The evening temperatures were far more manageable than I expected in southern Florida in the summer, with low humidity and a cool breeze as long as we were on the water. From our downtown hotel, the Intercontinental by IGH, we had easy access to the Bayfront park Bayside Marketplace. The park is well-suited for families with children of all ages, with garden spaces, playgrounds, art installations, and space to run and play. Bayside Marketplace was a mix of chain restaurants (with Hard Rock Café as the main attraction) and bars and food kiosks.
The Intercontinental by IHG was incredibly convenient for a pre-cruise stay; we could even see the terminal and our ship from our bayfront room window. The swimming pool area overlooking the bay had a bar and limited restaurant menu and opened to a large lawn with games.

We were lucky to have friends living in Miami give us a tour of the city and to accompany us on a trip to the Fairchild Tropical Garden, a roughly 20 minute drive from downtown. We spent the most time in The Richard H. Simmons Rainforest garden and Wings of the Tropics Butterfly House. Additional gardens of interest were the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House and the Arid and Succulents Garden. We strolled without a real destination, enjoying the orchids, bromeliads, and other colorful flowers scattered throughout the many different gardens.

We were lucky to give us a tour of the city and a trip to the Fairchild Tropical Garden, a roughly 20 minute drive from downtown. We spent the most time in The Richard H. Simmons Rainforest garden and Wings of the Tropics Butterfly House. Additional gardens of interest were the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House and the Arid and Succulents Garden. We strolled without a real destination, enjoying the orchids, bromeliads, and other colorful flowers scattered throughout the many different gardens. Although multiple signs warned of crocodiles, we only saw an array of smaller lizards, including iguanas, anoles, and a basilisk that ran on two legs (like the cartoon roadrunner) across the path in front of us. Our one regret of the visit was not bringing mosquito repellant.

We had nearly a full day in Miami before our departure flight. The Frost Museum of Science and Pérez Art Museum are connected by a large plaza and conveniently located in downtown Miami, between Miami Beach and the airport. Marisol and Warhol Take New York will likely remain the biggest draw to the Pérez Art Museum through Labor Day 2022. Highlights of their ongoing collection included the digital display Marco Brambilla: Heaven’s Gate and Carlos Cruz-Diez: Chromosaturation.

The Frost Museum also provided luggage storage, so we were able to spend our time there without having to backtrack to the hotel. This museum focuses heavily on marine habitats, with aquatic tanks visible on multiple floors. The MELAB interactive exhibits extend over two floors and are especially engaging for children ages 8-12. With more time we would have tried to solve the crime in the Sherlock Holmes traveling exhibition, but with just 30 minutes we just explored some of the individual clue activities and jumped ahead to learn the culprit.