It’s going to happen any day now. Soon we’ll be watching the news, and the first train tourists will arrive at Orlando International Airport’s train station. Brightline, the company responsible for MCO terminal C’s 37,350 square feet station, already ran their first trails. The 556 feet long train is operational and will be open to the public any day now.
Brightline’s new train coming directly from the Siemens factory in Sacramento, California, will eventually stop at Disney Springs and reach Tampa, according to Wesh 2 News. Current Stations include Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. Director of Public Affairs, Katie Mitzner, set the opening date for the second quarter of this year.
So, while waiting for the train to arrive, let’s figure out the places to visit at each train stop.
Miami Station-600 NW 1st Ave.
Miami’s train station is located amongst legal buildings, but just a few blocks away is the Miami-Dade Arena. If basketball isn’t your passion, the Miami-Dade Arena hosts more than 80 non-basketball events each year. The Miami-Dade Arena is located right on the coastline, which makes it a great day trip destination.
Within an 8-minute drive you’ll find the Skyviews Observation Wheel with views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown Miami skyline. This attraction is located on the Bayside Marketplace, a cozy market with an abundance of food options and local shopping. If you’re more of a nature enthusiast, Bayfront Park is next to the Bayside Marketplace; a relaxing boardwalk filled with sculptures and greenery.
Aventura Train Station-19796 West Dixie Highway
The Aventura train station will definitely bring you a full day of fun. The Aventura Mall, located a few blocks away from the train station, is one of Miami’s most prestigious malls. It includes brand stores like Gucci, Luis Vuitton, Givenchy, and other 300 stores that are sure to entertain. If shopping is not your thing, you can visit Tidal Cove, a waterpark filled with slides, a lazy river, and a Flowrider for surfing enthusiasts. Need to spend the night? Accommodations are available within walking distance, such as the Hilton Aventura Miami. Another hotel to consider is the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort & Spa if you do not mind a short ride. This luxury hotel has two 18-hole golf courses, which have hosted both South Florida PGA and LPGA championships.
Fort Lauderdale Station-101 NW 2nd Ave.
Fort Lauderdale’s train station is located in the middle of South Florida’s art coast. Within walking distance, Nova Southeastern University’s Art Museum commands the view with its whimsical shape. According to their website, NSU Art Museum’s mission is to “provide exceptional opportunities to access, learn from, and be inspired by the highest level of visual artistic expression throughout time and from around the world”, which they aim to achieve within the 83,000 square feet of art. NSU Art Museum has more than 7,500 permanent artworks and is located within walking distance of New River’s riverwalk, a beautiful walkway surrounded by parks.
A few blocks from the Art Museum is Broward Center for the Performing Arts, one of the world’s top ten most visited theaters. Overlooking New River, Broward Center for the Performing Arts showcases more than 700 performances yearly. For this year’s second quarter, the center has programmed performances by Earth, Wind & Fire as well as productions such as West Side Story.
Want to enjoy the outdoors right before a performance? New River has the breathtaking Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, a series of linear waterfront parks filled with restaurants, entertainment, and a complimentary water trolley service to transport passengers.
Boca Raton Train Station-101 NW 4th St.
Boca’s train station is right behind the library and a couple of blocks from its downtown area at Mizner Park. The downtown is filled with shopping, al fresco dining, theaters, and the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Boca’s Museum of Art is a seven-decade-old institution dedicated to the intercultural connection between art and its people. The museum showcases every art piece, from their 800 BCE Olmec statuettes to their 21st-century Kehinde Wiley paintings, all together and interconnected. The Museum of Art also has events worth the visit, like an evening of jazz with Phil Hinton or Lynn University’s string competition winner performance.
If you want to visit the coast, South Beach Park at Boca Raton is the closest beach access. The park has public restrooms and parking available until sunset.
In the mood for something a bit more luxurious? The Boca Raton, a resort built in 1926, is the definition of a lavish beach lifestyle. Reviewed as a 5-star Beach Club by Forbes Travel Guide, The Boca Raton has a private beach, a golf course, restaurants, a 5-star spa, and water taxi services.
West Palm Beach Station-501 Evenia St
The West Palm Beach train station offers an outstanding combination of art, high-end cuisine, and outdoor adventure. The station is located west of the outer banks, meaning a greater distance between the beach and the arrival gate. Within a 5-minute drive, or six blocks away, is West Palm Beach Waterfront Landing and West Palm Beach Green Market. The Green Market is a historic market and has been on USA Today’s list of readers’ best markets. It has won numerous awards and is considered one of America’s best. Adjacent to the market is the world-famous West Palm Beach International Boat Show, which brings more than one billion dollars in economic activity to the area. The show is usually a late-march activity that brings people from all over the world.
If you’re up for a stroll, S Flagler Drive has views of the cove while walking amid restaurants and shops. Its holy grail, South Cove Natural Area, it’s a nature preserve with views to the South Cove Islands.
Venturing into the outer bank, The Society of The Four Arts, an organization dedicated to connecting music, art, drama, and literature is a must-see. It has fantastic facilities, which include an art gallery, a library with over seventy thousand publications, and gardens.
If you like history, the Harry Morrison Flagler Museum, or Whitehall, as people used to call it in 1902, was considered to be “most beautiful than any place in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world”. The museum is an “absolute must-see to Visitors of Palm Beach”, according to the National Geographic Magazine, and within its walls lies the best of Florida’s Gilded Age. The compound consists of a two-story mansion, and its grounds- are a marble delicacy of a house, lion heads included.
Progress in the Making
As you can see, the whole east coast would be connected by a symphony of train tracks, culture, history, and nature, bringing fellow Floridians closer to each other. If Brightline continues to be a success, its concluding stop in Tampa would bring together both Florida coasts, a longtime dream finally coming true. For more information on ticket prices and schedules, please visit https://www.gobrightline.com.
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