together peacefully in the wild are placed in exhibits together.

Seaquarium
http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/
The Miami Seaquarium is located right in the middle of the tourist area, on the causeway between downtown Miami and Key Biscayne. It's a fabulous stop where you can witness an outdoor aquarium experience that's only possible in our tropical climate. Be sure to budget enough time to spend at least half a day there!

Monkey Jungle
http://www.monkeyjungle.com/
"Where the humans are caged and the monkeys run wild" - it's more than a catch-phrase. Monkey Jungle in southern Miami-Dade County is a truly unique park. While homo sapiens walk through carefully constructed wire pathways, many species of primates scamper above your head, swing through trees and interact with each other in ways difficult to observe in captivity. Keep your eyes open; you never know who's hanging around!

Parrot Jungle Island
http://jungleisland.com/
Parrot Jungle offers visitors a fun, educational opportunity to get an up-close look at tropical birds in replicas of their natural habitats. The attraction routinely hosts field trips and offers frequent educational programs.

Activities and Tours

Everglades
http://www.evergladessafaripark.com/
With 1.5 million acres of swamps, saw-grass prairies and sub-tropical jungles, Everglades National Park is one of the most unusual public parks in the United States. Located on the southern tip of Florida, the park is home to 14 rare and endangered species, including the American Crocodile, the Florida Panther and the West Indian Manatee. A large portion of the park is primitive, explored only by adventurists and researchers – but visitors have ample opportunity to walk, camp and canoe.

Miami Museum of Science
http://www.miamisci.org/
Check out the latest kid-friendly exhibits at the Miami Museum of Science. You're bound to find a learning adventure for the whole family. The museum is home to the Bird of Prey Research Center and the Weintraub Observatory.

Miami Children's Museum
http://www.miamichildrensmuseum.org/
If you have kids (or just like to act like them!), the Miami Children's Museum is a must-see destination. Their motto of "Play, Learn, Imagine, Create" shines through in the wide variety of interactive exhibits that allow children to explore everything from a supermarket to a television studio, picking up valuable lessons along the way.

Coral Castle
http://coralcastle.com/
Coral Castle is truly a monument to the uniqueness of Miami! This attractions was built by a Latvian-born Miami resident named Ed Leedskalnin as a monument to his lover. After 28 years of effort, he introduced his 1100-ton coral creation to the world. It's a bit of a trip from downtown, but well worth the time.

Vizcaya
http://www.vizcayamuseum.org/
No visit to Miami is complete without a stop at the historical 50-acre Vizcaya estate. This European-style mansion offers a glimpse at life in turn-of-the-century South Florida. It's also an extremely popular venue for galas, weddings and other entertainment events.

Taz1

go to Miami Ink!!!!

iamloco724

anything from this list in walking distance from the area that the hotels might be in downtown miami

WweAndTnaRules

Miami for Wrestlemania, Orlando for entertainment

rossie1977

iamloco724 wrote: »

anything from this list in walking distance from the area that the hotels might be in downtown miami

most of the stuff listed is near the stadium or over in miami beach so no not anywhere near within walking distance of downtown, downtown miami has a big entertainment complex called bayside marketplace, next to the american airlines arena, loads of bars, restaurants etc http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/

rossie1977

WweAndTnaRules wrote: »

Miami for Wrestlemania, Orlando for entertainment

depends on your definition of entertainment, orlando has great themeparks but it is not a town to go at night really, closing time is 2am on the dot, at 2.01am everyone is gone, in southbeach people are lining up to get into the clubs at that time, at 12am all the fastfood places along washington avenue become discos, its a bit mad actually

anyway back on topic, for those staying in southbeach i would recommend five guys (one on 15th and washington) or fatburger for fast food, far better than wendys or the other chains imo, loads of diners in that area too, jerrys deli is probably most famous but a little more expensive than the others, 11th street diner is another institution in southbeach

couple of big casino resorts in the miami area if you have a car, miccosukee resort is right on the edge of the everglades while the hard rock resort is in hollywood not that far from the sun life stadium

Initium

I'll be watching wrestling, drinking beer and smoking big cigars!

