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Comparing Coconut Grove to South Beach… Don’t Even Try, Tom

Comparing Coconut Grove to South Beach… Don’t Even Try, Tom

April 14, 2009 By Gus in Miami: Travel News | 14 Comments

ABOVE: Get daily news about Coconut Grove from Tom Falco’s Coconut Grove Grapevine.

Excuse me while I slip into my flame retardent suit and say…

If you have never been to Coconut Grove, you are not missing much.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying don’t go to Coconut Grove. The Grove is a good place to kill a few hours. What I mean is, when you go, don’t set your expectations too high. Prepare yourself like you would if you were going to a shopping mall. In fact, I’d say Coconut Grove is more similar to an outdoor mall, rather than a city or town.

You can’t really call yourself a city, if your main intersection revolves around a Johnny Rockets hamburger stand.

Have you ever been to a food court at the mall? Well, if there was an award for the best food court in Miami, Coconut Grove would definitely be a top 3 finalist.

Nightlife in Coconut Grove is dwindling. I believe The Grove used to be frequented by college students from University of Miami, but I’ve been told, they don’t even hang out there, anymore.

Coconut Grove does has a few good places. I like the Cheesecake Factory. Green Street Cafe is also good.

But the AMC movie theater at CocoWalk needs a major upgrade. The theater has the same seats as it did when they opened in the late 80’s.

Listen to me when I say, there is no comparison between Coconut Grove and South Beach.

Comparing Coconut Grove to Lincoln Road would be a fair fight.

But before Tom Falco, the disillusioned blogger from Coconut Grove, starts calling me a hater, below are a few more things I like about The Grove:

10 Fun Things To See in Coconut Grove On The Miami City Tour, Or In A Car

Fresh Market
Kennedy Park
Old City Hall
Pan American Seaplane Base
Dinner Key, Where The Doors Performed
The Skateboard Park
Coco Walk & Main Street
Plymouth Church
The Area Where the Hippies Lived
Ingraham Highway, Cartagena Circle and Old Cutler Road

See, Tom, I don’t hate Coconut Grove. In fact, I have already implemented your bus idea. Our tour company goes from South Beach through Coconut Grove, everyday. See the route.

To get a better experience of what the tour is like, listen this small portion that plays as we drive around Old City Hall, Dinner Key, and through Coconut Grove:

What do you think? Does the narration do Coconut Grove justice?

The tour was written by a team of local bloggers like yourself.

We are very proud of the excursion, and would like to offer you 8 free tickets to use, or give away as you see fit.

Please come join us and we can brainstorm your bus idea some more.

I see nothing wrong with shuttling visitors from South Beach to Coconut Grove and back.

This town is big enough for the both of us!

Related Categories: Forum Miami: Travel News,

Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator. You can reach him at 1-305-754-2206.

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14 Comments on

"Comparing Coconut Grove to South Beach… Don’t Even Try, Tom"

Doug says:

I bet the Grove used to be a lot of fun back in the 60’s before all the condos came in. The lush landscaping is still eyegrabbing today, but unfortunately, it’s been largely overbuilt and doesn’t have a good walkable layout. And many of the roads are waaay too narrow. What good would it do to own one of those picturesque mansions, only to step out your door unto a narrow road with SUVs buzzing by and no sidewalks?

Posted on 04/14/2009 at 10:06 PM

Gus says:

Well said, Doug. Most of the cool stuff in The Grove is in the surrounding areas. It’s a place where you need definitely a car.

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 6:40 AM

Toronto Tourist says:

Boy, am I glad I read this. I was actually thinking of staying in Coconut Grove when I visit Miami next month but now I’m definitely staying on Miami Beach.

In fact, I don’t think I will even visit Coconut Grove because I hear Miami Beach already has a Johnny Rockets.

I’m going to spread the word about this in case anybody else is thinking of making the same mistake as wasting any time in Coconut Grove.

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 7:28 AM

Gus says:

Hi, Toronto Tourist, thanks for commenting.

Staying in Miami Beach is more fun.

However, you shouldn’t totally dismiss Coconut Grove, especially if you’re going to have a car. At times, you can get more for your money on a hotel compared to a hotel in South Beach. I tell visitors, before booking in South Beach, check the rates at Grove Isle, Biltmore, Mayfair, and Sonseta in Coconut Grove.

Not to mention, the Johnny Rockets in Coconut Grove is 10 times better than both locations in South Beach.

Have a great vacation!

