Science Museum & Newport Beachside Resort

After taking the grandparents to the airport and a tearful goodbye by "L" we checked out of our downtown Miami hotel and headed to one last "mainland" destination before heading to Miami Beach.

Recently "L" has been into space shuttles and planets so I thought he would enjoy a trip to the planetarium at the Miami Science Museum.  With the ASTC Passport Program we enjoyed free admission to the museum.

My son often surprises me in many ways.  At the museum he enjoyed holding a gecko and petting a python (which I thought he would be terrified by.)  But then when it was time for the the planetarium show (which I thought he would absolutely love) he started crying to leave because it was pitch dark.  It didn't occur to me at the time, but in retrospect, I should have prepared him for the darkness.  In actuality, it's been a long time since I've been in a planetarium and I forgot that it gets dark in there.

"L" holding a gecko

a huge tire

Afterwards, we headed to Sunny Isles Beach for lunch at Timo, an Italian restaurant that came highly recommended.  We actually arrived just as they were closing the kitchen but they were nice to accommodate us anyways. 

Then just a few blocks away, we checked in at the Newport Beachside Resort where we were all eager to plop ourselves down and just relax.  I usually don't care too much about where we stay during vacations because we usually spend the day out and are just looking for a place to sleep.  However this time I was glad that after a few jam packed days of sightseeing, we could stay put and take advantage of all the amenities of a resort including direct private beach access and heated pools. 

i love these umbrellas!

beautiful blue skies and waters

half buried kids

One of the best things I packed for this trip was microwaveable rice and geem (roasted seaweed) for my kids.  It's familiar for the kids and a nice change from all the dining out we had been doing.  The other great buy I had made for this trip was a First Years umbrella stroller.  This one had one of the highest weight limits and was inexpensive for something that I knew was going to get tossed around.  It served us well in the airport and with napping kids.  My 3-year old is big for his age and so his head would hang over the back when he was napping but it was easily remedied by putting a towel over the parent console to bridge the gap.