Teresa, Author at Miami on the Cheap

Teresa

Teresa Mears is a publisher, writer and editor who was raised to be frugal. She became a website entrepreneur after 30 years as an editor at newspapers ranging in size from the Portland (Tenn.) Leader to The Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald, where she worked most recently. She moved to Florida in 1980 because it was the only place she could get a job during that recession and has lived in South Florida since 1985, in Miami, Hollywood and Fort Pierce. She also has lived on Florida’s Gulf Coast, in St. Petersburg and in Inverness.

‘Inanna and the Huluppu Tree’ discount

May 242013

Photo by Pavel Antonov.

The latest production of the Miami Theater Center is “Inanna and the Huluppu Tree,” about a goddess seeking to restore harmony to a city ravaged by storms and flying deities. With this deal from Goldstar, you can see the play for 40% off, without ravaging your wallet.

The play, which includes music, puppets and aerial effects, is suitable for theatergoers 8 and older.

Regular price is $20 per person plus $2.20 in fees if you order online. With this deal from Goldstar, a ticket is only $10, plus $3.50 in fees, for a total savings of $9 per ticket, or 40%.

Today only (Friday, May 24), you can get tickets for performances Saturday and Sunday for as little as $9.50, including fees.

The Goldstar deal is good for performances at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26.

The Miami Theater Center is at 9806 NE Second. Ave., Miami Shores FL 33138.

$99 for spa day in Miami Beach or Coral Gables

May 242013

feet Sometimes you just want to be pampered, and that means a day at a spa.

TravelZoo is offering spa days at three posh local spas: choose $200 worth of treatments for $99. So you can do a massage and mani-pedi, or a massage and facial, or maybe even a massage, nails AND facial if you pick the right combo.

These are the deals:

You can buy all three deals through Friday, May 31, or until they sell out, whichever comes first. You have until Aug. 20, 2013, to use your voucher.

You can find more spa deals at our Daily Deals page.

Grapeland Water Park $5 ‘dive-in’ movies

May 242013

grapeland-water-park The City of Miami is bringing back its popular “dive-in” movie nights at Grapeland Water Park with $5 Family Fridays May through September. Plus, the park will be open seven days a week for the summer starting this weekend.

Starting at 5:30 p.m. on the last Friday of every month, admission to the water park is $5 per person. Children can swim and play in all the pools until 7:30 p.m., when everyone moves to the recreation pool for the “dive-in” movie, which starts at 8 p.m.

Families don’ t need a reservation, but groups that want to participate must make a reservation by calling 305-960-2950.

Here is the summer film schedule:

May 31: Hunger Games
June 28: The Amazing Spider Man
July 26: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
Aug. 30: The Avengers
Sept. 27: Ghostbusters.

50% off waterfront dining at Gibraltar at Grove Isle

May 242013

gibraltar-grove-isle-water Perhaps your plans for Memorial Day weekend include dinner in a waterfront setting for a special occasion.

TravelZoo is offering a deal for Gibraltar at Grove Isle, a waterfront dining spot on the bay in Coconut Grove. The restaurant underwent a $1 million renovation a few years ago when it ceased to be Baleen, but the setting is as stunning as ever. A new deal from TravelZoo gives you an appetizer, two entrees and two glasses of sparkling wine for $65, or 50% off the regular price.

The deal is normally not good on holiday weekends, but it is good this Memorial Day Weekend. Or, you can use your voucher any time through July 23, reservations required.

You can find more 50% off dining deals at TravelZoo and on our Daily Deals page.

Dance ‘Peer Gynt’ free for kids

May 232013

dance Momentum Dance Company will do free dance performances for children of “Peer Gynt – A Story from Norway” in Coral Gables and Miami Beach on Saturday, May 25.

With music by Edvard Grieg and the story by Heinrich Ibsen, “Peer Gynt” is about a young man from Norway who is an adventurer and teller of tall tales. The production is for children ages 4 to 10.

Performances will be:

11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at the Coral Gables Branch Library, 3443 Segovia St. Coral Gables 33134
3 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at the Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22d St., Miami Beach.

