There is never a shortage of activities in Miami or Miami Beach. Even though we are in the midst of the wet season, and the iPhone weather app claims that every day will be cloudy and/or rainy, we usually have daily periods of clear skies and sunshine. If you’re bored with lounging by the pool, floating on a boat, or frolicking in the ocean, or you are just looking for something new or different to do, we thought we’d share a few neat events around town this weekend.
If you are a fan of the mango, then you are in luck. Tomorrow and Sunday (July 12th and 13th) the International Mango Festival will be held at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, located at 10901 Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables. That’s right, there is an entire festival devoted to this succulent, delicious, and versatile tropical fruit. The festival will be replete with lectures and workshops all about mangos, including how to grow them and how to cook them. And, there will be plenty of opportunities to taste different types of mangos and mango dishes, including a Mango Brunch! Did you know there are over 400 varieties of mangoes?! Neither did we!
If learning about and tasting mangos isn’t your activity of choice and you are looking for something a bit more artsy or cultural, there is a musical adaptation of the fairy tale Rapunzel at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center. The center’s address is 3385 NE 188th Street. There are various show times for the musical today and tomorrow, and tickets are only $10! If you aren’t feeling the mango or fairy tale musical scene or you prefer something outdoors, then perhaps you should check out the Get in Gear Bike Ride or Miami-Dade’s Eco-Adventure Sunset and Moonlight Kayak tour. Both events are taking place tomorrow July 12th.
The ten-mile bike ride is a morning event that starts at 8:30 a.m., departing from the MOCA museum plaza, which is located at 770 NE 125th Street in North Miami. Miami is working on becoming a bike-friendly town with implementation of the Deco Bike program and the addition of bike lanes. The best part about this particular ride, however, is that there will be a police escort so you don’t have to worry as much about crazy Miami drivers trying to run you over. This is actually a new monthly event organized by the City of North Miami’s Parks and Recreation Department. It is scheduled to take place the second Saturday of every month, so if you can’t make the ride tomorrow, there is always next time!
Or, if you prefer to get your exercise on the water and want to enjoy the outdoors and see some wildlife, then the Sunset and Kayak tour is the way to go. Tomorrow evening from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. you can hop in a kayak and paddle your way around Key Biscayne with a group of fellow kayakers. The tour leaves from Crandon Park, located at 4000 Crandon Boulevard on Key Biscayne. There are probably tons of other activities this weekend, but these ones stood out as bit out of the ordinary. Stay tuned for information on next weekend’s big event, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim…