Lovely passive park with beautiful art, walking trail, gardens, benches, amphitheater, and…read morepowerlines above. This park is truly lovely but the placement near an industrial area and townhome is weird. Although it is close to the highway this makes it convenient to visit. Basically one can walk the park in 15 minutes but if you study the art it will take longer. For me the vibe is freedom, starting over, and liberty for immigrants in the expression of the art. I can totally relate since my parents migrated from another county and struggled here and made it here. In my opinion, the art felt like it was a tribute to all the Latin artists and what they felt. I am glad I made my way to this park because I think the idea of art in a park is brilliant as well as using dead space among the power lines is smart.

Wow! Well done Hialeah! Opened in 2015, Garden of the Arts is a free botanical garden with art…read moreinstallations. It was created as a result of the Miami-Dade County Building Better Communities Bond Program. A paved half mile walking trail winds among art and plants located under power lines. This is an area that is usually left empty although I sometimes see other towns put passive parks under them. The art in the park is by local and world renowned artists. Artists featured include Alexander Mijares, Astrid Alcayaga Art, Reynaldo Artires, Villamil ART, Rafael Consuegra Studio, Noel Leon, Antonio Fortuna Art, Aristide, Juan Abuela, Zaida del Río, Roberto Perez Crespo, Ramon Pedraza, Florencio Gelabert, and Alexis Porro-Fortún Artist. There are 11 murals, some of which relate the history of Hialeah. There are also sculptures that range from small to quite large. I never got bored. As I wandered down the path there was always a cool plant or thought provoking piece of art to discover. As I walked it was a little disconcerting to hear the power lines crackling overhead. The park also includes an amphitheater, benches and seating areas, and an elevated stage with turf seating. The amphitheater can be rented for private events like weddings. Parking is in a free lot at the entrance to the park. What a wonderful place to experience the arts and culture in the setting of a beautiful botanical garden.

I was intrigued by this art exhibit at the Aventura Mall, so I went to check it out. It's outdoors,…read moreso it provides that sense of jungle and tropical environment that is just right for "gorillas". Gorillas in the Mist is a unique public work designed expressly for Aventura Mall. A whimsical fountain comprised of three large-scale bronze gorillas, four massive bronze trees and five hand-carved marble benches. I found them a bit spread out, so I needed to get at the right distance and angle to appreciate the entire exhibit. It's a fountain and a playground, built specifically with children in mind. And sure enough while I was there...many children were having fun playing around them and on them...freely and care free.....

Let me preface this with saying that it is a beautiful set up and the architecture and design are…read moregreat. However, In my opinion this is incorrectly advertised as a Fountain, Children's Playground or Splash pad. By word of mouth, we heard how great this "little splashpad" was. Great for moms who wanted to get some shopping done and then take their little for some fun time and water play time. I did not think to snap a picture, but will do so on my next visit. According to this sign, the fountain uses reclaimed water and there is an advisory that the water should not be swallowed! This sign is not prominently displayed. I have a toddler who like many other toddlers, loves to run, splash and occasionally swallow water (especially when it's shooting out from the ground and out of the gorillas). Sounds cool, but in reality it's a bit disgusting. My husband and I were utterly disgusted that we did not see this sign until we were leaving and happen to look over out of curiosity! On the AM webpage description of the Gorillas in the most fountain it clearly states: "It's a fountain and a playground, built specifically with children in mind."..... if it is made with children in mind, why is it that we're potentially exposing the child to reclaimed water that should not be swallowed? Now to the defense of AM, they do not advertise this as a splashpad, so shame on us parents for treating it as such. It's a "Fountain". It's definitely nice to look at it! Play at your own risk.

