Miami Day 5 & 6

March 5, 2016

We did not have anything major planned for the day. We started the day with a trip to the Hard Rock Café Miami location so Mike could add another zippo lighter to his collection. The area around the Hard Rock had a lot of restaurants and shops. Next we checked out Miami’s “Little Havana”. We had a lovely Cuban lunch at Versailles. Luckily we got there early, the line was really long when we left. Service was a little slow, but otherwise an excellent dining choice.

Mike watches a lot of television. He mentioned that he would like to check out South Beach Classics, a show that airs on Discovery. The main guy of the show was there and was really friendly. There were a ton of cars to check out. We probably spent close to two hours walking around the lot and buildings.

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

We continued north to the Hard Rock Café/Casino/Hotel in Hollywood. Mike got his zippo and we then headed to Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.  The visitor center was closed by the time we arrived. The national parks annual pass works for admission, otherwise it would have been $5. There was a nice boardwalk behind the visitor center. There are some hikes that are available around some lagoon areas, nothing too exciting. At the end of the road was a boat launch and fishing pier. The biggest alligator of the trip was found at the fishing dock. 

Once back in South Beach, we had dinner at The Playwright Irish Pub. It was good.

March 6, 2016

Lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Again we did not have anything really planned for the day. We decided to check out Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park ($8/car) in Biscayne Key. The park is ranked as the seventh top beach in America. We were able to climb up the lighthouse (no additional cost – but only open for about an hour a day). From the park, you could also see Stiltsville. We learned a little about Stiltsville during our Biscayne National Park boat tour.  At one point there were 27 structures, but hurricanes and fires have destroyed all but seven. The structures are now located on NPS area and are maintained by a non-profit trust. There are many trails at the park, most being paved bike paths.

We had lunch nearby at the Artisan Kitchen and Bar. Since it was a Sunday it seemed they had a different menu than other days (breakfast all day or something along those lines). We both had Arepas. They were interesting, a bit like an English muffin sandwich.

After lunch we headed back to the airport for our flight home. We had nice smooth flying – until next time Bon Voyage!