Neighborhood
Bayside Market
A local destination for shopping, food, and drinks.
Bayside Marketplace is Miami’s number one tourist destination for the simple reason that it embodies Miami as few places can. Food, shopping, live music, dancing, boats, people from all walks of life, and the little weirdness — a huge snake welcomes visitors ready to be embraced for a photo. Not to mention Biscayne Bay in its azure brilliance or thunderous magnificence.
A Little History
Bayside Marketplace, the two-story open-mall, dates back to 1987. Modeled after Boston’s Quincy Market and the Harborplace in Baltimore, Bayside Marketplace was built within Bayfront Park and around the existing Marina in an L-shape with the octagonal Hard Rock Cafe to the south. The book Miami Architecture describes it: “Bayside’s restrained yet colorful architecture alludes to the metal-roofed market sheds of the former British West Indies.”
Mayor Maurice Ferré thought that Bayside Marketplace would be the catalyst for a downtown transformation. He was right. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and other landmark institutions followed, leading the way for Downtown’s renaissance.
Food & Drinks
You will find plenty. From the all-American HOOTERS to the BAVARIA HAUS, from LOS RANCHOS Steakhouse to the Caribbean MAMBO CAFE. And have a happy hour with a great view of the Bay at BREW-VILLE or SEGAFREDO. For a full listing of restaurants — and the list is long — visit the official Bayside Market page.
Mojitos
Arguably, Miami’s favorite drink is the Mojito. What is a mojito? Basically, a cocktail containing white rum, lime or lemon juice, sugar, mint, ice, and sparkling water. The idea is obvious, a refreshing drink for a hot city. Mixologists’ creative juices, however, can run wild under the Miami moon, and you can order a dirty mojito, a frosty one, and mango, guava, burry, cucumber or a healthy variation. Healthy? Green tea with no sugar. Surprisingly for a tourist staple, prices are reasonable.
Future Attractions
Bayside Marketplace is staging a celebration for children and their families for the 4th of July, featuring the Marlins.
Sky Wheel is a Ferris wheel, of which Senior General Manager, Pamela Weller, explained is family-oriented entertainment. Exciting and safe. “We wanted the actual wheel to be see-through, so it wouldn’t block any views. We do care about the downtown community, our community. The Sky Wheel might be up and running by November 2019.”
The Sky Wheel can be romantic, too. You and that special one up in a gondola for a fifteen-minute adventure — in one hand the ubiquitous phone, in the other, of course, an ice-cold mojito (if allowed.) Or simply holding hands detached from the world.
Bayside Marketplace is truly like taking a vacation to an exotic place without leaving Downtown Miami.
