It’s not always easy to find something to do for the entire family during the holidays. The historic Miccosukee Indian Arts and Crafts Festival checks all the boxes. For an “electrifying experience” get tickets to The one-of-a-kind dance concert, called Ancestral Ground. Just in time for the holidays, the Brightline opens rail stations in Aventura and Boca Raton this week. And there’s another newsletter coming to town with tips on the best things to do in Miami—it’s called “City Life Guru.”

Dec. 29-31. Miccosukee Indian Arts & Crafts Festival

It’s not always easy to find something to do for the entire family during the holidays. The historic Miccosukee Indian Arts and Crafts Festival checks all the boxes when it comes to satisfying a good time for all. What’s more, it’s a different type of outing that everyone will remember forever. It’s also going to be a picture taking event.

The Native American culture is featured in a three-day gathering of music, arts, and entertainment right in the heart of the Florida Everglades. You have a choice of picking December 29 – 31, 2022, from 10 AM – 5 PM at the historic grounds, 20 miles west of Krome Avenue and SW 8th Street.

You gather in the Everglades for indigenous music and dance performances, an artisan market featuring crafts and authentic cuisine, and alligator demonstrations teaching this traditional art of survival. There will be live music and dances.

Performances by: Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers, Iroquois Sky Dancers & Native Pride.

Airboat rides are available across the street.

There’s a free shuttle service to and from Miccosukee Casino & Resort / Indian Village available all day from 9:30 AM to 5 PM.

Event Date: December 29 – 31, 2022, from 10 AM – 5 PM

Location: Miccosukee Indian Village fairgrounds, 500 US Hwy 41, Miami, FL 33194

Get all the details.

 Dec. 28-31. Ancestral Ground

Presented by Peter London Global Dance Company and Adrienne Arsht Center this event is a great way to celebrate the holidays. I can promise you that your mood will become festive immediately. This is not a normal concert, but a divine experience created by the Adrienne Arsht artists to celebrate the resilience of our community during the pandemic.

The advertisements for it say, “The one-of-a-kind, electrifying dance concert, called Ancestral Ground, features a magnificent array of choreographic voices loaded with new-kids-on-the-block fierceness and beyond-the-wall innovation.

“Miami’s leading multiethnic choreographers display the rich, multicultural heritage of the city’s global community in a colorful explosion of Afro-Caribbean and Latin flair, imbued with spiritual energy and duende while sizzling with Miami heat and agua dulce. These virtuosic performances are accompanied by vibrant commissioned scores.”

Ancestral Ground features Choreography by Justin Rapaport, Kashia Kancey, Vitolio Jeune, Alondra Balbuena, Marion Skye Brook and Peter London. Commissioned scores by Etienne Charles, Ezra Haugabrooks, Jeremy Jordon and Elijah Gee. Peter London Global Dance Company is in its 11th season .

Carnival Studio Theater, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami. Tickets are $53.00 Get the details.

The Brightline Opens Rail Stations in Aventura and Boca Raton

This is a dream come true. People who live in Miami can now travel in total luxury on a classy train from downtown Miami to Palm Beach with stops in Aventura, Ft. Lauderdale, and Boca Raton.

This marks a whole new lifestyle for residents and visitors in South Florida. We all feel so much more connected because we can now travel up and down the coastline with great ease. Every time someone asked me to visit them in Palm Beach I used to cringe. The thought of traveling on I-95 for all those miles, with those crazy young drivers, gives me the hebbie jeebies. I would rather stay home.

The Brightline is pure pleasure.

Brightline is an inter-city route between Miami and West Palm Beach that runs on tracks owned by the Florida East Coast Railway. The Brightline trains and terminals are totally first class looking all the way. The terminals have beautiful lounges, great restaurants, and a different assortment of stores. The trains are clean, comfortable, and well designed.

The Aventura station is located at 19796 West Dixie Highway near the Aventura Mall.

The Boca Raton station, located at 101 NW Fourth Street, just north of Palmetto Park Road between Mizner Park and the city’s public library.

Brightline spokespeople say an Orlando station should be opened next year. To see a full Brightline train schedule and to purchase tickets, click here.

Introducing “City Life Guru”

My friend Alison Davis, and her colleague Michelle Roth Maloy, will be launching a newsletter after the first of the new year that will be devoted to people who are adding to the multi-cultural nature of Miami. They will be talking about the city, dreams about living here, where to eat, hang out, eat, shop, sleep, party, and play. They will be personally checking out all the recommended places first, so you know that all City Life Guru Tips are worth your time and wallet. No algorithms, no fake reviews.

In a pre-trial run they wrote a story about one of my favorite destinations in Coconut Grove, the Mayfair House Hotel and Garden, that went through a major renovation during the pandemic. It was redesigned by Kenneth Treister, a local architect and artist known for his Brutalist and Gaudiesque style. They suggested that you grab
a drink at the cool Calyso style Sipsip bar upstairs and enjoy the rooftop view of Coconut Grove or sit at the Mayfair Grill next to a glam tropical indoor garden while sipping a smokey margarita. Don’t forget to explore the whole building to see the amazing stonework and ironwork.  This is just “another beautiful newcomer to the Grove.

@citylifeguru

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Website: www.citylifeguru.com