Community Centers are the heart of their community. They offer classes, exercise, can be rented out…read morefor events, and they can even give a helping hand through their many programs staffed by city employees. A good community center offers varied opportunities for its residents of all ages. A shining example of a great community center is the Pinecrest Community Center across from Pine Crest Library. I was able to check out the Pinecrest Community center during the Pinecrest Farmers Market. Overflow parking for the market is behind the community center and library. The Pinecrest Community Center offers many free and low cost programs for all residents. These include personal enrichment programs, social activities, creative activities, active recreation, STEAM, arts, health, camps, and fitness programs. The community center gym is a popular destination for fitness enthusiasts. There is cardio and strength training equipment, stretch zone, locker rooms with showers, and personal trainers and fitness classes. The community center also has an indoor play zone for children and families and spaces that can be rented for private events. Outside the center is a shade covered playground and paved walkways for exercise. There is also a cafe called Elia Pinecrest that anyone can visit for dine in and take out. You can register for classes and upcoming events online and follow the community center on social media for event news. There are volunteer opportunities too. If you want to be active, make friends, and learn new things, the Pinecrest Community Center has just the right program for all ages. It kind of makes me wish I lived in Pinecrest.

Very nice community center especially for kids. You can park for free at Pinecrest Gardens. There…read moreis a nice playground, big soccer field, and track. You can actually see the peacocks at Pinecrest Gardens from there. The community center also has a gym, the Pinecrest public library, and a restaurant called Elia. We always have a nice outing when we come here.

Hands on Miami has been an amazing discovery for me…read more I have been a regular volunteer since January- giving me plenty opportunities to get involved with the community. But while i have always had a desire to volunteer and get involved, i also had a fear of the commitment entailed and the complications that might arise out of my already busy schedule. What is so perfect about Hands On is that it's a flexible volunteering model with no long term commitments, no background checks, no frills or complicated processes. I simply went on the site, found an activity of interest, which to me was working with teens and/or kids and signed up for a specific date. I've been hooked ever since- volunteering my time every month at Miami Bridge- an emergency youth shelter for abused, neglected and abandoned teens ages 10 to 17 and I love it. Every activity is assigned a project leader who takes responsibility for the group and can be a resource on that day for help with directions, etc... I can honestly say it's been a wonderful resource for me in finding ways to get involved and make a difference. Definitely check them out at handsonmiami.org and sign up for an event.

If you have been telling yourself you need to get involved and do something in the community but…read morehave no idea how to start, Hands On Miami is the place you need to check out. They are a great central source of various community initiatives and projects in the Dade County area. It does not matter how old your are or what you like to do, there is something for everyone @ HOM that wants to give back to their community. There are projects just on the weekend, weekday days and evenings, just for kids, just for adults, for the whole family to join too. So really time can't be an excuse! There is an hour orientation that you participate is that gives you all the info you need to get started. You can check out their website(http://www.handsonmiami.org) for the next one. The people @ HOM are top notch too. Really friendly and go out of their way to help you every step of the way. Definitely worth checking if you want to get involved in your community!!!

Such a beautiful place! The whole area is pretty but so we didn't get to explore the whole place…read morebut I'll definitely be back. The butterfly conservatory is so pretty and there were so many butterflies flying around. This is a great place to spend the day (maybe when it gets a little colder out!)

This place is located about a half hour from downtown Miami. The drive isn't bad, but I'm not sure…read moreabout traffic in the area generally. We arrived here a bit after 1:30 p.m. on a Thursday. As we toured the gardens, I could see the road we came in on as it continued past some areas of the garden, and by 3 p.m. it was packed with cars at a crawl. So come early? The facility has ample parking on site. There is a main building that houses the gift shop, ticket counter, and a very small cafe. The gardens spread out behind it. Our tickets were free thanks to a Horticultural Society membership that my wife got. If you know that you'll be visiting at least a couple of sites like this within a year, it is worth checking on this to save some money on entry fees. There are paved paths throughout the gardens. You can walk the entire property, but they also offer hourly tram tours. We opted to do the tram first, and I think this is definitely the way to go. You can get a 1-hour overview of all the areas and then decide what to re-visit on foot afterwards. The focus of the gardens is tropical plants, though they have some other varieties as well. Our guide on the tram tour was quite good. He provide a historical overview and highlighted specific plants and architectural design choices as we drove around. Afterwards, we checked out the butterfly house and a few adjoining buildings. We also revisited areas with particularly nice views. My wife wanted to track down some Egyptian geese and also iguanas, both of which we'd seen on the tour. We were able to find both without too much effort. We probably spent 2.5 - 3 hours here. I enjoyed this more than I expected, and if you have any interest in landscape design or botanical gardens, this is a very worthwhile stop near Miami.