This is a large scale bronze public art piece by renowned Cuban artist Cundo Bermudez (1914-2008)…read more He is considered that last of the great Cuban master artists. His final 20 foot tall masterpiece, "Flora la Recogedora de Sueños," was dedicated to the City of Miami, a place he always felt welcomed. Cundo Bermudez was an immigrant to Miami and he wanted Flora to represent the hope all immigrants have and to show the love he had for Miami, a place that is very welcoming to people from all over the world. Abou the piece Cundo said ". "Flora just came to say, I'm here to stay. The meaning of this piece is very touching because it reveals our humanity. Despite all the problems in life, people are always hopeful and it is reflected in the artwork named Flora la Recogedora de Sueños, where dreams will be kept to see if they come true." I really like this quote by Cundo "Humans evaporate, but artwork will stand forever." I have always admired this sculpture in Maurice A. Ferré Park. There is something so regal about it and now that I learned the meaning behind it, I like it even more. Parking is available in Maurice A. Ferré Park for $5 and hour.

How do you rate an abandoned graveyard? So rating is not relevant...great for history buffs, but so…read moresad to see the state of this historical place. Here are my thoughts today and what I shared on my private Instagram account today.. During the lockdown I am seeing as much history as possible in the Miami area. So today I visted the Historical Lincoln Memorial Park. This place is now abandoned and trespassers are not allowed. I read that people have been scavenging the old gravestones to dig up skills to sell... It is located in a very run down, poor neighbourhood and I felt very out of place in a decent car n being female n white. Whilst standing there for 5 minutes I felt extremely intimidated n yes actually scared, especially when I saw a lady stood on top of one of the grave stones screaming, cursing n waving her arms about. She spotted me n then screamed "hey Bitch, you don't belong here!" Prior to that trying to find somewhere to park, I saw several young men, rummaging n digging on the edge of the cemetery...for what, I have no idea. I did not feel comfortable staying for long. Lincoln is the final resting place for an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 African Americans, lynching victims n millionaires alike, pressed together in the equality of their legal inequality. Nearly a 100 yrs after its first burials, the graveyard is a misbegotten jumble of tombs, the names of occupants scrubbed away by years of sun and storm. The layout of the cemetery is of the above the ground burial style which is very popular in locations at or below sea level n are prone to flooding.Some of Miami's most noted African-Americans  are buried in Lincoln Memorial Park: Kelsey Phar, 1st owner of the cemetery (died 1964), H.E.S. Reeves, founder of the Miami Times, the county's oldest Black-owned newspaper (died 1970), Gwen Cherry, the 1st African-American woman to serve as a state legislator in Florida (died 1979), Dana A. Dorsey, Miami's 1st Black millionaire

I never knew about this cemetery although I was familiar with other old cemetery's in Miami like…read morethe City Cemetery and Pine Wood. I happened to go to the Coral Gables Museum today and they are having a special exhibit on this cemetery. It's $5 extra to see it which I paid but I really had no idea what I was looking at. After a few minutes I was informed a tour was starting and I should join it. The tour was led by the director of the museum, John Allen. As he explained to us the museum was partnering with this cemetery to help clean it up. This is Florida's most significant predominantly African-American cemetery. It was started by Dr. Kelsey Pharr who was trained as an embalmer in Boston. He arrived in South Florida in the early 1900's and started using the land owned by F.B. Miller to bury lynching victims. When Miller he found out he offered to sell Dr. Pharr the land and with the help of Roddy Burdine, founder of Burdine department stores he purchased the land on NW 46th Street and 31st Avenue and called it Lincoln Memorial. He finished paying for it in 1937. Today the area where the lynching victims are buried is unreachable. Dr Pharr buried other notable African Americans here, the most famous being Dana Albert Dorsey, Miami's first black millionaire who was buried in the cemetery in 1940. Other people finding their final resting place here include Gwen Sawyer Cherry first African-American woman in the legislature, Dr. William Sawyer, a protégé of W.E.B. Dubois, and H.E.S Reeves who founded the Miami Times, the city's first black newspaper. Dr. Pharr's only child, a son, didn't want to be in the funeral business so he left for Broadway and Hollywood to become an actor. The cemetery fell into the hands of Elyn Johnson who had it left to her by the Pharr's who are interred here. Dr. Pharr passed away in 1964. Johnson was a great historian but she developed alzheimer's and has since passed away. The cemetery started it's decline in the 1990's and it is now owned by Johnson's niece Jessica Williams. Arthur Kennedy is the self appointed sole caretaker of the cemetery and he isn't even paid. He took on the job because he came to the cemetery to search for the grave of his grandfather and he is still looking. The museum is trying to assist him in his quest. After learning about this historic cemetery at the museum I came over to see it in person and I was completely shocked. The pictures at the museum indicate neglect but I was not prepared for what I saw. The front gate was locked so I decided to drive around the corner. The entire back fence of the property is gone and there are graves sitting along the street. Everything is choked out by weeds burying the stone coffins. Coffins are broken, there is garbage everywhere, and I even saw rats. I couldn't believe it when I saw a preschool backing the cemetery. For a long time this was the only place you could be buried if you were African American. There is so much history here and it is a shame to see the condition of this cemetery. The museum is trying to raise money to help and they have volunteers coming once a month for cleanup but there are as many as 20,000 graves here. John Allen even found 150 headstones in a shed that were never put on the graves. He is trying to match them to where they belong. Some of the graves have even been broken into and the remains scattered. George Merrick designed Coral Gables and he deserves to be remembered for it but the people who actually built his vision are buried here in deplorable conditions and they deserve to be remembered too. So do the 95 victims of a forced labor prison during the Jim Crow era. There are veterans here from the Civil war to Desert Storm who deserve better. I am so glad the museum has taken up this cause. I am not sure how to rate this cemetery. I love history so this is 5 stars for me but if I actually had a loved one buried here it would be 1 star.

