Dade Heritage Trust, the group working to protect Miami’s architectural, environmental, and cultural heritage, is helping locals explore Allapattah with a bike tour this Sunday. The two-hour trek kicks off at 10 a.m. and will explore the neighborhood’s design shops, historic architecture, and tasty restaurants and bakeries.
Sunday’s Allapattah is For Lovers Bike Tour is one of the many educational opportunities that Dade Heritage Trust offers to help locals appreciate and celebrate the historic cultural elements we have in our neighborhoods. Tickets for the bike ride are $10; $5 for the trust’s members.
One of the stops on the bike tour is Build McKenzie, a design and construction company founded by fifth-generation Miamian Gavin McKenzie. The company, which has been located in Allapattah since 2015, renovated a 1938 warehouse into a modern and inspiring work space utilizing the historic features and architectural elements.
McKenzie, a board member of Dade Heritage Trust, has many connections to old Miami and old Florida. His mission, he says, is to “keep what we have remaining that is worth saving.”
“To be part of an organization whose mission is to preserve and educate seems very aligned with my own philosophical approach,” McKenzie said.
The bike ride will also highlight major changes coming to the neighborhood, like a proposed eight-building complex that would bring a mix of residential, office, hotel, and retail space to the former Miami Produce Center industrial area.
For a full look at Allapattah, check out this New Tropic story examining whether the neighborhood will become the next Wynwood. On Sunday’s bike ride, hear firsthand from local residents and businesses on what they think about it.