Afraid to go near Miami during Ultra this weekend? Here’s what you can do instead
Ultra is coming, and we must escape.
The electronic dance music festival, which runs March 25-27, has returned to downtown Miami to bring the beats to fans — and the traffic headaches to everybody else.
But you are not required to spend any time in downtown Miami this weekend (well, unless you have Heat/Nets tickets, which might be worth the struggle).
In fact, we have a few suggestions on how to spend your time in other places to avoid wasting those precious commodities (your mind and your gas, which could be up to $5 a gallon by the time you finish reading this sentence).
With spring break in full swing over on South Beach, you might want to skip the shore, too. But don’t worry. Here are a few things you can do instead of fuming about traffic and crowds.
Ultra Music Festival is coming to Miami this weekend. Here’s what you need to know
Watch tennis at Miami Open
This internationally acclaimed tennis tournament, which runs through April 3, draws top players from around the world. This year, you can ride a gondola over the competition and practice courts.
Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens; www.miamiopen.com
Eat, ride and more at the youth fair
At the Miami-Dade Fair & Exposition, you can watch pig races, check out student exhibits, listen to music, ride some stomach-lurching rides and eat a bucket of deep-fried flan bites and a monster mozzarella stick and be very happy. But maybe ride the rides first before you get too dreamy over corn dogs.
Tamiami Park, Southwest 112th Avenue and Coral Way; www.thefair.me
Eat at Smorgasburg
The new open-air food market in Wynwood comes straight from the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and offers a wide variety of food from mostly local vendors — tacos, empanadas, grilled meat, pizza, ice cream, doughnuts and more.
Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday only; 2612 NW Second Ave., Miami
Visit the new Graffiti Museum
Discover the true history of the urban art movement in the new, bigger space right next to Wynwood Walls (then go next door and see how the work has evolved).
276 NW 26th St., Miami; museumofgraffiti.com
Get some fresh air at Fairchild Tropical Garden
Miami’s giant botanical garden offers miles of strolling in the sunshine. At 7:30 a.m. March 26, take a guided nature walk and look for birds. From 8-10 a.m. March 27, bring your furry best friend for a dog date and enjoy the outdoors.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami; fairchildgarden.org
See a thought-provoking play
It’s the last weekend for GableStage’s provocative play “The White Card” by Claudia Rankine.
8 p.m. March 25-26, 2 p.m. March 27; 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; www.gablestage.org
Head south to a giant flea market
Redland Market Village is a flea market lover’s dream. Not only can you buy just about anything, you can eat just about anything (we recommend the fried shrimp and the churros, though not necessarily at the same time).
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 22420 South Dixie Highway, Homestead
Head north to a giant farmers market
You can easily spend a day at the Hollywood Yellow Green Farmers Market, where you can eat everything from Ethiopian food to Bolivian salteñas as well as drink, shop, listen to live entertainment and even watch sports (it’s March Madness season, after all). We highly recommend grabbing a cold one and watching the world walk by.
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 3080 Sheridan St., Hollywood; www.ygfarmersmarket.com
Meet the mermaids
Relive Florida’s golden age of tourism at The Wreck Bar at B Ocean Resort on Fort Lauderdale beach, which hosts the only underwater burlesque show in the country on Friday and Saturday nights. If pasties are too much for you, go on Sunday for the Mermaids & Mimosas brunch.
B Ocean Resort, 1140 Seabreeze Ave., Fort Lauderdale; www.bhotelsandresorts.com/b-ocean-resort/eat-drink/mermaids-at-the-wreck-bar/
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.