Around Miami : culture

Asian Culture Festival

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:32:00 GMT

Miami's Less Traveled Path

Every year during March, I like to head south. No, not South America (though Buenos Aires is certainly tempting) or even South of the Border. I simply drive a little ways south of my home to a lovely, rural part of Miami called the Redland. While it’s true that the words ‘rural’ and ‘Miami’ are usually not found in the same sentence, in this case they definitely belong together.

The Redland was discovered by pioneers in the late 1800s. They guessed (correctly) that this area would be excellent for growing fruits and vegetables, since this southern corner of the state is rarely prone to frost. With a lot of hard work, the farmers who settled here soon produced beans, tomatoes, corn, mangos, avocados and other tropical fruits like lychee and longan. Driving down the long country roads of the Redland, you can spot historic homesteads built from coral rock, as well as newer ranches where city slickers have escaped the urban craziness and started their own orchid farms.

This weekend, I plan to make a southerly jaunt to the Redland to check out the Asian Culture Festival at the Fruit & Spice Park. If you’re a plant lover, this is one cool park. If you’re not into plants, I guarantee you will find something to love about this place. Fruit & Spice Park grows more than 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, nuts, and other commercially important plant specimens from around the world. You can see 125 varieties of mango, 75 varieties of bananas, 70 bamboo varieties, and numerous other exotic edibles here. You can also munch on exotic tropical fruit like longans and lychees at the Tasting Counter inside the gift shop. Or buy unusual jams and jellies to impress the folks back home. Habañero pepper jelly, anyone?

Among many eye-catching attractions at the Asian Culture Festival is the food. This festival is a spectacle of delicious eats, from savory Thai satay with peanut dipping sauce to spicy hot Korean barbecue. I shamelessly gorge myself on enough Pad Thai, egg rolls, spring rolls and fried rice to last me until the following year. Everything is fresh and delicious, and there are plenty of shady spots to lay back and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Of course there’s also culture at the Asian Culture Festival. It’s not just about the food.

In between bites, my family and I love to watch the dancing. Traditional dances from Japan, China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India are performed beneath a large white tent. Talented young dancers thrill the crowd with their elastic movements. Pounding drum beats and colorful, elaborate costumes add to the excitement. The dancing continues throughout the day, so there is plenty of time to check out the numerous booths selling Asian crafts and, of course, grab another egg roll.

Fun stuff sold at the festival includes baskets, saris, kimonos, wind chimes, musical instruments, bamboo crafts, jewelry and perfumes – as well as an assortment of gorgeous orchids and other tropical plants and trees. This festival reminds me of why I choose to live in Miami. The weather is almost always picture-perfect, and you can buy orchids and beautiful tropical fruits amidst the beauty of an exotic tropical garden. I remember what March was like when I lived in Boston, and it can be summed up like this: cold mud, wet mud, and dried mud.

There are many other attractions in the Redland which are well worth a stop. Driving and finding places in this rural area can be tricky. The best way to get oriented is with a good map of Miami Dade County, and by visiting the Historic Redland Tropical Trail web site, which pinpoints area attractions like Schnebly’s Redlands Winery, Everglades Alligator Farm, Robert Is Here Fruit Stand and R.F. Orchids with easy-to-follow driving directions. The Tropical Everglades Visitor Center, located at 160 U.S. 1 in Florida City, also provides maps and other information about the Redland.

So go check out Miami's wild side. The one that's approximately 30 miles from South Beach!

The Kampong

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:26:00 GMT

In 1928, plant explorer Dr. David Fairchild (creator of nearby Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden) and his wife Marian built a unique dwelling on a beautiful expanse of bayfront property. They named their new home the Kampong – which means “a home in a garden”. Many of the plants Dr. Fairchild collected during his world travels still grow there. The property is located at 4013 S. Douglas Road in Coconut Grove. The grounds and collections are open by appointment for guided tours.

Miami for Free

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:12:00 GMT

Okay, so you’re down to your last few dollars but your vacation isn’t over for two more days. What’s a free-wheeling (but broke) fun seeker to do? Not to worry. You can have an absolutely fabulous time in Miami for mere peanuts. In Miami and Miami Beach, good places to eat, fun things to do and getting from Point A to Point B don’t have to break the bank.

