Bayside Marketplace, Miami

Bayside Marketplace is a touristy place, and can be incredibly crowded. An open-air mall on the waterfront, with colorful shops, restaurants with outdoor seating overlooking the water, and souvenir stalls, the marketplace is a popular place, though it doesn't have any magic for me.

There is a carousel and mini-train for kids on weekends, and $5 pony rides on Saturdays. There are quite a few salespeople trying to get you to try things out. It's very loud with the traffic from the causeway zooming by. And there's a lot of action, as in all of Miami!
There are many choices of restaurants. On the water is Hard Rock Cafe, Hooters, and others. Under a gorgeous banyan tree is Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, with friendly servers and good food. Latin American Cafe has good Cuban food, a nice location on the water, but unfriendly servers. At night the marketplace is lit up beautifully and there is sometimes live music on the stage over the water. It can be noisy with the live music and the music from the restaurants colliding. Head over the causeway to 7th Street Beach for a swim after your meal!

Directions

Bayside Marketplace is located at 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami FL 33132. 
Hard Rock Cafe, call (305) 377-3110.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, call (305) 379-8866.
Parking costs $10-25, depending on the time of year. You can pay at the machine with cash or credit card.
If the parking is too expensive at Bayside Marketplace, you can park at the public garage on 3rd St, just west of 2nd Ave. The cost is $4/hour and it's only a short walk of a few blocks (0.3 miles). This parking lot can also be expensive though if there's an event ($15), though slightly less expensive than Bayside.

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