Miami weekend roundup of free and cheap events

May 232013

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, and for many that means backyard barbecues with the family. But there are also plenty of places to go for free and cheap fun.

It’s Miami Museum Month, which means two-for-one admission to 23 South Florida museums, plus perks for members.

There are free movies in several venues as well.

To keep up with latest news on deals, discounts and free events in South Florida, sign up for the daily Miami on the Cheap newsletter.

Here are our top picks for free and cheap Memorial Day weekend fun May 24-27.

Friday, May 24

Saturday, May 25

Sunday, May 26

Monday, May 27

Looking for more ways to have fun on the cheap? Check out these resources:

If you’re hungry, check out our latest dining deals and coupons.

You can find info aboutfree and cheap events in Broward at Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap.

Beach party, home show coupon

May 232013

great-american-beach-party Here are two events in Broward that residents of Miami-Dade might want to attend this weekend:

The Great American Beach Party is 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 25 , on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The free event includes music on two stages, kids’ activities, a classic car show and a free movie on the beach.

The Fort Lauderdale Home and Remodeling Show is May 25-27 at the Broward Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. You can get $3 off if you buy our ticket in advance and $2 off if you print a coupon online.

You can find more free and cheap events in Broward at Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap.

Museum entry free for military, families this summer

May 232013

If you’re in the military, you and your family can get free admission to museums across the country from Memorial Day (May 27) to Labor Day (Sept. 2) in 2013 through the Blue Star Museums program.

The program is organized by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense, plus more than 2,000 museums. You can read the rules and find participating museums here.

There are the museums with free admission for the military and their families through the Blue Star Museums program in South Florida.

Student discounts to shows and museums

May 232013

One of the best deals around in Miami is through an organization called Culture Shock Miami. Through Culture Shock, students 13 to 22 can get discount tickets to numerous cultural performances in Miami for only $5 each. Best of all, each student can buy two tickets, and anyone of any age can use the second ticket. That means two students can take two parents, and the whole family can see a show for just $20.

Culture Shock also has standing discounts to various museums and attractions that are usually expensive to visit, allowing students to purchase two tickets for $2.50 each.

The $2.50 admission tickets currently are available for:

Bass Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami
History Miami
Miami Children’s Museum
Vizcaya
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Sometimes there are tickets for ZooMiami or the Miami Science Museum.

See all the discounts offered by Culture Shock Miami here. The offerings change constantly, and there may be only a limited number of discount tickets available to popular shows. Tickets have to be purchased at least a day in advance for shows, and you have to arrive early enough to exchange your Culture Shock Miami voucher for an actual ticket. Student ID is required to pick up the tickets.

If you’re looking for other ways to visit museums on the cheap, check out our list of regular free and discount museum days.

Burger, Beer and BBQ Bash and Latin Taste Fest discounts

May 222013

beer-burger-barbecue-bash Here’s a chance to get a discount on a party where food is the star. Voice Daily Deals is offering discounts to two Miami food festival events.

Miami’s first Latin Taste Fest, scheduled for Saturday, June 1, at the Airport Hilton, will bring together purveyors of food, wine and spirits with a Latin flair, with local and international restaurants and chefs included. With a deal from Voice Daily Deals, you can get 50% off a regular or VIP ticket. The VIP package, normally $150, is $75 with this deal. The regular admission price, normally $80, is just $40. Get 50% off the Latin Taste Fest here.

The Burger, Beer and BBQ Bash, will be Saturday, June 29, at the Miami Circle on Brickell and is presented as part of the Miami Taste of Brickell Food & Wine Festival. This deal from Voice Daily Deals offers a single VIP admission for $45, discounted from the regular price of $91 (Couples VIP admission is being offered for $125 on the event website, with single semi-VIP admissions for $65 and general admission for $10, but the latter categorydoes not include food.) Get a single $45 admission to the Burger, Beer and BBQ Bash here.

Neither of these deals has an expiration date listed, which means they are good until the allotted tickets sell out.

Free concerts: Luis Bofill and I Land Vibe

May 212013

luis-bofill You’ve got a chance to see two free concerts this weekend at Casino Miami Jai-Alai.

