Things to Do: Biltmore Hotel

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

This is going to be a new thing here on the Confessions Blog. Because money is tight (isn't it for everyone?) and there's a baby on the way, we have cut back on our eating out. This is a little sad because I love to explore new restaurants, especially now that I am so unfamiliar with the dining scene here in Miami, but priorities are priorities. As a result, I have become obsessed with free/inexpensive things to do.

Going to the Biltmore Hotel is something I have always wanted to do. Luckily enough, the Dade Heritage Trust conducts free tours on Sundays. The hotel is gorgeous and has the most incredible history. From being a posh hotel in the 20s to a hospital during the World War to completely abandoned in the 60s and 70s to beautifully restored in the 80s, the hotel has been through it all. It is located in Coral Gables and was the brain child of Coral Gables founder George Merrick. Probably the most interesting thing about this hotel and what draws people in is the ghost of Al Capone's bodyguard. If you are lucky, they take you up to the 13th floor where the murder occurred and you get to walk through the same space where the body and blood were.

Lobby

Ballrooms

Courtyard.

Suite where the murder took place. Look familiar? Think Bad Boys.

View from 13th floor.

This is the room the ghost haunts.

For more information on the Biltmore Hotel go here. For more information on Dade Heritage Trust go here.