Happy Hour on Española Way

There are two great streets for al fresco dining in Miami Beach—Lincoln Road and Española Way. Lincoln Road is home to some great high-end shopping, but if you’re looking for something a little bit more cozy and intimate, Española Way should be your go-to. This pedestrian-only street is full of Italian restaurants and makes a perfect setting for a romantic dinner with bae, but the entrees can get a little pricey.

However, if you go for an early dinner around 5-7pm, you can grab some delicious food and drinks at happy hour prices, and stay and watch the fairy lights come on as the sun goes down. It’s pretty magical and a great way to feel fancy without breaking the bank. Each restaurant will have people lined up on the street to convince you to try their fare, so choose the one with the happy hour food that appeals the most to you and enjoy!

And for my vegetarians, you will absolutely be able to find some delicious Italian dishes here!

 

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You can’t come to Miami and not try Cuban food

If you’re tight on time and can’t make it out to Little Havana, or you made it there and loved it so much that you want to eat Cuban food for every meal (like me), be sure to check out Las Olas Cafe (6th and Euclid Ave) for some massive portions of delicious Cuban cuisine. The plates are HUGE so if you’re not a super hungry person, bring a friend to share or take some home for a second dinner.

 

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Another awesome spot for counter-serve Cuban fare is the Playa Cafe (Collins Ave between 15th and 16th). It’s also open until 4am for all your late night snacking needs. If you work super weird hours (or go out all hours), South Beach Munchies is another Cuban cafe that’s open 24 hours and has large, decently priced portions (17th and Lincoln Rd.)

PS. Cuban food is unfortunately not always vegetarian-friendly.

Give me that greasy, fast food fix

If you’re looking for pizza, my personal favorite spot was Pizza Days, on the corner of 5th and Ocean Drive. It’s not necessarily the cheapest pizza in South Beach, but it’s one of the best things to eat in Miami. To get the freshest of the fresh, call on your way over so they can pop a new pizza in the oven and have it waiting for you when you arrive, and then take it down to the beach and live your life.

Other good cheap pizza spots are Pizza Rustica (9th and Washington), Pizza Bar (Lincoln Rd. and Collins Ave.), or Groovy’s Pizza (multiple Lincoln Rd. locations)

 

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For good, cheap burgers and fries that don’t come from one of those soulless national chains, check out Top Burger, a South Florida Chain (8th and Washington), or BurgerFi (13th and Washington). However, if you’re visiting from outside the United States, looking to try some high-quality American fast food, and don’t mind a bit of a walk, hit up Shake Shack (Lincoln Lane and Lenox Ave).

I’m not sure about BurgerFi because I went there as a meat-eater, but Top Burger has got a decent veggie burger as well!

 

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I don’t know about you, but I eat tacos at least once a day.

Tacos are my primary food group, so I know just about every place to get a taco fix in South Beach. If you’re looking for cheap, filling, and satisfactory, check out Taco Rico (a chain)—they’ve got a great lunch special that comes with tacos, rice, beans, and chips for under $10, which is awesome. There’s one at 16th and Washington (which happens to be around the corner from WeWork, for my digital nomads).

 

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Another good spot is Alma Mexicana for good, decently portioned tacos, burritos, and other Mexican fare. The portions are not as generous as Taco Rico, however, they are both delicious (and they’re both chains).

 

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If you’re looking for hole-in-the-wall Mexican food, check out the very descriptively named Fresh Mexican Taco Bar on the corner of 13th and Washington. There’s not much inside seating, but the food is delicious.

And of course, you can’t forget sushi.

If you’re looking for cheap sushi, be sure to visit Hiro’s Sushi Express near the corner of 15th and Washington for some delicious and filling sushi combos (under $10!)

Another sushi place that I LOVE is Fung Kü (17th and Collins)—it’s a little bit more expensive but also they have a live DJ in the evenings and their sushi is surely one of the best things to eat in Miami, so it’s worth it to pay a little bit more. Also, their cocktails are pretty good too, which makes it a great place to have some food and pregame before going out for the night.

