Whether you’re in town for a quick campus tour or have a little longer to explore, allow us to be your guides. We’re starting from our Coral Gables campus
The sun is rising, and you’ve hopefully had a good night’s rest. It’s time to see what Miami has in store before the rest of the world wakes up.
Jump start your day with a traditional cafecito! Adapted from the Cuban mainstay, cafecitos fuel the city of Miami all day long. Tacitas Cafeteria Latin Cuisine is a short drive from UM’s Coral Gables campus, and it’s open at 6:00 a.m. It’s the perfect spot to get an early start and a big boost!
Along with your cafecito, pick out a pastelito de guava (guava pastry) and croqueta de jamon or pollo (ham or chicken croquet). It’s the staple Miami breakfast.
If you plan to stay in the Coral Gables area, there are plenty pedestrian friendly areas to explore and gorgeous vistas to drive around. For this exercise, we’re heading north, so meet us for lunch in Little Havana.
You’ve worked up quite the appetite since your stomp through the Coral Gables and surrounding areas. It’s time for a fuel stop. Little Havana and its nearby neighborhoods are excellent areas for lunch.
If you’re into continuing your Cuban streak, there are lots of objectively great places to choose from on Calle Ocho (a.k.a. Southwest eighth street), but locals frequent the haunts just off the beaten path like El Rey de las Fritas. Only the truest will head over to a Latin supermarket like Presidente or Sedanos for a completa (hot combo meal). You can also head to a Publix supermarket deli for what is affectionately known as a PubSub – this is a staple in every local’s diet.
Stroll through Calle Ocho to take in the smells of cigar rolling shops and sounds of heavy clicking and Spanish banter at Domino Park. You’ll eventually find yourself passing Azucar Ice Cream Shop – might as well stop in for a scoop or two of Abuela Maria.
If you prefer to explore other surrounding areas, park in the Brickell area and lace up your sneakers – it’s an area best explored by foot. There you'll find high end shopping, small boutiques, and some of the best eats in Miami. If you find yourself a little further north than that, the Frost Museum of Science and the Perez Art Museum both house spectacular science and art exhibits that locals devour to escape the heat.
At this point we’ve reached the northeast corridor of the city of Miami. Anything north of Downtown will be a little more eclectic and “hip.” Just about every type of cuisine can be found within the Wynwood and Design District areas, as can every type of art, both public (like murals) and private (in galleries).
Tons of public parks nestled in this heavily urban area pepper the region, so it’s best to stop for at least one as they’re nearly all on the waterfront.
The sun is going down soon, and the breeze will have picked up from being so close to the bay. Dinner can be found anywhere you turn – in the mood for Italian? Sylvano’s is walking distance from the Miami City Cemetery, an excellent place to get a whirlwind lesson of Miami’s historic founders.
Looking for something more casual? Old Greg’s is known for its pizza, and it’s within walking distance of Midtown. Feeling Mediterranean? Enjoy your dinner under the stars at Mandolin where nearly the entire dining room is outside under gorgeous winding trees and twinkle lights. Locals will often stop at Chef Creole for a full Haitian spread, or Blue Collar for casual American comfort food.
Is your itinerary all set? We trust your Miami adventure will be brimming with great food, captivating cultural experiences, and countless memorable snapshots. Don't forget to share your favorite moments by tagging us @UMadmission across all your social media platforms!
