Baja fish tacos, curly fries, and chicken wings at Monty’s Raw Bar. | Julia Campbell
The cries have been coming from Biscayne’s wondrous shores since last year’s College Football Playoff: The U is back! And after 20+ years of painful mediocrity, Miami is once again the center of the college football world. Okay, maybe not the center, but with the Hurricanes a legitimate contender, a football trip to Miami is as alluring as a weekend in Tuscaloosa or a pilgrimage to the Big House.
Of course, Miami’s changed a little bit since the last time the Canes were good. The Orange Bowl is gone. The skyline has exploded. And Miami’s also become one of the greatest food cities in the world, where you can make an entire vacation out of hopping from little Cuban coffee windows to wagyu steakhouses, touring vibrant, colorful neighborhoods along the way.
Miami is not your usual college town, nor is The U your usual college experience. Students drive cars that cost more than four years’ tuition other places. The team doesn’t play on campus. And the school is probably a year away from letting students major in Influencing. Still, a football trip offers the combination of city getaway and college town energy. If the 305 is calling you, here’s how to spend your University of Miami football weekend.
Before you go
The stadium is…far: Hard Rock Stadium sits in Miami Gardens, a brisk 40-minute drive from campus on a Saturday morning with no traffic, and about the same distance from South Beach. Coming for a weeknight game? The drive north on I-95 or the Turnpike during rush hour is a hell I wish on no one. So plan to tailgate early.
Brush up your Español: Miami is a wonderful, beautiful, international city. It is also a place where English is very much a secondary language. In case your phone dies and Claude isn’t there to translate, you might want to brush up on some useful phrases. If you’re not renting a car, bear in mind that most Uber drivers speak only Spanish, and directing them may be difficult if there’s a language barrier.
Tickets are easy to get: Even when Miami was Miami, the old Orange Bowl still sat half empty for noon games against Rutgers. The team is great again, but unless you’re coming to see a big name opponent like Notre Dame, or a big rival like Florida or Florida State, tickets are ridiculously easy to get. Scan secondary sites starting the week before the game and you’ll be sending screenshots to your friends saying “Can you believe they’re this cheap??”
Day 1: Back on Campus
8 a.m. Breakfast on the beach: You’re in Miami, so the beach is first order of business. And while South Beach may be iconic, if you want the true sense of paradise head to Key Biscayne, just south of Downtown and Brickell. Start your day with Miami’s best croissants and baguettes at Flour And Weirdoughs, where you will likely meet everyone in Miami who owns a bicycle enjoying a post-ride reward. Get your goodies para llevar, though. They taste a little better on the beach.
10 a.m. Burn off croissants while you climb a lighthouse: Breakfast in hand, head to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park at the end of Key Biscayne. It’s a little slice of old Florida wilderness, and its beaches feel like you washed up in a version of Robinson Crusoe that somehow includes Jet Skis. After you’ve soaked up the sun, take a guided tour of the Cape Florida lighthouse, which dates back to 1825. The 109 spiral steps will burn off at least 5 bites of that croissant, and the views from the top are unlike any in Miami.
12 p.m. Tour a campus that looks more like a country club: A short trip across the Rickenbacker Causeway and south on US-1 (or Bayshore Drive, if you want the scenic route), and you’re in Coral Gables at the University of Miami. It looks more like a country club than an institution of learning, and whatever you imagined the on-campus swimming pool scene to look like, you’ve probably undersold it. To get the full experience, have lunch at The Rathskellar, a two-story, glass-walled bar with views out over Lake Osceola. Get a pitcher of beer and some No-Yes fries covered in cheddar, bacon, and ranch. They’re the quintessential nostalgia food for UM alums and taste especially satisfying while enjoyed on the Rat’s outdoor rocking tables.
2 p.m. Grab a beer at a basically-on-campus brewery: Between the main campus and the UM Baseball stadium you’ll find one of Dade County’s oldest breweries at Titanic. It’s the odd place where UM kids mingle with Coral Gables locals, not quite a campus bar, not quite a townie spot. The wings are many people’s pick for the best in Miami, and the Triple Screw Light Ale and Boiler Room Nut Brown have gotten many a professor through grading painful stacks of papers. Not that I know from experience or anything.
