It’s cool but certainly not cold in Downtown Coral Gables as we go into the second month of 2022, a perfect time to enjoy live music outdoors during Encore!, a series of six concerts featuring students from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. They’ll be performing every two weeks from 5:30-7:30pm on Thursday evenings at McBride Plaza just east of Barnes & Noble on Miracle Mile. Each concert represents a different kind of music with a different set of musicians. Come by on February 10th, 24th, March 10th, 24th, and April 7th to experience a wide variety of music from jazz to classical quartet to funk to brass and more.
Coral Gables is known as the City Beautiful, not Music City, but you can discover a lot of music if you know where to look. Slip into the huge Barnes & Noble where in addition to what you expect, they also sell vinyl albums and record players, for those of us who no longer have or never had a record player at home.
If by now you’re getting hungry after the concert, across Miracle Mile from McBride Plaza is KAO Sushi & Grill. Sit at an outdoor table because in this great weather, it’s no fun to eat inside. You can also find outdoor tables at Salumeria and Forte going east on the Mile toward 37th Avenue.
Moving west after crossing Ponce de Leon Blvd, there’s continuous music playing at Copper 29 and tables on the sidewalk in a large sheltered area for people and dog watching. Cross Miracle Mile again to reach Seasons 52 past Salzedo Street. Sit at one of the sidewalk tables and share drinks and food while recorded music entertains you with Percy Sledge, Otis Redding, and other greats from the 80s.
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For more live music, on the first Friday of every month, the Coral Gables Museum opens its doors to the public for free from 6-10 PM as part of Coral Gables Gallery Night! Enjoy live music and the delightful Julio Larraz exhibition before heading out to eat in the area for your Friday night plans!
Back on Miracle Mile west of Ponce, you find Gables Records & Comics on the second floor above P.Pole Pizza. It’s an antiques store, selling historic vinyl, cassettes, and DVDs. They’re closed Monday and Tuesday, open afternoons Wednesday through Sunday. Worth a stop to browse if you’re a music treasure hunter. Visit before or after one of the Encore! concerts, and you won’t be disappointed.
To finish our music tour of Downtown Coral Gables, check out Bliss Imprints & Gifts, a few doors west of Gables Records & Comics. Bliss opened last year to offer printing, stationery and paper products as well as what look like tiny plastic radios in many colors. They’re speakers for Bluetooth – play music on your phone anywhere – and a great present for friends or a reward for yourself, for discovering Music City in the Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables. Find out more about the BID and Downtown Coral Gables visit experiencecoralgables.com or follow @experiencecoralgables on social media.
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