Friday, May 24, at 9 p.m. you can hear I Land Vibe, a South Florida Caribbean band. The band plays reggae, soca, calypso, ska and other dance music.

Saturday, May 25, at 9 p.m., you can hear Luis Bofill, a veteran of Cuba’s nueva trova movement of the 1970s. His work blends jazz, rumba, Latin and Afro-beat.

Casino Miami Jai-Alai is at 3500 NW 37th Ave., Miami, FL 33142.

Free lunch Memorial Day weekend at Jungle Island

May 212013

jungle-island-memorial-day-bash Jungle Island is offering a Memorial Day weekend deal: Buy a one-day ticket and visit May 25-27 and get a free barbecue lunch.

Admission is $34.95 (plus tax) for those 11 and older and $26.95 (plus tax) for children 3 to 10.

This deal can’t be combined with any other discounts.

Mainly Mozart free concerts for kids

May 212013

ESMIA-Leaders The Mainly Mozart festival, which runs through June 16, includes two free concert for kids at the Coral Gables Museum. The programs feature Miami Music Project’s Teaching Artists and their students, ESMIA Leaders, young musicians who are committed to social transformation through music.

This is the schedule:

Saturday, May 25, at 3 p.m.:

“String Fling,” featuring the Sona String Quartet

and the ESMIA Leaders.
Saturday, June 8, at 3 p.m. “All You Need Is Brass,” featuring theMiami Music Project Brass Quintet and the ESMIA Leaders.

The Coral Gables Museum is at 285 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.

Tickets to other events in the Mainly Mozart festival are $20 each.

Free kids’ book from Barnes & Noble

May 212013

This summer, kids can get a free book at Barnes & Noble with the Imagination’s Destination summer reading program. If kids in grades 1-6 read eight books and fill out a reading journal, they’ll get to choose a free kid’s book.

The program runs May 21-Sept. 3, 2013.

Barnes & Noble also offers a free kids’ club year-round, with discounts and special events.

Free film screenings every Tuesday

May 202013

The Miami Tower Film Series hosted by the Miami Jazz Society screens two free films nearly every Tuesday, at the Miami Tower downtown. The films are preceded by snacks and beverages from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

Tuesday, May 21: Anne of Green Gables (1985) at 6:15 p.m. Anne Shirley, an orphan, is adopted by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to help with their farm work. However, they accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers. Akeelah and the Bee (2006) at 9:30 p.m. A young girl from South Los Angeles tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee. (Starring Laurence Fishburne & Angela Bassett)
Tuesday, May 28: La Femme Nikita (1990) at 6:15 p.m. French action thriller. Convicted felon Nikita, instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin. Point of No Return (The Assassin) (1993) at 8:15 p.m. American remake of La Femme Nikita. Maggie, A cop killer on death row, is offered the chance to avoid execution by becoming a government assassin. As a cover, she gets a new identity as a saleswoman. When she falls in love with a gentle photographer, that complicates hit jobs. (Starring Bridget Fonda)

The Miami Tower, 19th floor auditorium, 100 Southeast 2nd St., Miami, 33131. Metromover station: Knight Center. If you are parking at the Miami Tower after 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, parking is $1 an hour, $5 maximum.

Free & cheap events in Miami this week

May 202013

If you’re looking for a way to entertain yourself in Miami-Dade this week without spending a lot of money, we’ve got some tips for you. We’ve got the scoop on lots of free and cheap ways to have fun. Here are some of the free events scheduled this week. Some events may require advance registration, and some deals may end before the event occurs, so plan early.

We’ll add more as we hear of them, and you can always find a complete list on our Calendar page. If you know of a free or cheap event you think we should add, email us at news@miamionthecheap.com.

Here are free and cheap things to do in Miami this week:

Monday, May 20

Tuesday, May 21

Wednesday, May 22

Thursday, May 23

Friday, May 24

Saturday, May 25

Sunday, May 26

Looking for more ways to have fun on the cheap? Check out these resources:

Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Friday, May 24

Saturday, May 25

Sunday, May 26

Monday, May 27

Miami-Dade

Broward

Palm Beach

Florida Keys

Monday, May 20

Tuesday, May 21