 

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I’m sure there are other delicious places to get some grub in South Beach that I’ve missed, but after living there for six weeks, these are, in my opinion, the best things to eat in Miami. And, if you get bored of Miami Beach, you can always venture across the bridge into downtown Miami for a plethora of exciting culinary options as well.

Suggested next reading: Miami To Key West: The Ultimate Scenic Road Trip or Miami’s Best Instagrammable Spots That’ll Explode Your IG Feed

The post Best Things To Eat In Miami On A Budget appeared first on Modern Trekker.

 

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South Beach

First and foremost, South Beach itself is home to dozens of picturesque places you can snap for the ‘gram. You don’t even have to be that much of a morning person to wake up to catch the sun rising over the Atlantic—because Miami is relatively close to the equator, the sun rises around 6:30am at the earliest (during the summer solstice) and at a more reasonable 7:00ish for most of the rest of the year. This was one of my favorite times to be outside because the temperatures are still reasonable. In fact, the coldest time to be on the beach is right before sunrise, so you’ll see many locals exercising outdoors to beat the heat before going on with their day.

 

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Miami Beach Boardwalk

Another great place to walk, jog, bike, or rollerblade is along the Miami Beach Boardwalk, another one of Miami’s best Instagrammable spots. The boardwalk stretches from 23rd St. to 46th St., so it’s a little further north from the hustle and bustle of South Beach and takes you up into the quieter but ritzier Mid-Beach area.

 

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As you walk down the beach at any time of day, be sure to stop by Miami Beach’s colorfully painted lifeguard towers to snap a good shot or two. These towers are located approximately every block or so on the entire length of the beach. They also have a fascinating, uniquely Miami history—most of the original towers were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, so afterward, the city of Miami decided to restore them to become an icon for the city. Each tower is painted or designed by a local artist, architect, or musician, and they’re all unique.

 

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If you keep walking to the southernmost tip of South Beach and then turn around, you can snap a shot of the entire beach behind you. (Tip: this shot is particularly cool at sunrise or sunset if you can wake up that early). It’s also a great place to watch the cargo and cruise ships sailing in and out of the Port of Miami on the other side to get a sense of just how small you are in the scheme of things.

 

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Freehand Hotel

If you’re looking for one of Miami’s best Instagrammable spots to escape the heat and sand, head over to the Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel—one of America’s top-rated cocktail bars and a gorgeous, ‘grammable, tropical hipster paradise. (I’m not affiliated with the Freehand properties but it does happen to be one of my favorite hotel chains of all time because they’re just so adorable). Grab a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind cocktail and lounge by the pool all day and into the evening.

 

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Rooftop of the One Hotel

All of the Miami Beach hotel properties are gorgeous in their own way, but another one of Miami’s best Instagrammable spots is the rooftop of the One Hotel (open to the public after 6pm if you buy a drink), the Faena Hotel (same deal, and also home to some interesting sculptures and art pieces), the Dilido, and the W Hotel.

 

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Art Deco District

If the ritzy Miami Beach hotel lifestyle isn’t consistent with your IG style, it’s enough to just walk through the historic Art Deco District and snap some shots of the area’s unique architecture. The Art Deco District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world. The district is made up of 960 historic buildings within about one square mile. The iconic pastel-colored stucco buildings have been restored to their former glory thanks to the Miami Design Preservation League, and now they provide the perfect background for your Miami vacation shots.

 

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Wynwood & Miami Design Districts

Of course, there’s much more to Miami than just Miami Beach. You definitely can’t overlook the Wynwood Walls and the Miami Design District as a great place to find some unique street art, as well as some unique history. The Wynwood district was originally home to the third largest Garment Districts in the United States back in the 1920s, and has gone through several periods of decline and revitalization as the residents of the neighborhood changed, crime rates spiked, and the area suffered from urban blight. In the mid-2000s, the neighborhood began to transform into a haven for artists, culminating in the opening of the Wynwood Walls open-air art gallery in 2009 to coincide with Art Basel. It is now home to miles of street art, local breweries, and plenty to see and do.

