DESCRIPTION of EXCURSIONS Full Day Excursions

DESCRIPTION OF EXCURSIONS

Miami- Experience Program

Full Day Excursions

South Beach, Art Deco District, Lincoln Road Mall, and Miami Duck Tour • South Beach, Art Deco District, Lincoln Road Mall: South Beach (SoBe) is one of the highlights of Miami. It’s a major entertainment destination. Students will see the Art Deco District, the first 20th-century neighborhood to be recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. This district is home to many fancy pastel buildings with porthole windows, ship-like railings, and terrazzo floors. Lincoln Road Mall is an open-air pedestrian mall, South Beach’s premier shopping area. It has stores such as Apple, Armani, Forever 21, Fossil, Guess, Havaianas, H&M, J Crew, Lacoste, Macy’s, Madewell, and Urban Outfitters. • Miami Duck Tour: The Miami Duck Tour will allow students to see Miami on land and sea (Bis- cayne Bay). On the tour, students will be able to see Ocean Drive and the homes of the rich and famous on Star, Hibiscus, and Palm Islands.

Key Biscayne and Miami Seaquarium • Key Biscayne: Students will visit Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which is a beautiful beach and has a lighthouse that is the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Their beach was ranked 7th best beach in the United States in 2013. • Miami Seaquarium: The Miami Seaquarium has many sea animal exhibits and has animal shows, including a dolphin show, as well.

Wynwood Walls, Frost Science Museum, & Bayside Marketplace • Wynwood Walls: This is the Warehouse District of Miami, where warehouses without windows act as a canvas for street art. • Frost Science Museum: This new science museum offers interactive exhibits that will educate students on things like the ecosystem of the Everglades, the evolution of flight, and human biology. It also has an aquarium and planetarium. o Optional ride on the Miami Metromover: The Miami Metromover is an above ground train that passes through Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West, and Omni neighborhoods with over 100,000 people per day. • Bayside Marketplace: Students will visit this popular shopping destination, which was featured many times on the TV show Miami Vice. Shops include Guess, GAP, Express, etc. o Optional excursions: ▪ The outside of the American Airlines Arena, where the Miami Heat NBA basket- ball team plays. ▪ Miami Freedom Tower: Former headquarters to The Miami News newspaper and currently serving as a contemporary art museum. On the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Fort Lauderdale and Sawgrass Mills • Fort Lauderdale: Fort Lauderdale is known for its beaches and boating canals. In fact, Fort Lauder- dale is known as the “Venice of America.” We will visit the beach and Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk, known as Florida’s most beautiful mile. It is lined with boutiques, shops, and restaurants, coupled with tropical scenery.

• Sawgrass Mills: This outlet mall is the 11th largest mall in the U.S. and the largest single story and outlet mall in the United States. It has over 300 retail outlet stores.

Florida Everglades, Little Havana, & Dolphin Mall • Florida Everglades: The Everglades are a wetland that was formed thousands of years ago by heavy rainfall into Lake Okechobee. Students will go on an airboat tour that will show them sawgrass (a plant that grows 3-10 feet above the water) and other rich vegetation. They will also watch a live wildlife show with alligator wrestling and other animals native to Florida. • Little Havana: Little Havana is the Miami’s Cuban heart. It showcases the Latin American influence in Miami. Students will have some time to explore the area and get a sense of a big part of Miami’s culture. • Dolphin Mall: The second-largest mall in Miami with 240 retail outlets, including Calvin Klein, Coach, GUESS, Nike, the Miami Heat store, and Vans. Please note that students will transfer to Orlando for the overnight excursion after visiting Dolphin Mall.

Half Day Excursions

Hollywood Beach and Boardwalk • Hollywood Beach and Boardwalk: This is a classic Florida beach town with an oceanfront promenade that has been named one of the best boardwalks in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure magazine. Students can spend time on this two-and-a-half-mile promenade and the beach.

South Beach by Night • Collins Ave.: Students will have a second opportunity to see South Beach by night.

Overnight Excursion

Day 1: Orlando Orlando is known as “The Theme Park Capital of the World” and “The City Beautiful.” Students will not have time to sightsee beyond going to Universal Studios. • Universal Studios: Students can choose to enter ONE PARK, either Universal Studios Florida OR Islands of Adventure, but an upgrade to visit both parks is possible if students pay money at the front gate. Universal Studios Florida offers students the ability to experience movies through shows and rides, whereas Islands of Adventure has more thriller rides (roller coasters, etc.). The Wizarding World of Harry Potter—Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios Florida, while The Wiz- arding World of Harry Potter—Hogsmeade is in Islands of Adventure. Students would need access to both parks to be able to ride the Hogwarts Express.

Day 2: Orlando and West Palm Beach • NASA Kennedy Space Center: This has been NASA’s primary launch center of human spaceflight since December 1968 launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from the Kennedy Space Center. Highlights include visiting the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a tour of the original shuttle launch pads, a visit to the Saturn Rocket Center, and the Shuttle Launch Experience (simulating launching into space and orbiting Earth). • West Palm Beach: West Palm Beach is a city in Palm Beach County. Students can visit Clematis Street, the historical heart of Downtown West Palm Beach, and CityPlace, a nearby outdoor mall.

• Students will stay in a Miami-area hotel for their final night with the program.

Three-Week Program Excursions The excursions below will be included in an optional third week at this center.

Full Day Excursions Island Queen Cruise and Aventura Mall • Island Queen Cruises: Students will go on a 90-minute sightseeing cruise around Biscayne Bay and take in the views of the skyline of Downtown Miami, the Port of Miami, Fisher Island, Miami Beach, and Millionaire’s Row. • Aventura Mall: Aventura Mall is the second largest mall in the U.S. by total square feet of retail space and the largest mall in Florida. It contains stores such as Apple, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, BCBG Maxazria, Bloomingdale’s, Burberry, Chanel, Chloe, Coach, Fendi, Furla, Hollister Co., J. Crew, Jimmy Choo, and Longchamp. West Palm Beach • West Palm Beach: Students will have the opportunity to enjoy the beaches of West Palm Beach and return to the historical heart of Downtown West Palm Beach, Clematis Street and the CityPlace mall.

Half Day Excursions Vizcaya Museum and Gardens • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: Located in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, the “Villa Vizcaya,” now the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, features Italian Renaissance gardens and land- scape and more than seventy rooms inside the estate that are decorated with antiques with an em- phasis on 15th-early 19th century European decorative art and furnishings. Coral Gables Walking Tour and Shopping • Coral Gables Walking Tour and Shopping: Coral Gables is one of the richest neighborhoods in the United States. Students will be able to explore historical parts of Coral Gables and shop in the Miracle Mile in Downtown Coral Gables. University of Miami and Lowe Art Museum • University of Miami and Lowe Art Museum: The University of Miami is a private university in Coral Gables. Students will receive a short tour and explore the Lowe Art Museum, which is located on University of Miami’s campus. This art museum contains Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Asian, An- cient American, Native American, Renaissance and Baroque, Latin-American, African, and 17th- century to contemporary European and American art, as well as contemporary glass and studio arts.