First of all, and most importantly, do not be mislead by the name. This is not only for kids…read more I came across Mindful Kids Miami while I was a facilitator for the Children's Bereavement Center. We had a workshop for a few hours which was great but I left there knowing that I needed to dive deeper into mindfulness and what MKM had to offer. I continued to look up their upcoming classes and events for some time until I eventually decided to take a course. I took an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction class that consisted of 2.5 hours once a week and a full-day silent retreat. At first, I was hesitant if I'd made the right choice with this class. But contrary to my usual habits, I stuck it out, I kept going back and I pushed through the resistance to get out of something uncomfortable. Eight weeks later and I can say with an honest heart that my life has changed. The peace I feel within is a gift that I will carry with me forever. For several years I have delved into meditation and self help, the power of my mind and its thoughts. However, taking a course, being held accountable, having to report, practice, literally and metaphorically have to show up, has completely confirmed my beliefs. I had the knowledge but lacked the practice and consistency, until now. MKM is so special and Miami is lucky to have this incredible group sharing the love and what mindfulness can do for us all. If we're just a little open minded. I look forward to continuing my training and my practice here. If 8 weeks seems like too much, take a look at their site. They offer free drop-in classes for adults, family events, weekend retreats, classes for children, teachers, etc. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you, Mindful Kids Miami for this journey. Dorlie and Gus you were both a light for 2.5 hours of the week. I am so humbled and grateful that I got to be a part of it.

thank you for helping me with my mom. i wrote a song about that. https://youtu.be/wdh0f1axsl0read more

This is an amazing place to help folks through any issues they may be experiencing. They're able…read moreto meet any schedule you may have as well as offer differ counseling options. My family member raves about this place and their very appreciative of all they help and guidance they've been able to provide.

I loved this so much!!! What's better than recycling books and sharing them for free?? They have a…read morelarge selection of all types of books, in different languages, some look brand new. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. You can also schedule an appointment to take in donated books. They have events for children once a month too. You are missing out if you don't stop in!

Lovely selection, very well organized and caring staff! Was so happy to visit this location, had…read morebeen to the location in south beach in the past.

Today I dropped off some donations and decided to stop in the store. I was not expecting how clean…read moreand organized the store was. It amazed me how nice the furniture pieces were and how inexpensive thing were. I was especially impressed with the staff (Crystal, Maria, Gabriel and Miles) who do such an amazing job in keeping everything neat. This is not an easy task considering the amount of donations that come in. Thank you everyone for being so nice in answering my questions and keep up the good work!!!!!

@business Manager Salvation Atmy You have no excuses !!!…read moreYour employee failed to properly inspect my sofa. In such case they would have found that very few left over dog hair on his fabrics would have made an extremely poor family happy !!!! I would have not gone through the TROUBLE of spending conspicuous time cleaning it at my best and taking it over your facility If I knew that your main concern is to find a way to sell it for a profit..... Such sofabed was sturdy and well built. The memory foam was in great shape and your uncaring employees turned it down without even looking at it appropriately. They just judged it from few hair and a some dirt still present on the foam. Should you have given it up to homeless people as it was, I am sure that God would have sent his blessing !!!! Shame on all of you for such a despicable action !!!

We rented out the pool for our boys birthday party and they had a BLAST ! The place was great,…read morestaff is super friendly and helpful - all our friends want to do the same thing ! Perfect pool party !

Right off us1 and red road, you would never know this place exists. The indoor facilities are nice…read morealthough I only come here for the soccer field. It seems like a great place for families and children to hang out and play sports: basketball courts, a baseball field, playground, more free field space and ample parking. Maybe it's just me but Miami needs more places like this.

Shake a leg is a coconut grove staple!! We had a group visiting Miami and we took them for a boat…read moreride to view Miami skyline from the water. Amazing!!!!! The captain and staff were very informative and brought us up to speed on history which was great. Shake a leg offers different activities and you should definitely check it out when you are in Coconut Grove

Dear Shake A Leg,…read more You are so near and dear to my heart, since my fiancée's disabled little cousin works here and takes lessons here. The opportunities you have provided her and the joy her little job brings her is like nothing else she knows in her life. For that, we are eternally grateful. Where else can a girl in a wheelchair learn how to sail?! It's just amazing. The sailing facility and boathouse are beautiful and located right on the water, next to Monty's in Coconut Grove. You offer sailing lessons for all ages, and in the summer there are camps for the kids. My fiancée and I have also attended a few of the charity family events that you have hosted here, in order to support the community, and they are always a blast!!! There are always tons of activities for the kids and the adults, lots of food, and information on the different disabilities. Just a spectacular organization and your motto is right on! Thank you for all that you do for the community. It is greatly appreciated!!! Keep up the good work! Much Love, SabrinaAnna*