Miami. The sun constantly shines, the air is so warm, and the sites to see are endless.
My parents treated my sister, myself, and our boyfriends to a trip to Miami for Christmas break this year. I cannot thank them enough for planning and executing our trip. It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
Below, I’m going to review the overall itinerary of our trip + links. Please comment below if you have any questions!
DAY 1:
I took the 6 AM flight out of Indy to Miami International Airport. I’m a big Southwest flyer, but I had a voucher for American this time around – my family flew Southwest. So, I took my flight alone and landed in Miami about 4 or 5 hours ahead of my family. It was a bit of a sh*t show when I landed to exit the airport and grab an Uber, but I’m also a little biased since Indy is my home airport.
While waiting for my family to arrive, my Uber took me to the Airbnb. Thank goodness for this, I got a bit of rest before we set to do some activities.
The Airbnb was very nice. We needed a space big enough for 6 adults. We got a 3-bed, 2-bath house located in Dania Beach (north of Miami). Dania Beach was probably 15-20 minutes away from downtown Miami. And it was around 10 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale. We had a good time at this Airbnb, and I actually was able to meet the owner – Anca was great. I’m linking the house here.
The first day really was sort of open-ended. With different flights and availability of rental cars, etc., we kept the day open. We ended up making a Walmart run and traveling up to Fort Lauderdale and walking along the beach up there. It was so nice. The weather was amazing, and the beach was so pretty and clean. We were ready to get home, crash, and kickstart our trip.
DAY 2:
Day 2 started off on an incredibly high note. We travelled about 30-45 minutes to the outskirts of Everglades National Park where we had a reservation to go on an airboat tour of the swamps. It was an amazing experience. We had a private airboat tour for the 5 of us. It was around 40-45 minutes with a tour guide who drove us through the water with tall grasses. He pointed out all sorts of wildlife around us, specifically alligators. They stay in their same spots almost every day, so he was able to find them fairly easy for us. See pictures below. Here is the link for the airboat tours we used. I HIGHLY recommend this experience.
After the tour, we drove towards an entrance to Everglades National Park. We were surprised to see a LONG line of cars leading up to the entrance booth. This wasn’t the strange part – what was strange were the amount of people out of their cars and walking around before entering the park. None of the cars were moving. Turns out there wasn’t enough parking, so cars were simply waiting to get in. We ended up turning around and parking along the side of the road. Wasn’t ideal, but you have to do what you have to do.
We were at the Shark Valley Visitor Center. Not the most exciting of trails within the park, but it was nice, warm, and LOTS of alligators. See pictures below. I think it would’ve been ideal to bike or take one of the trolley tours. It’s a VERY long loop of asphalt walkways, so we just ended up turning around after a couple of miles.
After wrapping up our morning/mid-afternoon at Everglades, we headed back to Miami. We spent the rest of the day exploring some parts of downtown Miami. We ate at a Bubba Gump’s, travelled down to South Beach, and really didn’t have an itinerary for the rest of the evening.
DAY 3:
Day 3 was pretty uneventful in the morning… we were dealing with a lot of rental car issues. BUT around 2 PM, we got to pick up Mitch at the airport!!
I was so excited for him to arrive. He just makes every situation better, and I’m so glad to have someone in my life who such a ray of light.
We picked Mitch up at the airport and headed to day 2 of Everglades adventures. This time, we went into the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and took the Long Pine Key Nature Trail and walked a dirt trail that went on for miles. We simply turned around after only going so far & looking at some of the views. Then we stumbled onto the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook Trail off of the Ernest F. Coe area / Main Park Road and took a beautiful boardwalk stroll along the swamps. Looking out into the grassy fields in Everglades is a completely different experience than you get at other national parks. You are looking into a wide array of fields being fooled that you are on land, when sure enough you are standing over at least 5-8 ft of water.