3 p.m. Buy your gameday wardrobe: While you might be tempted to stop at the on-campus bookstore for your giant orange “It’s all about the U” t-shirt, you’ll find a much better selection across US-1 at the official Miami Hurricanes team store. It’s located at the Thesis Hotel, an only-at-UM concept where a boutique hotel also serves as dorm rooms. The onsite restaurant The Collab is a hidden gem, where wood-fired pizzas and picanha steaks fill the room with flavor.
4 p.m. Stock up for your tailgate: If you’ve got a tailgate crew, win over your hosts by bringing top-tier steaks from Lomelo’s Meat Market, about 10 minutes south of campus on US-1. Here you’ll find reasonably priced wagyu steaks that taste like victory and a staff that’ll curate special boxes of steaks depending on your occasion. If elk, bison, and emu are more your tailgate speed, hit Wild Fork across from campus near the Metrorail station. They’ve got all sorts of exotic meats, plus hamburger patties and gourmet hot dogs.
5 p.m. Meet the student body at a waterfront happy hour: balmy, shady, Bahamian enclave of Coconut Grove was once the hub for all UM nightlife. That’s changed over the past decade, and it’s now arguably Miami’s best neighborhood for restaurants. It’s also the best place in Miami for a waterfront happy hour, beginning at Monty’s Raw Bar. This Miami institution feels like drinking on a dock under a chickee hut. The draft beers and cold oysters have kicked off countless Miami weekends.
Your average UM student, though, has more elevated tastes. Walk across Dinner Key Marina to Regatta Grove and you’ll find the go-to Friday happy hour spot for students. The swanky, multi-bar waterfront venue also boasts some of Miami’s best chefs in its shipping container food stalls. Jose Mendin’s Piefather, Jeff McInnis’ Tackle Box, Jeremy Ford’s JJ’s, and a bayfront outpost of Phuc Yea lead the lineup.
7 p.m. Top-tier steaks at a low-key steakhouse: Not far from Coconut Grove is The Shops at Merrick Park, a multi-story high end shopping and dining destination inspired by Mediterranean palazzos. The apartments that surround it rent for numbers you don’t want to know and are largely filled with UM students.
A block away you’ll also find The Wagyu Bar, Miami’s best steakhouse for those who are all about the meat. What it lacks in celebrity guests or influencer buzz it makes up for with the best steaks in Miami, preceded by creative appetizers like guacamole topped with fried NY strip, and beef butter bone marrow.
9 p.m. Return to glory days in the Grove: Bad news for UM alums who were expecting to waltz right back into the Tavern and commandeer the corner table with a pitcher of Miller Lite and a cigarette: The Tavern closed in 2020 and now looks like something out of Backrooms. Coconut Grove is all fancy now, and the lone core college memory left is Sandbar Sports Grill, where you can still order a Category 5 and climb on top of the lifeguard stand for old time’s sake.
10 p.m. Realize your drinking tastes have elevated: After exactly one drink at Sandbar, you’ll wonder how you ever spent entire nights there. The good news is one of Miami’s top cocktail bars is half a block away at Mae’s Room. The small, 19-seat bar stops short of calling itself a speakeasy but has creative drinks and low lighting. You can also order food from Chuggie’s next door – the casual hamburger offering from Ariete’s Michael Beltran. Word to the wise: Make a reservation. Mae’s keeps the vibe quiet and relaxing by limiting the number of people inside.
12 a.m. Nightcaps and then some at a rebuilt historic dive: At The U, “Let’s Go to Fox’s” was usually 1 am code for “Who’s down to get weird?” For almost 100 years, Fox’s Sherron Inn was a beloved local dive bar set far down US-1 in South Miami, where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face and the package window ID’d on the honor system. It was everything from a roadhouse to a brothel over the years, before it closed in 2020.
A few years ago, the Miamians behind Lost Boy and other successful bars, nostalgic as everyone else for this local landmark, recreated Fox’s in the same space, detail by detail, from the wood-paneled walls to the 1970s jukebox. The food’s almost exactly the same, the light is still low, and you still will end up drinking there until 3 a.m. without realizing.
