Venue Reviews - Day 2

Another early morning adventure... We started off by going to Jungle Island. It is located very close to Downtown Miami and South Beach.



It is very convenient to get to. I was really concerned that it would be too theme park-like. But when we entered the building it was nothing like Disney World or any of those Orlando theme park attractions. I guess it has something to so with it being so new. The coordinator in charge of us, showed us around for the potential outside spots. It was lovely and so much better than any of us expected. And pricewise - this place was within reach.


Then, we headed to the beach to the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. I feel bad about this place, because I couldn't help but compare it to Fairchild. That is a very unfair comparison. It is a lovely garden, but it is tiny. The room and the outside area that we would have for our reception was right next to the highway.



That pretty much killed it for me. In hindsight, I shouldn't have even considered this place, because there is also no parking for guests. That is something I just don't want to deal with.

So, we headed to the Van Dyke Cafe on Lincoln Road for some great food and terrible service (see that it what happens when they automatically include an 18% tip).

As I sat there enjoying my company and the Florida weather, decided to cancel the rest of my appointments for the day. I made my decision that it was going to be between two of the venues.