We drove to the Royal Palm Visitor Center of the Everglades and explored the Ahinga Trail there. Again, beautiful views of tall grasses, various species of birds, and lots of water surrounding you. It was only a .8 mile hike! We only saw one gator, but it became tough as the sun started to set. However, the sunset really illuminated the views of the grasses. A pro tip when walking these trails – bring bug spray! As the sun started to set, we were thankful for the bug spray.
Driving out of the park, we made a pit stop to a little shop in Homestead called “Robert Is Here Fruit Stand”. My mom found this suggestion on the Facebook group she is in (Travelers of the U.S. National Parks). It was definitely worth the stop! They are famous for their freshly made smoothies. Mitch and I split a deliciously fresh, fruit smoothie. It had banana, passion fruit, and mango. They also serve milkshakes. It’s also a nicely sized fruit stand with a variety of fruits and vegetables for sale. It was a charming stop, especially if you appreciate small, local businesses!
DAY 4:
We woke up bright and early and travelled to Biscayne National Park. It was snorkeling day! Our reservations were with the Biscayne National Park Institute. These folks were incredibly knowledgeable and fun and were amazing tour guides throughout our snorkeling venture.
I don’t know about you… I’ve only attempted snorkeling one other time. I say attempted, because my sister and I tried to snorkel in Hawaii, and it was a disaster. I think we chose the wrong area for the time of year, and it was so wavy & rocky – just chaotic as a whole 😂. This time, it was a whole different experience. The water at Biscayne was so blue, and it turns out snorkeling isn’t too awfully hard once you get the hang of it!
Our guides took us out on a boat, and we made two different stops – one at a reef and another at a shipwreck. The water was a little chilly. I also recommend to take a sweatshirt for the boat ride. But I can’t brag on this trip enough. The snorkeling had views like you wouldn’t imagine & the trip was very informational about the development of the park & how to preserve it. The excursion is linked here. See one of our GoPro videos below on my Instagram!
Snorkeling took a lot out of us. We went back to the Airbnb and showered, napped, ate, etc. It was fun, but I felt SO much better once I was showered. Once we were all ready to go, we went out to Fort Lauderdale area – same area as Day 1. Mitch wasn’t with us, so this was our opportunity for my sister, her bf, Mitch, and myself to split off from our parents and take some pictures, grab some tacos, and hangout.
We stopped at a bar called the Drunken Taco. I wasn’t too hungry, so I just had a Corona. It was a great atmosphere, right across from the beach. A bit pricey for what it was, but hey – I didn’t actually have their food. THEN we walked down a couple of blocks and went to the Taco Bell Cantina. Again, it was across the street from the beach. Not sure if you know what a Taco Bell Cantina is – but it’s a Taco Bell with alcohol. The menu is more expensive than a normal Taco Bell, so be aware. But, it has the option to buy beers or spike a soda of your choice with tequila, vodka, or whisky. It was a cool experience to eat Taco Bell and look out onto the beach!
DAY 5:
Day 5 was full of excitement! The four of us – my sister & our boyfriends – had a parasailing trip scheduled for the morning in downtown Miami. I am afraid of heights, but this adventure was AWESOME. It was actually my second time parasailing, but it was my first time parasailing over the ocean. The company we parasailed with was called FlySOBE Parasail – linked here. The staff was incredibly nice and experienced. The boat was able to take about 12 of us on our trip. We went up on the sail in either 2s or 3s. The views were unbelievable. Each couple was up there for about 10 minutes, and we even were able to be dipped in the water! So, I’d recommend wearing a swimsuit. It was an unforgettable experience. Being able to view the city elevated and from the water. You truly felt like you were flying.
After parasailing, we headed a little north, near the Bayside Marketplace, for our Miami Thriller Ride. It was a speedboat tour of the port off of Miami’s shore. It was a FAST boat ride that had fun music playing throughout the duration of the ride. It gave a great view of Miami’s downtown and a close look at all the amazing mansions that reside on the little islands outside of Miami’s coast. This ride was cool, don’t get me wrong… the downside with it was you could hardly hear the tour guides at all. They had a microphone and were giving fun facts about the mansions and who lived there. We sat in the back, and we couldn’t hear what they were saying at all – so we were there to just enjoy the ride.