Let’s start with the basics: cheap eats. In Miami, this translates into two words: Cuban food. One of the great things about living here is the hearty, soul satisfying starchiness of Cuban favorites like chicken with yellow rice (arroz con pollo), fried pork chunks with rice and black beans (masas de puerco) or savory shredded beef (ropa vieja). Cuban food is available 24/7, and every Miami neighborhood has its Latin cafetería -- a small restaurant with a little window to grab a quick cup o’ joe (un cafecito in local parlance) and a pastry or two. Tip: if you plunk down more than $7 for a heaping plate of meat with rice and beans (including a side dish of plantains or delicious, garlicky yuca), you’ve spent too much. Local favorites include two chains, La Carreta and Latin American Restaurant; the venerable (and 24-hour) Versailles on Calle Ocho; and Puerto Sagua (7th Street and Collins Avenue) in Miami Beach.

Cheap eats on South Beach include Big Pink at 157 Collins Avenue, where salads, sandwiches and breakfast are served in huge portions that make doggie bags a necessity. On Washington Avenue, Dogma Grill sells delicious hot dogs with the works for just a few bucks. Pizza Rustica has several locations (including Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road) where you can get a slice for $3.

There are lots of ways to have fun for free in this town. For cheap entertainment on South Beach, do what you did in your kiddie bathtub: watch a boat float. At South Pointe Park, on South Beach’s southern tip, you can watch cruise ships sailing out to sea. This is truly a magical site, with birds flying around, the sun about to set and these giant floating hotels gliding by effortlessly. Get there around 3:30 since most of the ships sail between 4 and 5 o’clock.

Want some culture? Take a tour of Miami’s Art in Public Places. Fabulous sculptures, murals and more can be found throughout the city, including at Miami International Airport, public parks, Metrorail stations, Miami-Dade College and the Port of Miami.

Going to the beach is still free, though parking may set you back a few quarters. Visit the historic 1825 lighthouse at Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne and bring a picnic lunch. (Park admission is $5 per vehicle.) Or spread your towel on a smooth spot and check out the many different types of folks who stroll the sands of South Beach. It’s free and never boring! In Coral Gables, you can swim in a gorgeous (and historic) rock quarry with waterfalls, grottoes and caves at Venetian Pool. From November to March, adults pay $6.25 and kids (ages 3-12) cost $3.25. In North Beach, at Collins Avenue and 73rd Street, there’s a family friendly beach with shady palm trees, a public parking lot and lots of inexpensive cafes and fast food restaurants.

More cheap fun: hang out at any of the outdoor mega-malls around town. Top spots include CocoWalk in Coconut Grove, Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami and Lincoln Road on South Beach. Weekend nights are prime for people-watching.

Gallery walks are some of the best free fun to be found in this city. The Design District, Wynwood Arts & Entertainment District, North Miami, Espanola Way and Coral Gables all have gallery nights once a month. (Some even put out free wine and cheese to gnosh on.) Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays) offer free fun Latin style, at this gallery open-house on Calle Ocho in the heart of Little Havana. Viernes Culturales happens on the last Friday of the month. For a complete listing of Miami-area gallery walks, visit www.ArtCircuits.com.

If you’ve got the kids in tow, there are several free museum happenings worth checking out. Among them is Free Fridays at Miami Children’s Museum, where children are invited to explore and enjoy interactive exhibits and bilingual activities with no admission charge. This happens every third Friday evening of the month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

During Free Second Saturdays at the Miami Art Museum, MAM's gallery teachers lead fun-filled, educational, hands-on activities for families and kids of all ages on the Second Saturday of each month – with free admission all day. And the Historical Museum of Southern Florida puts a lively spin on several centuries of Florida history during Second Saturday Family Fun Days – where museum teachers offer fun-filled, hands-on activities for families and kids of all ages – with free admission.

Public transportation can be fun as well as cheap. You can visit 22 points of interest for 25 cents on the colorful South Beach Local – a handy new bus service that runs every 12 to 15 minutes and operates until 1 a.m. every day of the week. Stops include Lincoln Road Mall, Art Deco Historic District, the Holocaust Memorial and Wolfsonian-FIU -- which offers free tours of its fascinating collection of modern design and propaganda art every Friday at 6 p.m.

In Downtown Miami, life finally gives you a free ride (and a bird’s eye view of all the new condos going up) on the Metromover, which is the automated rail system that loops through downtown’s business and shopping district. Warning: Kids really love doing this, so you may find yourself circling the business district and listening to the robot voice calling out the stations until the cows come home (or buy themselves condos downtown, like everybody else is doing).