 

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Perez Art Museum

If you love art and design, then the Perez Art Museum is definitely one of Miami’s best Instagrammable spots for you. The contemporary art gallery was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog and de Meuron, and visitors constantly move back and forth between indoor and outdoor spaces covered by a lush canopy.

 

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Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

If you’re looking to reconnect with nature without venturing too far out of the city, be sure to check out the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The Vizcaya estate is the former home of James Deering, of the Deering McCormick International Harvester fortune, and is an example of gorgeous Italian Renaissance gardens and Mediterranean Revival architecture. The estate and gardens have found a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and they appear in movies such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Haunts of the Very Rich, Iron Man 3, and others, as well as many popular music videos.

 

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This is by no means an exhaustive list of Miami’s best Instagrammable spots. It seems like there’s another one around every corner in this beautiful tropical paradise of a city.

Suggested next reading: Miami To Key West: The Ultimate Scenic Road Trip

The post Miami’s Best Instagrammable Spots That’ll Explode Your IG Feed appeared first on Modern Trekker.

Key Largo

Key Largo is home to John Pennekamp State Park, known for its beautiful coral reefs and great snorkeling. The entire area is filled with wildlife reserves, cool diving spots, so you won’t be short of beautiful places to explore and cool things to see. You can kayak or take a boat ride through the Everglades, and even swim with dolphins at Dolphin Cove! However, the area was hit relatively hard by Hurricane Irma and is affected by this year’s larger-than-usual Red Tide (a large bloom of toxic algae), so be sure to check with the locals to see what’s open and safe to explore before heading out.

Islamorada

Islamorada is found halfway on the Miami to Key West road trip and is a great spot for a quiet stopover. The island is known as the sports fishing capital of the world, so if fishing is your thing, grab a charter and go catch your dinner. If you bring your own fish, most restaurants in the area will cook it up for you for around $10-15.

If you’re looking for more water sports, be sure to hit the Kayak Shack at Robbie’s Marina for kayaks, snorkel gear, or boat rentals to go check out the mangroves or to motor on out to other nearby islands for the day. If you’re lucky, you might see some baby sharks, manatees, or even Penelope, the local fully-grown crocodile known to live in the area. Robbie’s also has all the souvenir shopping you could ever want, and a restaurant/bar where you can grab a slice of key lime pie and a cold beer after spending all day out on the water.

When you decide you need to get out of the car and stretch your legs a little, you can walk, skate, or bike along the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, which runs the length of the Keys and provides incredible views of the calm blue waters.

If you’re looking for relaxing beaches, be sure to check out Bahia Honda State Park, a remote island just off the 7 Mile Bridge in between Islamorada and Key West. There, you’ll find calm blue waters as well as some hiking trails and a camping area if you decide to stay the night.

Key West

Key West is a quirky island town with a vibrant, rich history. The island was once home to figures such as Ernest Hemingway and Harry S. Truman. You can visit Truman’s Little White House, which was also used as the naval headquarters for the Spanish-American War in 1890. Be sure to snap a picture at the Southernmost point in the continental United States, grab some delicious fresh seafood, peruse the many art galleries throughout the city, and watch the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico from Mallory Square. If you’re spending the night in town, bar hop up and down Duval Street, which is lined with open-air bars filled with live music every night of the week.

The city is a bit of a tourist trap, so expect to pay a minimum of $12 per attraction if you decide to actually go inside. My personal favorite was the Key West Butterfly Conservatory, which was home to butterflies, flamingos, and other species of birds from around the world. You can also visit the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, home to many artifacts that have been retrieved out of the oceans, the Key West Lighthouse, the Key West Eco-Discovery Center, and many other historical sites throughout the town. The are several trolley and train companies to take you around town if you don’t feel like walking in the Florida heat, so you can take in all the sights in one day if you’re pressed for time.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even plan a day trip to Dry Tortugas State Park for some incredible views, snorkeling, wildlife spotting, and history that is only accessible by boat. The mostly-underwater park is also home to Fort Jefferson, one of America’s largest forts, dating back to 1846. Due to the Red Tides and chemical runoff stirred up by Hurricane Irma, it’s not possible to get in the water at many of the beaches in the area, however if you travel a bit further up the Keys, there are some incredible (and free!) spots to swim and snorkel right off the beach. The island pace of life is a big change from the hustle and bustle of Miami, and while Key West can be touristic and overcrowded, the islands in the middle are definitely worth a trip to break free from the stresses of real life without having to leave the country. So, what are you waiting for? Why not try out this Miami to Key West road trip and see what all the fuss is about?