WweAndTnaRules

rossie1977 wrote: »

depends on your definition of entertainment, orlando has great themeparks but it is not a town to go at night really, closing time is 2am on the dot, at 2.01am everyone is gone, in southbeach people are lining up to get into the clubs at that time, at 12am all the fastfood places along washington avenue become discos, its a bit mad actually

anyway back on topic, for those staying in southbeach i would recommend five guys (one on 15th and washington) or fatburger for fast food, far better than wendys or the other chains imo, loads of diners in that area too, jerrys deli is probably most famous but a little more expensive than the others, 11th street diner is another institution in southbeach

couple of big casino resorts in the miami area if you have a car, miccosukee resort is right on the edge of the everglades while the hard rock resort is in hollywood not that far from the sun life stadium

Since i'm only 19 and the drinking law over there is 21, i highly doubt i would be hitting up bars and nightclubs and it sucks that Miami doesn't even have a theme park. Besides Orlando has far more interesting things to see as i've been told by a good few people that have been to both places. Some people i have spoken to said Miami is boring but then again that's their opinion, i might have a different opinion all together.

LiamBro

WweAndTnaRules wrote: »

Since i'm only 19 and the drinking law over there is 21, i highly doubt i would be hitting up bars and nightclubs and it sucks that Miami doesn't even have a theme park. Besides Orlando has far more interesting things to see as i've been told by a good few people that have been to both places. Some people i have spoken to said Miami is boring but then again that's their opinion, i might have a different opinion all together.

I'll be 20 at WM28, i've heard some bars turn a blind eye to underage drinking but some are very strict. I'm debating getting a fake ID, you'll never know when it will come in handy

StoneColdFan

LiamBro wrote: »

I'll be 20 at WM28, i've heard some bars turn a blind eye to underage drinking but some are very strict. I'm debating getting a fake ID, you'll never know when it will come in handy

would you really want to risk it? i know i won't be going to any bars i'll have no time since i'll be doing alot of stuff that weekend

LiamBro

StoneColdFan wrote: »

would you really want to risk it? i know i won't be going to any bars i'll have no time since i'll be doing alot of stuff that weekend

What risk? If the ID doesn't work then i'll just find something else to do. I'm staying in Miami for a week so i'll have more than enough time to hit the nightlife.

rossie1977

couple of the lads that were over with us in phoenix for mania 26 were only 18 at the time and they all had fake ids with them and were served in the bars no questions asked, there are a number of irish bars in southbeach and of course mania falls right in the middle of spring break in miami next year so there is going to be a sh*tload of underage drinking going on

Furious-Red

Yea was going to say find an Irish Bar and you should be ok. When i was in NYC in 09 i was only 20 but we found a Irish Bar and drank there while i was there and they never even asked any of us for ID

JamesMania

100% hitting the Heat game, any idea about how to get tickets?

rossie1977

JamesMania wrote: »

100% hitting the Heat game, any idea about how to get tickets?

ticketmaster.com, assuming the lockout is still not in effect of course

going back to the ID thing for booze, the only place i got asked for ID in miami (yes even at my age i still get asked in the states) was the american airlines arena before a heat game

i paid $90 per ticket (thats inclusive of all taxes/fees etc) for a heat game in november, we were seated in section 102, row 26, quite a good view too

JamesMania

rossie1977 wrote: »

ticketmaster.com, assuming the lockout is still not in effect of course

going back to the ID thing for booze, the only place i got asked for ID in miami (yes even at my age i still get asked in the states) was the american airlines arena before a heat game

When do they usually go on sale, how long before the game?

JamesMania

rossie1977 wrote: »

mania falls right in the middle of spring break in miami next year so there is going to be a sh*tload of underage drinking going on

OMFG YES !!!!!

A crazy week just got even crazier !!

rossie1977

JamesMania wrote: »

When do they usually go on sale, how long before the game?

they should be on sale soon, they will have a link to buying tickets on this page http://www.nba.com/heat/schedule/

WweAndTnaRules

LiamBro wrote: »

I'll be 20 at WM28, i've heard some bars turn a blind eye to underage drinking but some are very strict. I'm debating getting a fake ID, you'll never know when it will come in handy

I used fake ID this year in Atlanta to buy drink and got turned down every time. Hopefully some places in Miami will accept it. 50/50 chance

Hendo9

rossie1977 wrote: »

they should be on sale soon, they will have a link to buying tickets on this page http://www.nba.com/heat/schedule/

Only if the lockout is overcome...

EdK

Pick of the Heat games for me is vs Dallas on March 29th will definitely try to go to that one

Escarx85

Hi

I'll be coming from Mexico, already got a silver package

We are not on a budget, but we like to ride cheap, so we don't plan on getting a rental car and hope to keep cabs just for emergency.

