What to do around Hard Rock Stadium during the College Football Playoff

Here’s what to do around Hard Rock Stadium if you find yourself there for the CFP.

With tickets for the College Football Playoff about to be flying off Christmas shelves like Christmas elves, fans are going to be looking for things to do, places to stay and restaurants to eat at come playoff time. The most popular spot will be Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which hosts the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025. Here’s what I would do around Hard Rock Stadium come playoff time.

Things to do

Go to the Beach

Obviously, we’re going to start with the beaches, especially if you stay outside of Miami Gardens. The weather in South Florida should still be nice enough to go get some rays of sun, especially if you’re from up north where snow ruins the entire day. Miami Beach is bound to be packed, but here are some other suggestions of quality beaches in the area:

• Hollywood Beach
• Sunny Isles Beach
• Fort Lauderdale Beach
• Surfside Beach

Miami Gardens is such a beautifully diverse area, with so many different cultures and flavors combining together. One of the coolest places you can go in the city is New World African and Caribbean Market. It’s a store with spices, seasonings and West African/Caribbean foods that could be fun to look at or buy if you want to. There are many local parks such as Walt Frazier Park that would be fun to go stretch your legs out at and breathe in some fresh air, as well as Shark Valley Observation Tower. The tower provides a birds-eye view of the Everglades, a much more preferred distance to see the nature at than right on the floor with them. For shopping, check out Dolphin Mall in Miami. Over 240 stores in an outdoor mall with various brands for everyone to love.

For the gambling person in your life, I would recommend Hard Rock Casino. It’s right by the stadium and has one of the biggest sportsbooks I’ve ever been in. It gets incredibly busy though, so be prepared.

What to Eat

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant: Ethiopian food is amazing, and Awash has some of the best in the city. They serve vegan options as well as Ethiopian classics such as Doro Wot, Lamb tips and others that would be incredibly fun to try.

Lorna’s Caribbean and American Grill: Caribbean food is easily a top five cuisine in the world, and Lorna’s does it so well. Highly recommend the Oxtail dinner or Bahamian conch dinner, and you can’t forget a rum cake to finish the meal off.

Sunday’s Eatery: Who wouldn’t want to eat at a restaurant owned by Trick Daddy? It’s all the Southern classics, but the best thing here is the Fried Ribs. Yes, you heard me. Fried ribs. It’s in a smaller location, and isn’t open on Tuesdays, but go eat at Trick Daddy’s restaurant. Just to say that you did.

We Shuckin’ Southern Eatery: Themed in the 60’s and 70’s, this locally sourced soul food restaurant is incredible. They do brunch, lunch and dinner, and I would highly recommend their fried fish and shrimp platter, and also have some options for kids meals as well. The poundcake there? Amazing.

Above anything else, don’t be afraid to embrace the diversity of the area. Go try Caribbean food! Go walk around and look at the art and murals in the area! Miami is such an amazing place to just sit and people watch, and that should be all you need while you wait for the Orange Bowl