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 7:48 AM

Maria de los Angeles says:

Coconut Grove is a very special community, Gus! I know you are not really hatin’ on the place ... but there’s The Barnacle, former home to Miami pioneer Commodore Munroe. Plus, there’s historic little Bahama village. Check out the cemetery—all the crypts are above ground in true Bahamian fashion. Marjory Stoneman Douglas lived in the area as well. Oh and there’s Scotty’s Landing, plus Charthouse next door, two great restaurants/bars (the latter super casual and the former pricey). And Coconut Grove marina is a lovely place to go for a walk where you can check out the classic art deco City Hall. It used to be a seaplane airport!

Also, there are two sailing clubs, one of which was Miami’s first. Unfortunately, the Coconut Grove Playhouse remains closed, but it was the site of many amazing performances in the past.

Coconut Grove was a bohemian, funky community back in Miami’s early days. The Peacock family came from England and opened a bed and breakfast there. It was the quirky outpost separated from the Brickell and Tuttle communities over by the Miami river. In fact, Mary Brickell made Brickell Avenue just so you could get to Coconut Grove on land instead of sailboat.

People came here and fell in love with the place. Some never left. I can’t blame them.

It was always somewhat bohemian and it certainly was even in my high school days during the 1980s. Much has changed, but it is still the only place in Miami where you can sense that bohemian feel.

There is a place called Zen Village, plus an art center where you can take courses in philosophy, oh and there’s even a Hari Krishna temple!

Also, the grand daddy of Coconut Grove is the King Mango Strut Parade, which is a wonderful, homegrown and incredibly unique event.

While Coconut Grove lacks the turbo-charged nightlife and entertainment appeal of South Beach, it also has a quaint, relaxing sensibility. And you can’t beat the lush, tropical landscape. South Beach feels like concrete jungle to me in comparison.

But I love both places, actually. And both are worth a visit.

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 12:47 PM

Maria de los Angeles says:

Oops! Charthouse is pricey ... Scotty’s Landing is casual! Both these establishments have been around for over 20 years. Tried and true.

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 12:49 PM

Doug says:

I once had dinner at the Hare Krishna temple there and was heavily proselytized by the devotees…it didn’t take!

I would love to uncover some of its remaining bohemian-ness, but Gus has a point—these days it feels very much like a big outdoor shopping mall.

When I think of Bohemia, I picture a pedestrian-friendly place with incense in the air…people making hand-crafted items…fixing up old, blighted housing, incorporating an artistic flair…maybe some wall murals…rents that are accessible to starving artists…coffee houses, and an anti-corporate sensibility (aside from a noble protest against an incoming Home Depot, there aren’t too many indie retailers). These days, Coconut Grove doesn’t really have that kind of flavor—although this guy seems to disagree!

Posted on 04/15/2009 at 1:31 PM

Linda Marshall says:

If you like charm and a small town that has many activities all week, every week, Coconut Grove is the place. If you like commercialism, then South Beach is for you. The Grove is a great community and honestly is more like the Hamptons and New England, so if you like that with a large sailing presence, small town charm, lots of local one-of-a-kind restaurants, the bed race, the king mango strut, the art stroll and many more off the beaten track things. That is Coconut Grove: a small sailing and arts village along tree lined streets. Hometown USA

Posted on 04/16/2009 at 10:38 AM

Robert Winkle says:

If you like one of a kind class and charm it’s coconut grove if you like overcrowding and chain store and hotel one after the other and nasty gross tourists it’s south beach, all within 10 minutes of each other.

Posted on 04/16/2009 at 10:43 AM

foodie says:

90% of the Grove’s restaurants are locally owned and one of a kind, not sure what you mean by food court.

Posted on 04/16/2009 at 12:42 PM

Grovite says:

I live in coconut grove, and have for 7 years. I drive to work in coral gables, and that’s the only time I use my car. On the weekends it stays parked, in the evenings as well. The grove is infinitely more walkable than any other area of Miami, including the beach, which I also enjoy. I’m not comparing, because it’s apples and oranges, but clearly some or your readership is misinformed.

Also, the Grapevine guy is a bit of a tool and always looking for people to start vendetta’s with. If you read his blog, you can find a new one, usual with one of his readers, every few days.

Posted on 05/05/2009 at 3:11 PM

Doug says:

I guess “readership” must mean me. I agree that parts of the Grove are walkable, like the area around the marina and the streets of Mayfair/Cocowalk, and the Hare Krishna temple. What I’m talking about is when you start getting into some of the nicer residential areas, the street is really narrow and there are no sidewalks. The foliage grows close to the street and if you lived there and wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood, it would feel a little dangerous. I’m not saying that to glorify South Beach or anything—it has problems of its own.

Posted on 05/05/2009 at 3:36 PM

Jason brown says:

The grove is nice…it’s the areas surrounding the groves thats friggin scary.

Posted on 07/26/2009 at 3:01 PM

Alex says:

Wow! This needs a serious update…

Posted on 03/07/2014 at 10:03 PM

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