The Miami Thriller Ride completed about an hour later. Overall, an okay experience. We hung around Bayside Marketplace a little longer to check out the stores and grab a daiquiri. It was delicious! The daiquiris were a pina colada and strawberry mix w/ a shot of rum from ODB (The Other Daiquiri Bar) at the Bayside Marketplace. So yummy!
We headed to South Miami Beach for a restaurant we were so excited to try! We hit up Big Pink Miami! I found it on an article from Pinterest, and it was SO CUTE. Known for its large portion sizes and Instagrammable picture opps.
After eating at Big Pink Miami, the four of us went and walked to South Point Park at Miami Beach to watch the sunset. We grabbed some photos and videos of the sunset. South Point Park was a really quaint park area. Folks were just gathered in the area with picnic blankets, doing yoga, or talking, just waiting for the sunset. It was a really nice area to see, then Mitch and I walked all the way BACK to the bridge that links Miami Beach to Miami. And we got some shots of downtown Miami with the sun going down.
DAY 6 (FINAL full day):
On our last full day of vacation, we spent the day traveling to Key West. For those who haven’t done this drive (like us), it is about a 3-hour drive from Miami to Key West. What we didn’t know was the drive is majority a two-lane highway. We woke up early to drive south, and it was much busier than we expected. There were times we were driving 30 mph on a 60 mph highway. But, we were lucky that it was a sunny, beautiful day with lots of good views out the car windows 😊
We arrived at Key West and struggled to find parking. Finally, we found a lot that was about $50 for the whole day. So, that’s what we settled with.
We all split up and went our separate ways on the island for a bit. We all focused on Duval Street, which sort of the “main strip” of downtown Key West. Lots of bars, souvenir shops, restaurants, and art vendors along this street. Upon splitting up, Mitch and I found a cigar shop to go in. We stopped in a t-shirt store. We went to the very edge of island and looked out at the ocean for a bit. We just liked exploring for a bit. And it definitely was the perfect day to explore – so sunny & warm.
We then all messaged one another to go meet at the Southernmost Point. Mitch and I arrived first, and there was quite the long line to wait for a picture. It basically worked like this – you could either wait in line and get a proper photo in front of the landmark. OR you could skip the line & selfie bomb or get a bunch of people in the photo behind you. We chose to wait.
I would say we waited in line for about a half an hour or so. Most of the waiting was in the shade & we got to look at the southernmost house and people watch for a bit.
The southernmost point was crowded, but it’s definitely worth being able to say you were at the southernmost point of the entire country. We were there 3 days before some kids vandalized it. How unfortunate of a situation.
After visiting the national monument, we hit up Alonzo’s Oyster Bar for dinner. It was so delicious. We personally didn’t have a reservation, but they do take them. Again, I’m not a seafood person, but they had delicious salad. My sister LOVED their crab legs. And Mitch had me try his Mahi Mahi, and it was so tasty! Our dinner entertainment were the chickens running around the restaurant, it was such a good experience.
We killed some time by going to Rick’s Bar for drinks before watching the sunset in Mallory Square. It was packed for the sunset. BUT Mitch was able to position the camera over the crowd to get some excellent pictures – so I recommend going with a tall person 😂. The sunset was beautiful, and it set so quickly. There was also a lot of local entertainment going on in Mallory Square to keep everyone entertained before, during, and after the sunset.
We drove back to Miami that night and relaxed for the remainder of the evening – prepping for our travel day the next day.
It was truly an amazing trip. I cannot explain how much fun I had to be able to experience a trip with both my family + my boyfriend. We got to see gorgeous views, do some unforgettable activities, and explore a couple of magnificent national parks.
If you have any questions – leave a comment here or DM me directly on Instagram! Hope you enjoy your Miami trip soon enough 😉
ALLI DONOVAN 