Day 2: GAME DAY!!!
Today’s itinerary will vary based on gametime, so take this schedule as you will. This is based on a 3:30 pm kickoff, the sweet spot for tailgating and having time to go out after. Fingers crossed.
9 a.m. Grab breakfast at a near-campus favorite – while you still can: Miami, the city immediately adjacent to Coral Gables, has kinda been the Pawnee to the Gables’ Eagleton. Like a lot of gritty old Miami, it’s gone more upscale in the last few years, which means UM breakfast legend Deli Lane is not long for this earth. While you still can, stop in for its famous eggs Benedict or challah melt with ham, and see how Hurricanes have soaked up hangovers for generations. If you’re trying to grab breakfast closer to Hard Rock, hit Stadium Diner, a Miami Gardens staple that doubles as a Greek restaurant later in the day.
11 a.m. Tailgate on an F1 track: One of the coolest things about tailgating at Hard Rock Stadium is grilling your burgers and playing beer pong on an actual Formula 1 track. Pro tip: Get a green lot pass and enter at Gate 2A about half an hour after gates open. After your pass gets scanned, you’ll have about a quarter mile of F1 straightaway to yourself. Your move, Schumacher.
Tailgating is as much a part of the UM experience as the game itself, so plan to get to the stadium 3-4 hours early to make the most of it. Parking passes are generally available on secondary market sites and, strangely, are often in higher demand than tickets. There are a handful of cash lots, but they’re a long walk to the stadium and can cost more than buying a parking pass online. Consult this handy Hard Rock Stadium parking map and choose accordingly.
Students tailgate on the west side of the stadium. Hardcore fans will be in the Green lots, the only lots where you can park wherever you want. If you end up in Green, stop by East 3 Row 304, listen for the sound of a gas powered blender, come by and say hello. We’ll have a Jäger shot waiting for you.
3:30 p.m. GAME TIME!!!
Hard Rock Stadium is one of the best football venues in America, and its swanky new overhang keeps the rain off of the stands. It does not, however, keep the sun out of the stands. If you don’t want to lose ten pounds of sweat during the game get seats on the home side of the stadium. You’ve been warned.
Hard Rock also offers full liquor bars in every corner on the 100 level. The food is surprisingly good, with outposts of Benihana and local spots like Argentine favorite Novecento, Sushi Maki, and Sol Cubano.
8:00 p.m. Catch the late games and dodge livestreamers: After the game you’ll probably be as overstimulated as a border collie at Laser Zeppelin. This makes it the perfect time to visit the most over-stimulating park of Miami: Brickell, where live-streamers, roaring rented Lambos, and cartoonish plastic surgery converge. The streets become a caricature of every Miami stereotype tucked into 20 square blocks, as locals decked out in designer workout clothes return to their highrises after a 9 p.m. gym session, dodging street corner interviews along the way.
Tucked down SE 12th Street you’ll find Batch Gastropub, an unassuming sports bar that’s been in Brickell for over a decade. It’s the only place you’ll find actual fans watching the late football games, and the Batch Attack mac and cheese hits the spot when you realize you haven’t eaten since the tailgate.
10 p.m. Close out the night playing beer pong with football players: Coconut Grove’s last remaining dive bar is Barracuda Taphouse and Grill. In fairness, ’Cuda has cleaned up its bathrooms and vastly improved its beer selection over the past few years, but the crowd is still a delightful mix of students and salty locals. Postgame, you’ll find both occupying the picnic tables that fill the street in front of the bar, closed down so people can drink outdoors. It’s also the kind of place you’re likely to see football players walk in post-game. Win or lose, they generally enjoy a good game of beer pong.
Day 3: Recovery on the beach
10 a.m. Wake yourself up at a ventanita: If you’re feeling a little sluggish after your all-day tailgate bonanza, nothing clears that fog faster than a cafecito from one of Miami’s many ventanitas. Head to Calle Ocho in Little Havana and make your first stop the coffee window at El Pub. Word to the wise: Split the cafecito with your friends. Cuban coffee is the strongest stimulant Miami’s ever seen. And yes, I’m well aware of the city’s other reputation.
