Driving around Miami

[pachecos]

Where is a good place to drive to see all the expensive homes / mansions ,etc. with a rental car after a cruise? Also how is Vizcaya house?

[DonnaC1]

I will also have a rental car for the day after we disembark in Miami so I'm wondering if there are any 'must-see' things that we should do for the day until our flight leaves in the evening.

 

Thanks!

 

Donna

[chubbycheeks]

Vizcaya is really nice. In order to see some of the nice houses you can drive across MacArthur Causeway and see Star and Palm Islands from a distance. That's also the way to get to South Beach and see the art Deco on Washington Ave, Collins Ave. and Ocean Drive. Also if you want you can catch a boat tour over at Bayside Marketplace which will take you by the homes of the rich and famous as well. Parrot Jungle is fun and right next to the port.

[Noblarneyimirish]

Does anyone know the cost of the boat tour from Bayside Marketplace?

 

Thanks!

Stephanie

[chubbycheeks]

Around $15-25 per person. Less for kids.

[JanBubbles]

I definitely would vote for Vizcaya and also the boat tour (the houses you see are beautiful) from Bayside. I did both years ago and they are worth the time and money. I don't remember either of them being that expensive.

Janice:cool:

[donato]

A nice drive to see beautiful homes is, south on Biscayne Blvd. to Brickell Ave, seeing the high rises along Biscayne Bay. Then stop at Vizcaya, well worth the stop.

From there go south on Bayshore drive to Coconut Grove. On the right is Silver Bluff a small cliff where Biscayne Bay use to end before landfill, some nice houses atop that.

Continue south thru Coconut Grove then south on Main highway thru south grove. Go around the circle at Sunset drive, go all the way around and look out the Coral Gables waterway and see big houses on either side of the waterway(there is a parking area there).

On the second time around go south on Old Cutler Road, you will see the nicest homes in Miami.

Down Old Cutler you can go into Matheson Hammock(on the left) to see the boats at the marina or eat at the Red fish grill, a beautiful old limestone(coral rock) building right on the edge of the bay. You can see back across Biscayne Bay to Coconut Grove and see Key Biscayne and downtown Miami. (It is especially nice at night.)

Then back out to Old Cutler road and just south a little bit, take a tour of Fairchild Tropical Garden, a world class botanical garden.

If you still haven't seen enough nice big homes you can keep going south to see more or go back north to Miami.

[KAJOKG]

But be prepared for traffic. And avoid morning and evening rush hours. It can be a horror. As another poster stated, Viscaya and the Biscayne Bay boat tour are good options.