How is the public transportation system in Miami? I know public transportation gets a bad rep in the states, but I see that distances from Downtown to interesting places in South Beach are not far away.
I see that the best thing is to buy a 7 day pass for buses and the like

We had a very bad experience with public transportation in Houston for WM25, but we were very far from the stadium and bought everything individually, hope it doesn't repeat again

And someone knows if it is feasible to go to the beaches on a bus from the downtown hotel?

rossie1977

yes its very easy to get from downtown to the beaches by bus, there are numerous buses that go that route, the 120, 103C, 119S, 113M, all the routes go from the downtown bus terminal across mcarthur causeway, the beaches are easily walkable washington or collins avenues

Escarx85

rossie1977 wrote: »

yes its very easy to get from downtown to the beaches by bus, there are numerous buses that go that route, the 120, 103C, 119S, 113M, all the routes go from the downtown bus terminal across mcarthur causeway, the beaches are easily walkable washington or collins avenues

Will check it out

Do you know if buses are strict about carrying people that have been on the beach? (wet with sand all over the place)

And talking about beaches, I've been reading that South Beach is not exactly the finest beach in the world and if I plan on sun tanning or something I should go up north to find a better place.
Either way, it will be a busy schedule, I probably will only have an opportunity on Monday morning

rossie1977

miami metro link http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/routes.asp

regarding being wet, i dunno but i can't see why not, there are plenty of water taps near each exit to wash off excess sand

southbeach is going to be packed i would imagine that time of year what with spring break so yeah you might be better off getting off above 20th street, outside south beach, the beach is widest between 30th and 35th street

Rud3Bwoy

smh it's during spring break,need i say more?drinking/clubbing/miami beach,going to be great!

rossie1977

this looks like good fun and if you go through the photos section you see a very famous wrestler and basketballer have already done it http://www.thrillermiami.com/

rossie1977

Kevin Nash will be hosting the #Shenanigans Beach Party on Friday, March 30, 2012 starting at 7:00 p.m. ET at Ocean's Ten ocean blvd in south beach Miami. Nash will join the Pro Wrestling Report (PWR) show for the party that will feature special guests Sean "X-Pac" Sean Waltman , Billy Gunn, Shane "Hurricane" Helms, The Headbangers, and TNA TV Champion Robbie E. For details and ticket information, head to www.PWRShow.com.

source: prowrestling.net

jmolloy

right beside american airlines arena is a shopping mall called bayside, has a hooters and a hard rock, i know were Ii'm going pre hof and pre raw

Kane-N-Nite

I LOVE Hooters.

jmolloy

Kane-N-Nite wrote: »

I LOVE Hooters.

a highlight of any trip no doubt. will be on the search for a brady and tebow jersey in the mall on the saturday

Barcelonafan

Is the shopping outlets cheap in Miami?i know in Florida they are..their could be beach parties on south beach too?

Rud3Bwoy

Barcelonafan wrote: »

Is the shopping outlets cheap in Miami?i know in Florida they are..their could be beach parties on south beach too?

of course they are i know a club from nyc one of my favs pachas is doing parties out there,to bad they leave march 25

also id suggest checking out club space heard it's pretty dam good.

gimmick

I am actually heading to Miami for part of my honeymoon in June, so this thread is a great help!!!

youcancallmeal

Just got back from Miami (South Beach) where we spent 3 nights of our honeymoon while traveling around Florida. We both felt 3 nights in South Beach was 2 nights too many! Wasn't whole lot to do unless you were willing to shell out large sums of money in going to a nightclub/pool party. We basically just chilled on the beach during the day and then went to a restaurant and bar crawled at night. Sounds nice for a Honeymoon I suppose but we had just spent 3 nights in Key West where we did the same thing and it was a much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Wish we had just stayed there for longer!

My recommendation for area to go at night for good atmosphere and good food is Espanola Way. Ended up going there 2 nights because 1 night of the crazy touristy beach front scene was enough!

youcancallmeal

Barcelonafan wrote: »

Is the shopping outlets cheap in Miami?i know in Florida they are..their could be beach parties on south beach too?

If you have a car and the time when you're there then Sawgrass Mills is good. About 30-40 min drive from downtown Miami. I ended up spending 4-5 hours there and bought tons of stuff!

Broooce

Anyone know what time doors open on Sunday thinking of getting there around 4 to 4.30, tickets to collect first then hopefully straight in?