Continue through Calle Ocho and watch the abuelitos play dominos at Maximo Gomez Park. Pop into any number of cigar shops and breathe in the real air of Miami, grabbing a hand-rolled stogie to pair with your cafecito. If it’s open, take a peek inside Ball and Chain, an old music club from the 1930s that’s been restored to its former glory. Murals and music fill the walk from SW 16th Ave to SW 13th Ave., and while the walk is short it’s the most visitor-friendly immersion in Cuban culture.
12 p.m. Fuel back up with Miami’s best brunch: You can’t go to Miami without a stop in South Beach, much as locals would love to tell you otherwise. So close out your trip with the best brunch in Miami – the jazz brunch at the Setai. Over 100 food offerings and bottomless Bellinis complement a live jazz combo in the middle of the Asian-inspired courtyard.
2 p.m. After brunch drinks at one of the top cocktail bars in the world: A couple of blocks away from the Setai you’ll find Sweet Liberty, the late John Lemayer’s award-winning cocktail palace that’s popular with both locals and visitors. It’s gained acclaim for its hamburger and cheap oyster happy hours, but the real stars are the cocktails. The watermelon frosé will cool you off instantly if the trek from Setai got you sweating. Otherwise, the Fancy Poloma – made with Altos blanco, fresh-pressed grapefruit juice, and smoked salt – scratches the sunny day drink itch nicely.
3 p.m. Post up on Ocean Drive, frozen drink in hand: Any trip to Miami requires at least one stop on Ocean Drive. And contrary to what locals say, there are some great places to explore. Start at 14th Street and walk south on the beach side of Ocean Drive, taking in the iconic lineup of Art Deco hotels preserved from the 1920s. News Café is a good stopping point, where you can grab a coffee at one of Gianni Versace’s favorite spots. Speaking of Versace, you’ll walk right past his house, where a photo on the steps is mandatory.
If you’re keeping the party going, The Clevelander is your spot, an old Art Deco hotel that’s been ground zero for spring break for decades. Order a frozen Miami Vice – a slap-you-in-the-face sweet mix of daiquiri and piña colada – and watch the early NFL games poolside on the big screen. When it gets too hot, tuck into the attached sports bar on 10th Street.
4 p.m. Late NFL games and street art: In Miami’s colorful Wynwood Arts district you’ll find Grails, a sneaker-themed sports bar with a back patio dripping in flat screen TVs. The inside walls are like a sneaker museum, with rare and valuable footwear mounted on the walls. Get the full experience by ordering a cocktail in a ceramic sneaker that you can keep as a souvenir.
If you’re footballed out, take a walk around the neighborhood and take in the largest concentration of street murals in America. From NW 20th Street up to NW 29th Street, and from N Miami Ave to NW 5th Avenue, you’ll find block after block of detailed, provocative murals. Wynwood Walls is the neighborhood’s official museum, where you’ll learn all about how this area went from warehouse wasteland to street art mecca. Just note, it charges admission.
8 p.m. Pick your Asian delights – with a live DJ: Assuming you’ve got a group, your best Wynwood dinner bet is 1-800 Lucky, an Asian food hall with an attached vintage record store. You’ll find everything from Filipino street food at Kalye Eats to dumplings at Yip. One of Broward County’s most beloved Chinese restaurants, Golden Marquess, also has a spot inside. Nikkei favorite Itamae may have closed, but it lives on here at B-side. As is customary in Miami, your meal is accompanied by a live DJ at the outdoor bar, which turns into a low-key dance club after dark.
9 p.m. Sunday Night Football at Miami’s favorite neighborhood bar: Your city probably has that bar where, every time it’s mentioned, people from all walks of life say, “I LOVE that place!” In Miami, that bar is The Brightside on Coral Way. It’s the creation of a Midwestern couple, longtime bartenders who wanted to bring a little of that feel to Miami. The small, neighborhood spot is perfect for Sunday Night Football: The sound is always on and you can find a seat as long as the Bills aren’t playing. You’ll feel like a regular within two beers, and if you get hungry the beef on weck sandwich is the best you’ll find outside Buffalo.