Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum - Miami, FL

Today, Miami is such a melting pot of races and cultures that for many it may be hard to imagine what it was like in the 1950s when segregation was alive and all too real in the city. Well, it was. Separate communities for blacks and whites, meant separate policing and a separate police precinct and courthouse too. 

The Black Police Precinct and Courthouse was designed and built specifically to provide a segregated base of operations for Miami’s black police officers and judge. At the time, the Black Precinct and Courthouse was the first and only one of its kind, recognized as a pioneer in trying to bring some level of equality to policing in the black community. The precinct closed in 1963 when the police department was integrated into the main Miami police precinct after segregation ended. Today, it houses the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum.

The Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum is not only a pillar of history for the African American community, but for Miami as well. It's not a large museum and does not contain many artifacts. What it does have is plenty of history and information. Since it is ran by the City of Miami Retired Police Officers Community Benevolent Association, your visit to the museum means meeting and having the opportunity to speak with a retired police officer of the City of Miami Police Department and possibly one whom served in the Black precinct who has vast personal knowledge of policing in the city of Miami.

It is not a typical museum and not at all what you might expect. It is a one of a kind experience though. Visit the museum and learn the history of the "First Five" and so much more.

Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum

480 NW 11th St, Miami, FL 33136

(305) 329-2513

http://historicalblackprecinct.org/ 

Admission Prices

$15 per person

Hours

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	10:00AM–4:00PM
Wednesday	10:00AM–4:00PM
Thursday	10:00AM–4:00PM
Friday	10:00AM–4:00PM
Saturday	10:00AM–4:00PM
Sunday	Closed

Road Tripping: Miami to Saint Petersburg (Florida)

Miami and Orlando are probably the only two cities anyone visiting Florida ever bothers to visit. I love travelling the world, but I do call Miami home so I completely understand why people love Miami (and the Orlando theme parks for that matter), however, Florida is huge and there are a lot of other great cities worth visiting. 

Follow along my weekend getaway road trip from Miami to St. Petersburg:

ARRIVING

The driving time from Miami to Saint Petersburg is approximately 3.75 hours via the I-75 and I-275, but if you plan to fly into St. Petersburg, you have two options: Saint Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) or the larger Tampa International Airport (TPA) which is just 10 miles across from the bay.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

EATING

After an over three hour drive, the only thing on the brain is as always, FOOD. We stopped for a nice brunch at URBAN Comfort Restaurant and Brewery (2601 Central Ave Saint Petersburg, FL). We dined at one of their outdoor benches, but the open concept of the restaurants (open kitchen, open door) means you’re essentially eating outdoor no matter where you choose to eat. As the only brewpub in town, you know the beers alone are worth it to make a visit, but the food is pretty incredible as well.

Chicken and Waffles, Wild Brunch

Another dining option suggested is Bodega (1120 Central Ave Saint Petersburg, FL), known for their Latin American inspired food. It is not as much a restaurant as it is a walkup counter (though there are some tables and chairs), but well worth it. Keep in mind however, it is pretty popular and you should expect a line and a bit of a wait.

Lining up for Bodega

DOING

My main interest in visiting St. Pete had to be the Salvador Dali Museum (1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL) which houses one of the largest collection of the artist Salvador Dali’s work.

Dali Painting

Besides Dali’s work, the building that houses it, it pretty impressive as well.

Dali Museum

It is located on the downtown waterfront between the Mahaffey Theater & Albert Witted Airport.

 Downtown Waterfront

While in St. Pete, you should also visit, the Sunken Gardens (1825 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL) and the Chihuly Collection (720 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL).

On a Saturday, please visit one of the outdoor markets.

Craft Fest Indie Market

Street Market

Lastly, if you are into art, there is plenty of street art downtown to be seen and enjoy.

Former Imagine School of St. Petersburg

SLEEPING

I have family in the area, so I spend their night with them, but as a fairly big city St. Pete has many hotel options from affordable to upscale, you just have to look for what suits you and your interest.

DEPARTING

Instead of heading directly to Miami, we made a couple of stops along the way. The first stop was Sarasota to visit the Ringling Museum (5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL).

Ringling Museum of Art

We were limited on time, so we decided again paying the admission fee and ended up just walking the grounds, since it takes at least an entire day to view the entire property as there`s a Circus Museum, the Museum of Art, a rose garden and Ca’ d’Zan Mansion. We will come back for another visit though, during a trip dedicated to Sarasota.

Rose Garden

For lunch, we headed to Lido Key. We ended up dining at Shore (465 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236). The staff was very friendly and accommodating but above all, the food was amazing and the seafood was unbelievably fresh and delectable.

Lemongrass Lobster Bisque, Fish Sandwich, Spaghettini Arrabiata

After another stop to visit friends and family in Port Charlotte, we were finally ready to head home, but not without one last stop. We decided Marco Island might be an interesting stop since none of us had ever been, but it was dead. I am not sure if it was an off-season thing or a Sunday thing but nothing was open. All we found to do was a driving tour of the houses in the area.

Waterfront Homes of Marco Island

We did find one restaurant that was open though called Lee Be Fish Company. They serve very fresh fish (only the catch of the day) and shrimp.

LeeBe Storefront

It is located in a small shopping complex that like much of the island, all of the shops were closed so I was surprised that is was open.

Closed Shops

From Marco Island, it was only a 2 hour drive back to Miami.

Leaving Marco Island