What do you like to do during summer vacation?
Travel, explore new places, enjoy spa treatments or volunteer?
Consider this your guide to doing all of those things and more, during a staycation in Miami Lakes.
Getaway to Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club
Enjoy a change of scene and a dip in the pool at the hotel, at 6842 Main St.
There are two deals: The “Perfect Getaway” includes daily breakfast for two guests at Shula’s Steak 2 and a round of golf. From $95 to $155, for a suite.
Also, with a three-night minimum stay, get 20% off every third night. Both deals include free use of the nearby Shula’s Athletic Club for every guest.
Thwak!
Is there anything more satisfying than making a golf ball fly hundreds of yards?
You can hit balls at the driving range at The Senator Course, Shula’s Golf Club at 7601 Miami Lakes Drive.
It costs $4 for a warm-up bucket of balls, $8 for a medium bucket. Four golfers may be on the driving range at a time.
And if you’re hitting well, why not play a round? Rates vary depending on time of day. Go to www.shulasgolfclub.com or use the mobile app.
The pro shop and driving range are open six days, from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Mondays.
A Tribute to Veterans
You can honor our men and women in the military or those who served before them by visiting the 10-foot high memorial that was installed in front of Town Hall in 2014.
The artwork, entitled “V is for Veterans,” by Stephanie Jaffe Werner is shown above.
It recognizes servicemembers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard. Then take a walk along Miami Lakes Drive and read the banners that celebrate some of the men and women from town who have served our country.
Go fishing…or toss a kayak into the water and leave your cares on shore.
Get a $17 annual freshwater fishing license from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, grab your bait and head to six pocket parks in town where you can drop a line and try to catch Tilapia; Bluegill; Golden Shiner; Snook; Carp; Peacock Bass or Largemouth Bass.
Parks open to the public are near 6786 Crooked Palm Terrace; 7320 Twin Sabal Drive; 8560 Menteith Terrace; 14105 Lake Childs Court; 6890 White Oak Drive and 8560 Breckness Place.
The Sporting Life
A wall in the clubhouse at Optimist Park bears the names of Miami Lakers who went on to achieve great things in the world of sports.
Among those honored there are the late NFL Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula; former Miami Dolphins running back Tony Nathan; retired Major League
Baseball player Alex Ochoa and Sara Sidner, a CNN correspondent who played volleyball for Hialeah- Miami Lakes Senior High and the University of Florida, when the team made NCAA Final Four.
You can visit the hall when the town eases restrictions set up during the pandemic.
If you want a bit more of the town’s sports history, visit Shula’s Steak 2 on Main Street, which holds two replica Super Bowl trophies.
They were won by Shula when he led the Miami Dolphins, including to their perfect season in 1972.
After lunch, stroll through the lobby of Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club.
Huge photographs capture highlights from South Florida professional and college sports teams.
A block away at Shula’s Athletic Club is a marker about another Hall of Famer, the late Dolphin, broadcaster and Miami Laker, Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich; the gym inside is named for him.
Take a Spa Day
There are many places to pamper yourself in town and some salons are offering specials.
--Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. Christmas in July sale, $49.95 for a 60-minute massage or facial gift card, regularly $99.95;
--Massage Envy. For new members, $65, 60-minute massage;
--Selah Skin Studio. Two 60-minute treatments: a $95 nutrient facial infusion or a $129 hydro facial renewal;
--Lumina Massage. Complimentary essential oils; Vegan sugar scrub is $10 to add-on to another service. Daily Deal Massage and Stretch for Athletes, both deals run through September.
--Miami Lakes Wellness Spa. Buy six or more treatments and get a $500 discount on CoolSculpting and VelaShape.
--SL.Esthetics. July specials: two microdermabrasion treatments, $100; four OBAGI Vitamin C facials, $200; $30 for four add-on services; two ‘Maskne’ acne facials for $150, and add a high frequency treatment, $15 per session.
Other places for personal care: The Dragonfly Spa (facials, laser hair removal, micro-needling); V.I.P Nails & Spa (nails, waxing and lashes); Uni K Wax Studio; European Wax Center; The Nail Garden Spa (nails); Polished Beauty Bar (nails, eyebrow threading) ; Signature Nails & Skin Care Spa and Signature II Nail & Skin Care (both do nails, waxing).
