This weekend, Dade Heritage Trust is taking a (very) lucky group of people on a cocktail-based tour of downtown Miami’s most historic venues. Unfortunately, the popular event is sold out. (That’s why they’re so lucky.) But all is not lost!Â
We did some research on the spots they’ll be visiting. And you can learn more about the destinations, including the one where Elvis performed seven sold-out shows in two days, right here.
BTW, Dade Heritage Trust’s next big event is Baking in Historic Places on Saturday, Nov. 9 where bakers will create camp-themed treats in the Camp Greynolds mess hall located in North Miami. Tickets are $25 and are limited. Â
Here’s an overview of the destinations the cocktail tour will be making:
STOP 1: LOST BOY
If you haven’t been to the downtown spot, they describe their vibe as a “good English pub with the feel of an old Captain’s tavern in a Colorado miner’s saloon.” (It’ll make perfect sense once you get there.) Saddle up to the bar and order a specialty cocktail or plop down into one of their oversized leather chairs.
The building: Lost Boy is one of the businesses located inside the historic Alfred Dupont Building.Â
Completed in 1939, the 17-story building with ornate Art Deco details was the first skyscraper to go up after the Dade County Courthouse. Completed at a cost of $2.5 million in 1939, the building served as the headquarters for Florida National Bank. With retail stores occupying the street level, the bank lobby was on the second floor of the building, an innovative idea at the time.Â
Today, you can rent areas of the building for events like weddings, corporate affairs, and music video shoots, which Pitbull did for his Baddest Girl in Town video. If you have the opportunity to check out the old bank lobby, be sure to notice the brass elevator doors that are embellished with palm trees, flamingos, and other tropical designs.  Â
STOP 2: THE OLYMPIA THEATER
The Olympia Theater is one of only two atmospheric theatres remaining in Florida.Â
Opened in 1926, the theatre’s interior design evokes a sense of being outdoors through the use of projectors, architectural elements, and ornamentation. It’s under the ceiling’s twinkling lights that the likes of Elvis (who once performed seven sold-out shows over two days), B.B. King, Pavarotti, Etta James, and Della Reese have performed.Â
The restored theater continues to host events like movies, concerts, and other performances.
STOP 3: BLOOM SKY BAR
From the open-air rooftop terrace, you can take in the sights and sounds of downtown Miami while sipping on a beverage served in a bathtub vessel. The Instagram-friendly spot also hosts stand up comedy and bachata nights.
The building: The 12-story Langford Building, also known as the City National Bank Building, is currently home to the boutique, 126-room Langford Hotel. Built in the mid-1920s, the building is an example of an adaptive reuse of a historic building. When the new owners purchased the property, about 90% of the building’s structure was deteriorated.
STOP 4: SOYA E POMODORO
This restaurant is like hopping on a direct flight from MIA to Italy. Â
The building: Soya E Pomodoro is nestled into Shoreland Arcade, also known as the Dade Federal Savings Building.Â
The building was originally planned to be built in two phases with a 21-floor office tower with an open shopping area. The catastrophic hurricane of 1926 hit Miami and the second phase was never built; only one floor was completed. According to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory form, plans to increase the height were revived in 1944 with a nine-story addition. Like the original plans, this one was never completed.