With finals week often comes a desperate need for a break and an empty wallet after a semester of spending. Or maybe you’re staying in Miami for the summer and in need of new things to do.
Either way, here are enough free activities around Miami to last you a whole week.
Monday: Kennedy Park
Start your week off right by exercising at Kennedy Park. Breathe in the ocean air as you run or walk the running path that’s 1.1 miles. The park has volleyball courts and is equipped with tons of exercise machines like a leg press, rowing and elliptical machines. The park also has a dog park, so let your dog out for a bit to enjoy the outdoors.
Kennedy Park is located at 2400 S. Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove.
Tuesday: Taco Tuesdays at Wood Tavern
The best way to spend a Tuesday is to hit up Wood Tavern in Wynwood. On Tuesdays they host Taco Tuesdays, where they give free tacos from 5 to 8 p.m. After 8 p.m., tacos are $1 each. If you don’t want to wait in a long line full of starving hipsters, then my suggestion is to get there relatively early or on time.
Wood Tavern is located at 2531 NW Second Ave., Wynwood.
Wednesday: Yoga at Bayfront Park
End your stressful hump day with free yoga. Yogis meet up in Bayfront park at 6 p.m. every Wednesday. If you don’t have a yoga mat, don’t worry – they’ll provide. However, if you’re an uncoordinated newbie, you may find the class challenging.
Yoga at Bayfront Park is located at 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Thursdays: The Broken Shaker
Thursdays at the Grove is overplayed and filled with the same faces we try to avoid every week. Mix it up and go to the Broken Shaker at the Freehand Miami Hostel. It’s the place you go into with one friend and come out with several new friends. The intimate bar prides itself on its specialty cocktails, made from locally grown fruits as well as herbs and spices straight from the Broken Shaker’s garden.
But it isn’t just the cocktails that make the Broken Shaker worth a visit. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the laid-back bar offers plenty of entertainment. You and a buddy can have a blast from the past with a round of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, or a game of table tennis in the courtyard. For the more low-key groups, start up a game of Jenga, and hope you can still see straight enough to play. The Shaker is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays.
The Broken Shaker is located at 2727 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach.
Friday: Peachfuzz Fridays at Grand Central
Going to Miami Beach clubs are a blast, but always hurts your bank account. Some nights are best spent dressed laid back, instead of having to worry if your dress fits weird or if your friend’s ID can get her in. Peachfuzz at The Garret in Grand Central is a great alternative. Chill at the downtown club with one of the heaviest sound systems in the city. The venue always plays a variety of music that gets the crowd of sweaty people going. Enjoy your night that may start with funk music and end in old school hip hop.
Grand Central is located at 697 N. Miami Ave., Miami.
Saturday: Books & Books live music
Books & Books is the local favorite Gables bookstore. They host live music in the courtyard from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The music varies from Latin to jazz to Caribbean. As you enjoy the music, make your way around the wooden floors inside to look for that random international magazine you can’t locate anywhere else in Miami.
Books & Books is located on 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.
Sunday: Miami Beach
Who wants to spend their Sunday at Richter all lonely up in a Stacks cubicle? Stop leaving things for the last minute and get some sun on Miami Beach. Getting a group together for a beach day is never a bad idea. Tanning, walking, playing volleyball and football are just some things you can do without taking your wallet out. Or bring your bike and take a ride through South Beach. If you don’t have a bike, you can rent a Deco Bike from Miami Beach’s bike program around the city for $4.
If you feel up to it, walk around Lincoln Road and absorb all the characters that make up Miami. From the dancing man with a boom box who rocks his platform shoes to all the plastic surgery victims, it’s great to people watch.