Suggested next reading: 14 Road Trip Ideas In The US That Are Perfect For This Fall

The post Miami To Key West: The Ultimate Scenic Road Trip appeared first on Modern Trekker.

You see, being on vacation is almost always a child’s favorite time of the year. School is out and it’s time for freedom! But just because school is out, the learning and growing don’t have to stop for your kiddos.

The Southeast US isn’t just one long beach with a mouse-themed park in the middle. There are day trips in the Southeast teeming with learning adventures and discoveries just for your family. We’ve found three affordable family adventure vacations in the Southeast to set your family on a journey to fun, discovery, and deep, hands-on learning.

1. Space Coast, USA

On Florida’s east coast lies the one place in the USA where all manned space flights have lifted off. Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch rockets all through the year, and it’s an earth-shattering experience to watch a rocket blast off into space.

Check the websites of both organizations for their rocket schedule before visiting to plan around a launch window. This has to be one of the best vacation spots in the Southeast for your kiddos!

The Kennedy Space Center also has a phenomenal visitor’s complex where your family can get up close and personal with the Atlantis Space Shuttle and investigate more about the USA’s space program.

Also in the area are a freshwater manatee park and a peaceful state park at the ocean’s edge for your family to enjoy after your visit to the Space Walk Hall of Fame.

2. Sarasota Bay

Directly across the state is a little piece of family vacation heaven. A personal favorite and a unique family vacation idea, Anna Maria Island tops the chain of barrier islands from Tampa Bay south into Siesta Key and Venice.

This calm, resort like area of Florida’s Gulf Coast is rich with opportunities to uncover everything from history to botany and ocean science.

Walk where the conquistadors came ashore 500 years ago at De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton in the morning. Then, in the afternoon you can walk among trees from all over the world in one of the nation’s only frost-free zones at Palma Sola Botanical Park.

Heading south from Anna Maria takes your family towards St. Armand’s Circle and the Mote Marine Laboratory. Start your day at the Mote where you’ll enjoy the aquarium and rescue programs, or you’ll board a research boat for a trip out on Sarasota Bay and one of the small uninhabited islands.

With all your exploring, make sure you stop to enjoy a fabulous Cuban and Spanish lunch at the open-air Colombia Restaurant in St. Armand’s!

After all the fun, you’ll feel even better reflecting on how much an affordable family adventure vacation the whole experience was.

3. Atlanta, GA

In the center of the thriving metropolis that is Georgia’s largest city live four of the world’s largest sharks. You’ll find these whale sharks gracefully lumbering through their tank along with gliding Manta Rays and other ocean wonders. As the premier residents of the Georgia Aquarium, they are simply the tip of the iceberg for rich experiences in and around Atlanta.

With older children, you’ll be able to take them deep into the civil rights history of the USA with a visit to Martin Luther King’s home and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. They can also enter the story of race relations and tour a 1930s home at the Atlanta History Center.

Take a step further back in time with the Fernbank Natural History Museum and hang out with some of the largest dinosaurs to walk the earth.

You can get outdoors as well and visit the highest waterfall in Georgia. At over 700 feet high, the cascading waterfall and trails take your family close to the nature and history of the state.

Top off your travels by going to one of the best mountain vacation spots in the Southeast by standing on top of Stone Mountain and getting a full view of the Atlanta skyline.

How do you like our choices for the best family vacation spots in Southeast US? Would you suggest any more? What do you think are the best family vacation ideas on a budget around the Southeast? Feel free to comment below!

Alternatively, click here for the best family vacation spots in North Carolina & Virginia, St. Louis, and Washington D.C.

The post Best Family Vacation Spots In Southeast US appeared first on Modern Trekker.