This weekend Jon took a 2 day class in Miami so obviously Aaron and I tagged along for a little weekend away. If there’s anything my (now) 4 year old loves, it’s a night at a hotel (with a tv).
On previous trips to Miami I would totally fill every second with plans, usually to the Miami Children’s Museum or Zoo Miami (we love both so much)! But I’m currently 6 months pregnant so decided to not overdo it this time.
We went into the weekend with zero plans and zero tickets to anything. Just a hotel reservation.
We had an early start to our Saturday morning to trek down to Miami (with a quick pit stop at Dunkin for some breakfast). We dropped Jon off at his class and then started figuring out our next moves.
Coral Gables with Kids
Phillips Park
A quick google search of “playgrounds” brought us to Phillips Park, which happened to be around the corner from where we were.
This park has big open fields, tennis courts, a pavilion, etc.
I was just happy to find a playground that has shade. And benches! (This pregnant lady is a big fan of sitting and letting my kid play).
Something I’m working on as a mom is doing less and not feeling guilty about it. Really just putting less pressure on myself. It’s okay to plan less and spend less. I know my kid is happiest at a playground.
Versailles Bakery
Versailles Bakery is a Miami staple. And lucky for us it was also just a few minute drive from where we were. There’s the iconic Versailles Cuban restaurant but right next to it is the quick service bakery, which is currently more our speed.
We each picked out a couple treats, I got myself a cafe con leche and we found a table outside to enjoy.
(Why does it feel so embarrassing to order in English when I’m sure most people who go there are tourists who also only speak English?)
Can you tell Aaron has never had an eclair before by the way he’s eating (my) eclair? Haha
After our treats we were happy to just head back and play at the playground. Aaron made a friend and honestly is always just happy at a playground.
Aaron spent a good amount of the day asking if it was 3 o clock yet so he could go to the hotel and watch tv.
He squeezed in a little car nap and then we picked up Jon and we were all ready for a little rest and regroup at the hotel.
Piccola Pizzeria
We stayed in Doral and wanted an easy and close by restaurant for dinner. After both of us scrolled google maps for a little and found a shopping center with some dinner options. We drove over, read a few menus and went with Piccola for pizza.
The waitress told us it was authentic Italian and even she was from Italy.
Wynwood
The next day we had somewhat more of a plan because my mom was driving down to spend the day with us. We wanted to meet in Wynwood and walk around.
Zak the Baker
Zak the Baker will always and forever be one of our favorite places to visit. I usually prefer to sit for breakfast/brunch/lunch but this time we just got some treats to go. We’re far from their only fans and the wait for a table was more than my little guy was going to wait.
Aaron was deciding between a cookie and some chocolate babka (or “bakka” as he calls it). So he got the babka, I got myself a chocolate chip cookie and my mom went with the almond croissant.
After a little while of walking around Wynwood in the heat, Aaron and I were both pretty cranky. We decided we needed to be in some water.
My mom had found a beach park in Coral Gables called Matheson Hammock Park that has an atoll pool which is a very shallow little beach, perfect for little kids.
The best places in Miami are the ones with trees like these.
I was just about done driving through Miami – couldn’t imagine living there and dealing with that traffic daily. But then we turned onto this road and my mood completely changed.
I will say the water was kind of murky and smelly but it cooled us down and Aaron was happy to play in the shallow, wave free water.
And our weekend ended perfectly with a stop at one of my favorite Israeli restaurants, Pita Plus (in Hollywood) on our way home. I used to go all the time with my family but haven’t been in years.
It was so fun how much Aaron loved it, even if all he ate for dinner was Bamba.
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