Keep the healthy vibe going with a light lunch from Beverly Hills Café or Giardino Gourmet Salads.
Art in Public Places
There is a lot of art to enjoy around town if you know where to look.
Hop on a bike and search for seven life-size painted cows that stand in tribute to the town’s dairy history.
Here’s a hint: four of the bovine statues are near Main Street, which is a great place to stop for lunch at Pizza Scene or at 100 Montaditos.
There is also a 48-foot wide mural created in 1987 by 70 children.
It decorates the façade of Gerardo’s Marketplace at 15509 Bull Run Road, another excellent lunch spot.
The painted tiles tell 100 years of history -- about Native American life, nature and growth into a town.
The map and legend on page 3 will help you find your way.
Magical History Tour
Have you ever wondered how Miami Lakes went from miles of cow paddies to a tree-lined, planned community?
You can find out and have fun while doing so.
Follow the map and legend to find 10 historical markers that will explain it all.
You’ll want to start at Lake Patricia, which is the first residential neighborhood The Graham Companies built in town.
By the time you get to Governors Square, you’ll be ready for a shake from Smoothie King, a Café Cubano from Latin American Grill or a refresher from Starbucks, which can all be found in the nearby Park Centre Shops.
Tour a Cathedral, see the Icons
Travel abroad often includes visiting houses of worship to see the historic art they contain.
Did you know there is a cathedral in Miami Lakes filled with stunning religious icons?
And you don’t even have to get on a plane to see them.
Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral welcomes groups of up to 20 for free, hour-long tours.
More than 100 icons hand-painted with gold leaf cover nearly every surface.
The artworks are considered sacred in the Orthodox Church and demonstrate events in the life of Christ and the saints.
Descriptions on the icons are written in English, making their messages accessible to visitors.
It took iconographers from Russia, Georgia and Ukraine eight years to complete, Father Joseph Lucas said.
There are also hand-carved wooden panels and a chandelier imported from Greece.
Visitors must wear masks during a tour, at 16601 NW 77th Court in Miami Lakes.
You can get a preview at https://www.orthodoxmiami.org/galleries.
Request a tour by calling Father Lucas at 305-822-0437.
Dog Day Afternoon
Take Fido to the K-9 Cove at 14048 Palmetto Frontage Road for a romp with his friends.
There are separate, fenced-in fields for big dogs and smaller pups, as well as shade and water fountains. Then bring him to Duke and Dutchess Pet Center & Grooming in the Cypress Village Shopping Center for a day of beauty; prices vary depending on breed size and services ordered.
Tackle Tedious Tasks
Clean out the garage or storage unit and call Dr. Junk to haul everything away.
The doctor gives free estimates: 954-644-3296.
What a day for a daydream
Miami Lakes’ beautiful canopy earned it a Tree City USA designation.
Why not enjoy it with a picnic?
Pick up a free, kids classic TropiChop meal and bottle of water from Pollo Tropical through Aug. 28 at the Windmill Gate Shopping Center.
The offer is for drive-thru customers, kids 12 and younger and in the car, weekdays from 11 a.m. – noon.
Then stake out space in the shade beneath the banyan tree in Graham Park that is in the heart of Miami Lakes.
Or head to any of the other 100 parks (yes, 100 greenspaces!) in town.
Help your friends and neighbors
If you’re like former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, you spend your free time building homes for the poor.
You can volunteer in town, too, and you won’t have to swing a hammer.
Miami Lakes United Methodist Church (home of the annual Pumpkin Patch) needs helpers to load boxes into the cars -- hundreds of them -- that line up along Miami Lakes Drive each Thursday morning for the hunger relief program.
A bonus from your good deed: You’ll get a workout.
The church is at 14600 NW 67th Ave.
For more information call 305-821-7274 or email office@miamilakesumc.net.
Don’t forget that vacation souvenir!
Yeah, you live here.
But there’s always an opportunity to show your hometown pride.
And that means the Holsteins, the black and white cows that still graze in pastures in town.
Dairy cows have had a presence in Miami Lakes since 1932.
Red or white T-shirts start at $15; $25 baseball caps come in black or white, all are decorated with a chill calf.
Miami Lakes Sports Shop, 6811 Main St.,
305- 557-0356.