One of the things people take the most for granted is the place where they live. They are always dreaming of visiting other places or discovering new things, yet most people don’t ever really get to know their city the way that, say, a tourist does. That is definitely the case here in Miami, and I am no exception. I was born and raised here in the Magic City. I have traveled enough miles to go around the world over 60 times, to over 100 cities in 21 countries. I have also lived in 2 other states, on more than one occasion. And I am embarrassed to say, that I had never taken a “tour” of my own city…until now!
Adventure #7 began at Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami. This is a great outdoor shopping and dining venue that sits right on the water, about 10 minutes from where I live. I hadn’t been there in close to 15 years! The place was brimming with tourists, the music was flowing and the smell of the ocean breeze was unmistakeable. It felt like we were on vacation! (my kids actually said that!) Bayside is a tourist hub, which serves as a departure point for many of Miami’s best tours. In the spirit of our recent adventures, we decided to take the most extreme tour, the Miami Thriller!
The Miami Thriller is a throwback to the days of Miami Vice. It’s star attraction is a 50 foot racing power boat that can reach speeds of nearly 60 MPH in the water. This crazy fast boat zips you around Miami’s most beautiful beaches and waterways and gives you a tour of Miami’s most impressive properties, or as I like to call them, Homes of the Big Ballers! We saw the homes of one of the makers of Viagra (and his pool affectionately referred to as “Viagra Falls”), Gloria Estefan, Carmen Electra, Ricky Martin, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rosie O’Donnell and many, many more. We even saw 
one of Miami’s most iconic homes, none other than Tony Montana’s home in the movie Scarface….’Say hello to my little friend’. After touring the homes of the stars, we headed out into open waters where we were able to take the boat to it’s top speed as we hugged the beautiful South Beach coastline. The return trip to the docks gave us an incredible view of Miami’s skyline, the same way you see it in hundreds of TV shows and movies. And it was nice!
The adventure was awesome and it left us wanting to learn more about Miami and Coconut Grove, so don’t be surprised if at some point we find some other quirky tour to take. I highly recommend that no matter where you live, you find some local tour to take. You will be surprised at what you might learn, and how much fun you can have when you act like a tourist in your own backyard!
