What Do Miami Locals Do When They're Not Drinking? A Vintage Shop Owner's 3 Favorite Spots

Miami has a reputation, and the reputation involves a cocktail. Rooftop happy hours, beach bars, cafecito windows that turn into mojito windows by 5pm. But some of my favorite days here have nothing to do with a drink in my hand, and I know I am not the only one. So I started asking locals a simple question: what do you actually do in Miami when you are not drinking?

The short answer from this episode: Sebastian, the owner of Turn Back the Clock Shop on Bird Road, gave me three picks that make a full alcohol-free day: lounging at the Biltmore Hotel pool in Coral Gables, a slow stroll through Coconut Grove with a green juice from Basquet and a browse through Books & Books, and sunset with live music at The Cleat on Key Biscayne.

Watch Episode 2 of the Local Series

This is episode 2 of my Instagram series where I interview Miami locals about their favorite things to do that do not revolve around a bar or a restaurant. This time I visited the team at @turnbacktheclockshop, one of the most fun vintage stores in the Gables area, and asked the owner for his top three.

Follow @coralgableslove on Instagram to catch every episode, and tag a friend who needs a non-drinking Miami day out.

Meet Sebastian of Turn Back the Clock Shop

If you have never been, Turn Back the Clock Shop on Bird Road is a time machine disguised as a vintage store: racks of fashion from every decade, art and memorabilia covering the walls, and playing cards literally hanging from the ceiling the day we filmed. When someone spends their whole week surrounded by the best of Miami's past, I trust their taste on how to spend a day in Miami's present. Here are his three picks, with my own local notes added so you can actually plan the day.

1. The Biltmore Hotel Pool (Coral Gables)

The Biltmore Hotel at 1200 Anastasia Avenue is a 1926 National Historic Landmark, and its pool is one of the largest hotel pools in the continental United States. Sebastian's move: a relaxing weekday or weekend lounge with world-class people watching under those famous colonnades. It feels like a vacation without leaving the Gables.

Local note: the pool is reserved for hotel guests, members, and cabana bookings, so this one takes a little planning. Split a poolside cabana with friends (they start around $240 for up to four people) or turn it into a proper staycation. Even if you skip the water, the hotel grounds and golf course views are worth a wander.

2. A Slow Afternoon in Coconut Grove

The Grove is the most walkable, tree-shaded corner of Miami, and Sebastian's version of it is exactly mine: wander the streets, grab a green juice at Basquet, and get lost in a bookstore.

Basquet at 2829 Bird Avenue is a cafe and wellness market that opened its doors as a real neighborhood third place: juices, matcha, coffee, sugar-free baked goods, and an entire section of non-alcoholic alternatives if you want a fancy bottle for later. From there it is a short walk to Books & Books at 3409 Main Highway, two full floors of novels, memoirs, and Floridiana right next to Panther Coffee. This is the least expensive perfect afternoon in Miami.

3. Sunset and Live Music at The Cleat (Key Biscayne)

Sebastian saved the best view for last. The Cleat sits right on the water at No Name Harbor inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, at the southern tip of Key Biscayne. Every seat looks out over Biscayne Bay, boats pull up to the seawall, and there is live music on Saturdays. Order the smoked fish dip, plant yourself facing west, and watch the sky do its thing.

Local note: park entry is $8 per vehicle, and the golden hour drive down Crandon Boulevard is part of the experience. This is my favorite kind of Miami evening: salt air, music, and not a velvet rope in sight.

The Full Alcohol-Free Miami Day, Mapped

Want to string all three together? Here is the route I would run:

1. Morning: coffee or a green juice at Basquet, then a slow walk through Coconut Grove's shaded streets.
2. Midday: browse both floors of Books & Books on Main Highway and pick up something for the pool.
3. Afternoon: lounge at the Biltmore pool in Coral Gables with your new book.
4. Golden hour: drive across the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne.
5. Sunset: live music and smoked fish dip at The Cleat in Bill Baggs State Park.

FAQ: Alcohol-Free Miami

What can you do in Miami besides drink?

More than the postcards suggest: historic hotel pools like the Biltmore in Coral Gables, walkable bookstore neighborhoods like Coconut Grove, waterfront sunsets at No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne, street art tours in Little Havana, and plenty more. My whole Activities section is dedicated to it.

Can you use the Biltmore pool if you are not a hotel guest?

The pool itself is for hotel guests, members, and cabana bookings. Non-guests can reserve a poolside cabana, which starts around $240 for up to four people, and splitting one with friends makes it a very doable treat.

Where exactly is The Cleat and does it cost anything to get in?

The Cleat is at No Name Harbor inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 Crandon Boulevard on Key Biscayne. The park charges $8 per vehicle to enter, and the restaurant itself has no cover. You can also arrive by boat.

Is Coconut Grove walkable?

Very. The heart of the Grove clusters around Main Highway, Commodore Plaza, and Grand Avenue, all shaded by huge banyan trees, with Basquet, Books & Books, Panther Coffee, and a dozen shops within a few blocks of each other.

Keep Exploring

If this is your kind of Miami, meet Didi, the muralist behind Little Havana's best walls, or grab my free self-guided Little Havana walking tour map for another alcohol-free afternoon. And send me your own picks on Instagram: I am collecting spots for future episodes of the series.