George Merrick is the founder of the City of Coral Gables. His family came to Miami from PA two…read moreyears after Henry Flagler brought the railroad to Florida. It was the dawn of the development of Florida. George Merrick attended Rollins College in Winter Park and in 1922 he meticulously planned Coral Gables. The houses were so well made that they survived hurricanes before there were building codes and his architecture was so charming that Coral gables is called the city beautiful. He also created the University of Miami. At first he wanted his buildings to be strictly Spanish and later Mediterranean style. Eventually he expanded his vision to include seven unique villages inspired by different international influences. The villages were built during the land boom years in the 1920's. It was a joint venture between Merrick, The American Building Company and former Ohio Governor Myers Cooper. The original plan was for more 1,000 residences in a series of villages based on architecture from around the world. The plan was never fully realized when the housing boom crashed from two hurricanes followed by the Great Depression. In the end only seven villages were built including this Italian Village. By 1928 George Merrick was forced out of the city he founded and ended up in the Keys. He returned to the city two years before he died to serve as postmaster. You can learn more about George Merrick by taking a tour of his family home in Coral Gables. The Italian Village was designed by architects Frank Wyatt Woods, Pierson, Skinner, Alfred L. Klingbeil, R.F. Ware, and Robert Law Weed who took their inspiration from 17th century Italian farmhouses. This is the largest of Merrick's villages. The homes have street facing entrances, walled gardens and exterior stairways. There are seventeen buildings located within San Antonio Avenue, San Esteban, Segovia Street and Monserrate Streets. All are private residences so you can only view them from the street but there are some interior pictures online from when they come up for sale. I love how the outside themes are carried throughout the interior of the houses. The homes in the villages are some of the most sought after residences in the Gables. Today there 80 homes left. Expect to pay well over a million for an Italian village house. They rarely go up for sale and are always in high demand. Once you see them you can easily understand why they are so popular.

Coral Gables has quite a few "Villages", that depict different architectural styles from around the…read moreworld (see my other reviews) for example here in Coral Gables - we have Chinese, French, Italian and Dutch. This review is about the Italian village - see below for some more information regarding it. Please look a the pictures I managed to capture of one of the Italian style homes I saw from my car during the covid. Italian Village Generally bounded by San Antonio Avenue, San Esteban, Segovia Street and Monserrate Street, are seventeen homes inspired by the Italian farm houses. Architects Alfred L. Klingbeil, John and Coulton Skinner, R. F. Ware, and Robert Law Weed designed these residences from 1925-1927.

