Bayside Marketplace Entertainment Experience – Miami, Florida

For New Year’s Eve of 2020-2021, we were in Miami Florida and had a great time. I will never forget our experience at the Sawgrass Everglades Boat Tour. Truly an amazing experience.  However, one of the places we kept coming back to visit was the Bayside Marketplace. It was a great place to hang out, do a little shopping, people watch, and see the several Christmas trees that were still up. One of them even included an Island Santa, lol. Thought that was really funny but fitting for the area. We enjoyed walking around, grabbing some lunch, and just enjoying the beautiful views of the ocean. Man, I miss that being in a land-locked state.

Anyway, this exciting marketplace is a two-story open-air shopping center and reminded me a lot of Ala Moana on Oahu, but smaller. However, they also have live music daily, restaurants, bars with an open container policy, as well as many family events. There are actually 140 inline spaces, as well as over 50 carts and kiosks located in and around the center.  Of course, it is right on the waterfront which makes it even more appealing.

One thing you can’t miss is the huge Ferris Wheel, which they call the Skyviews Miami Observation Wheel. Whatever you want to call it, it is huge and towers almost 200 feet above the Bayside Marketplace. We didn’t do a ride, but apparently, there are unparalleled views of Biscayne Bay, Bayfront Park, as well as the Downtown Miami skyline. There are 42 Gondolas that are climate controlled where it’s always 72 degrees. Sounds like it would be nice when it’s a hot day. Of those 42 gondolas, one is actually a VIP gondola and features leather bucket seats, a custom LED light show, and a glass-bottom floor. I have to say, it better be 72 or with leather seats, you may lose some skin if you are wearing shorts, lol. In all seriousness, it sounds like something cool to do and the ride does last 12 to 15 minutes. Below is information about prices, hours, etc.

Hours:

• Monday to Friday:   1pm – 10pm
• Saturday & Sunday:   12pm – 10pm

Prices:

• General 12+: $17.06
• Seniors 65+: $16.22
• Active Military with ID: $16.22
• Juniors 4 to 11: $14.92
• Children under 4 our treat! (with a riding adult)
• First Class VIP luxury Gondola: $50.00 per person,

Special privileges include:

• VIP access to the luxury gondola with seating for 4 in leather Ferrari style bucket seats
• Glass bottom floor
• Front of the line access
• Great for special events such as romantic proposals, anniversaries, birthdays & more!
• All tickets include a bonus of buzzybooth selfie photos,
• City Surcharge and sales taxes are not included.

Besides all the opportunities for shopping and eating, Bayside Marketplace is where many local excursions and attractions start. Here is a list of a few with their websites. Check their site for hours and prices.

• Island Queen Cruises and Tours
• Bike and Roll Miami
• Bayside Lady Luxury 
• Capt. Jimmy’s Fiesta Cruise
• Capt. Jimmy’s Fishing Charters
• Skyline Miami Cruise
• Thriller Speedboat Adventures
• Water Taxi Miami

We had a wonderful time walking around Bayside Marketplace and checking out some of the shops, and enjoying the beautiful views of the ocean. We also saw a lot of different types of birds and animals running around. There were also a lot of ships and yachts in the area. It was very nice that it is an open-air venue and a great place for people watching. Parking was a little difficult and expensive, so I would suggest taking public transportation if you can. It will be cheaper and less stressful. Even with that said I hope to visit again the next time we are in Miami. Here is a link to their website if you want to learn more about the marketplace.

Bayside Marketplace Visitor Information

Address:

401 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132

Phone:

305-577-3344

Hours:

Monday-Thursday 10:00 AM-10:00 PM
Frida-Saturday 10:00AM-11:00PM
Sunday 11:00AM-11:00PM

Restaurants & Bars may stay open later

Directions:

• Take I-95 to I-395 East.
• Exit at Biscayne Boulevard off ramp.
• At the end of the off ramp, continue eastbound across NE 2nd Ave.
• Turn right (South) onto Biscayne Boulevard, continue until you reach NE 2nd Street.
• Turn left (East) at NE 2nd Street.
• Turn left (North) at Biscayne Boulevard.
• Go one block to NE 3rd Street and turn right (East) into Bayside Marketplace.
• Immediately veer left toward the parking garage.

Transportation:

Miami Dade Transit provides convenient access to Bayside Marketplace. For route and schedule information please visit the Miami Dade Transit website or call: 305-770-3131

BUS

Miami Beach: take the S or C bus

Miami International Airport: Take the Orange Line Metro Rail

Port of Miami: take the free Coral Way trolley to the Biscayne Blvd. stop

RAIL

Take Miami’s Metro-Rail to Government Center and connect to the Downtown Metro-Mover (Inner Loop). Get off at the college/Bayside stop and walk one block East

TRAIN

Brightline train station is at  600 NW 1st Ave. (station entrance is located at the corner of NW 1st Ave. and NW 6th St.). This is walking distance from Bayside and also connects to rail/bus/ride-sharing.

https://info.gobrightline.com/routes-stations/miami/

RIDE-SHARING

At the front of the property, many ride-sharing options are also available such as; Taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.

Parking:

Paid parking is available for both shoppers and guests attending events at the American Airlines Arena

Valet parking is available during some special events in the downtown area

Two van-accessible handicap parking spaces are provided at the south service road in front of the property.

Stroller parking is available adjacent to the property in the Bayside Parking Garage

Contact Info: Hader Baez   |  Hbaez@platinumparking.us  |  727-667-6767