Top 5 Trolley Rides in South Florida

#1 The Miami Trolley

The trolleys in Miami operate in a congested urban area with little and expensive parking, but these trolleys make moving about a pleasure! Traffic is always heavy, so caution is in order with any children who may tire of being in slow-moving traffic. Bring along a few toys or things to occupy the kids just in case.  The system consists of 7 FREE routes, running every day at 15 minute intervals, 8:00-8:00, www.cityofmiami.gov/trolley. There are links to Metrorail and to Metromover which has FREE elevated cars circling the downtown area. 

Biscayne Route is the most interesting. It connects with Metrorail at the Brickell station (parking $4.50 a day) and travels chiefly along Brickell Ave. and Biscayne Blvd. Starting at the station and heading north, attractions are:

• Southside Park, with playground and picnic tables
• High-rise office and residential buildings
• Mary Brickell Village shops and restaurants
• Miami Circle, a free 2-acre archeological site and museum of early American Indian and pioneer life www.historymiami.org; 
• Bayfront Park, stretching 5 blocks along Biscayne Bay, with many play structures, fountain, amphitheater, seaside walk, gardens, benches, & monuments 
• Metromover Bayfront station, where you can transfer for a ride in an elevated car for FREE (kids LOVE LOVE LOVE this)
• Bayside Marketplace, an outdoor waterfront shopping and dining area 
• American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat and a performance venue www.aaarena.com, 
• Freedom Tower, a Spanish-style structure with varied history www.mdcmoad.org 
• Perez Art Museum, a new building with a contemporary collection, www.pamm.org, (10-6 except Monday, $12 adults, $8 ages 7-18)
• Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, with ballet/opera and concert halls on opposite sides of the boulevard. Guided tours are offered on Monday and Saturday at noon. 
• Midtown Miami shops and residences
• Design District galleries and showrooms – not usually open to the public

At the Brickell Metrorail station, it is possible to transfer to Brickell Route, continuing south to:

• Wainwright park, with playground, picnic tables and a basketball court
• Vizcaya, an Italian Renaissance mansion and gardens on the bay 

At the American Airlines Arena or Freedom Tower, it is possible to transfer to the new Coral Way Route: accessing, from east to west:

• Port Miami
• Flagler Street, the heart of downtown Miami
• Government Center Metrorail station
• Miracle Mile shopping and dining district in Coral Gables

Transfer to Coral Gables city trolley, which connects US 1 and SW 8 St/US 41 along Ponce de Leon Blvd. Take in picturesque Coral Gables and hop off to enjoy museums, cinemas, restaurants and more!

The Miami system of trolleys, Metrorail and Metromover give you and your family more than a day full of different places to see and explore!  We chose it as our top choice because you can make several day trips out to the different areas all for FREE and never tire of the scenary.

Enjoy your explorations!