The Foster Park Plaza is located across the street from Foster Park. Both the park and the plaza…read morewere named in honor of the Hallandale Beach's first mayor, Foster Ingalls. He first served as Hallandale Police Chief from 1938-1943 and as mayor from 1950-1958. When creating this plaza the city asked for community design input. Foster Park Plaza opened on December 16, 2017. This linear park has benches, a stage, walking path, and colorful murals painted on a wall. Other park features include native landscaping, pedestrian lighting, benches, solar trash bins, a water fountain, and a flag pole surrounded by military medallions. My favorite part of this park is the multiple murals which is part of the city Mural Art Project. The murals add a vibrant energy to the park and represent the community that lives here. They also make a great backdrop for pictures.

The Miami Design District is so much fun to explore and there are exciting discoveries around every…read morecorner. Nestled in between high end stores like Christian Louboutin and Louis Vuitton are exciting pieces of public art like Le Corbusier located on the second floor of Palms Court. Le Corbusier is the work of French artist Xavier Veilhan who lives in Paris. He created this larger than life fiberglass piece of architect Le Corbusier who was a designer, painter, and city planner. He was especially well known for his modern architecture design. Le Corbusier orked for 50 years until his death in 1965. This piece has him wearing his signature round glasses. Le Corbusier used to sit on top of one of the architects most famous buildings, the Cité radieuse de Marseille in France. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Now this art piece overlooks Buckmeister Fulles Fly's Eye Dome with Sou Fujimoto's blue glass installation serving as a backdrop. France's loss is Miami's gain. The large scale of this piece makes it popular for selfies and social media. Le Corbusier is an iconic piece in the Design District. i really enjoyed learning more about both Veilhan and his subject Le Corbuiser. After finding this piece, going to France to see Cité radieuse is now on my bucket list. You too can go on a treasure hunt and explore all of the amazing art in the Design District.

wow, such a cool sculpture and surrounded by the gorgeous blue glass structures and overlooking the…read moreeye dome. Instagram, get ready. Here is some info regarding this unusual piece. In this formidable fiberglass sculpture, French artist Xavier Veilhan renders the larger than life architect Le Corbusier in a scale befitting of his stature. During his lifetime the multi-talented architect, designer, painter and city planner, Le Corbusier, was an impressive force in pioneering what would eventually define modern architecture. His career, spanning five decades, has left an indelible mark on art and architecture since his death in 1965. To create "Le Corbusier", the artist employed modern techniques that may have impressed the forward thinking architect. The bust began as a drawing before being translated into Veilhan's signature polygonal style with the help of a computer and digital scanner. Originally installed atop the Cité radieuse (Radiant City), one of Le Corbusier's most famous and influential buildings, Veilhan puts himself in direct conversation with the architect and his buildings. Here, Le Corbusier, and his characteristic circular glasses, overlooks another modern master's work: the Fly's Eye Dome by Buckminster Fuller.

The City of Miami Springs was founded in 1926 by aviation pioneer, inventor, and land developer…read moreGlenn H. Curtiss. One of the charming features of this town is the quaint Circle Park. This small city park is encircled by a road with roundabouts in downtown Miami Springs. Miami Springs Circle Park is a passive space with amenities that include paved pathways, a gazebo, trees, and benches. You can see a nod to city founder Glenn Cutiss on top of the gazebo where there is a weathervane of a plane like the kind he used to fly. The city uses the park to stage city events like the recent Glenn Curtiss Vintage Motorcycle and Car Show I recently attended and the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. On April 10-12, 2026, Miami Springs will celebrate its 100th anniversary with River Cities Regatta in Circle Park. This signature spring event will feature carnival rides, artisan vendors, food trucks, and live music. This sweet park is the perfect place to relax on a bench and take in the downtown or attend one of the many fun events staged by the city. Surrounding the park are a number of restaurants and shops, only a few steps away.