All it takes is a little know-how to work your way around this city on a budget. There are plenty of good reasons not to take out a cash advance while on vacation. You can eat well, see the sights, take a dip in the ocean and discover that some of the best things in Miami really are free!

Santa's Enchanted Forest

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:54:00 GMT

I put off going to Santa’s Enchanted Forest for as long as I could. In my mind, I visualized pushy crowds, loud holiday-goers and the possibility of getting run over by a reindeer. Finally, when my daughter was five, I took the Santa plunge. After all, this popular holiday attraction is a mere five minutes from my house, and my excuses for avoiding the place were wearing thin.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought. In fact, it was fun. We even snagged a ride from the parking lot to the main entrance on a trolley. This was a good thing, because Tropical Park – which used to be a race track – has a vast parking lot.

Yes, it was crowded. And yes, you may need to park in the back-of-beyond if you go on a weekend night, or if it happens to be a “cool” Miami evening. On nights when the temps dip into the 60s, the locals like to put on their winter coats and mittens and drink hot cocoa under the palms.

And go to Santa’s Enchanted Forest with a car-load of friends.

We bought our tickets and got ready to have fun. Right off the bat, my daughter was mesmerized by the Christmas-themed dioramas at the park entrance. Her face lit up when she saw four live reindeer, quietly nibbling grass in a hay-stuffed pen beneath the stars.

“Mommy, are these the real reindeers? Like Santa’s reindeers on Christmas Eve?” she asked me with Very Big Eyes.

“Well, yes, honey. They had time to take a little Florida vacation since Christmas Eve is still 12 days away,” I replied. “It’s awfully cold at the North Pole and they wanted to warm up.”

We wound our way past about 20 more of these dioramas, which included displays of cheerful elves, the Three Kings, Rudolph and Santa, Santa and Mrs. Claus, constellations of angels, packs of polar bears, igloos and snowmen, nutcracker soldiers, a Candyland Christmas village and anything else that could remotely fall under the “holiday theme” category.

We strolled along – yes, merrily – looking up at the tall Australian pine trees strung with zillions of twinkling lights. The piped-in Christmas music is ear-splitting, as loud as any rock concert or Abercrombie & Fitch store. When we reached the carnival section of Santa’s Forest, we watched a mini-circus act with an elephant and took a ride on the big Ferris wheel. I begged off the Crazy Mouse ride, letting my husband have the pleasure. We listened to the “insult clown” hurl nasty comments at passersby, and giggled when somebody finally dunked him into the water with a well-placed fastball. We watched a high wire act where the man lost his balance and almost fell 30 feet -- with no net to catch him. Fortunately, his circus days aren’t over. He recovered his balance in the nick of time.

We ended the evening with funnel cakes and lemonade, and with the purchase of some glow-in-the-dark necklace that my daughter had her eye on. We were tired, but happy. The ticket price was worth it.

Some tips for surviving Santa’s Enchanted Forest: go on a weeknight; cut out a coupon from South Florida Parenting magazine (distributed free at local libraries) or from the web site; and bring ear plugs - unless you like to hear “White Christmas” at 160 decibels.

The bottom line is you can’t eat a powdered donut without getting some on your upper lip. And you can’t leave Santa’s Enchanted Forest without getting a dose of holiday spirit.

IF YOU GO:

Santa’s Enchanted Forest
7900 SW 40th Street
Miami, FL 33155
Tickets: Adults $21.03 + tax; kids (9 and under) and seniors $14.49 + tax. 2 and under free.
Tel: (305) 559-9689
Wheelchairs and strollers are available for rent.

Historic Redland Tropical Trail

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:21:00 GMT

This is the best time of year to check out all of the cool attractions in the beautiful agricultural area of South Miami-Dade County called the Redland. The Historic Redland Tropical Trail encompasses many of the Redland’s most popular attractions, including R.F. Orchids, Coral Castle, Everglades Alligator Farm, Schnebly Redland’s Winery, Bonsai Garden, Robert Is Here Fruit Stand, Monkey Jungle, Capri Restaurant and Cauley Square. The new “Winter on the Trail” Passport Promotion encourages visitors to pick up a Passport at any of these attractions, and get it stamped as they visit other attractions along the Historic Redland Tropical Trail. When patrons have five stamps on their passports, they are eligible to receive a souvenir gift at the fifth stop and also enter into cash drawings with prizes valued at more than $2,500. A Grand Prize drawing will be held on March 6, 2008.