"Zoom out. What’s the big picture here? The Dade Heritage Trust is a large organization dedicated to the cultural preservation of Miami and it offers two tours of Brickell Avenue—North and South. Both start at the Dade Heritage Trust offices, the former home of Miami’s first physician. The walking tour encompasses Point View (the city’s first subdivision) and a good number of the mansions of the former Millionaire’s Row. The tour tells of the fortunes of the families that once inhabited these grand residences, and the events that shaped the first half of the 20th century in this part of the world. Tell us about your fellow tourees. The small group consisted mostly of local history buffs, though a few of us were from out of town and had a more generalized interest in the city. It’s not a short tour, but the pace is leisurely enough and there are multiple stops. How are the guides, then? The guide expertly brought the former glamour of the area to life—not that the backdrop is too shabby these days, but stories of the golden age of Point View (when it was an incredibly extravagant development) were delightful. Seeing Nolan House—one of the few places to have escaped replacement by condos—and hearing the story of the Nolan family, revealed a different side to the city. Delivery was engaging and our guide was nothing but charismatic. Anything you’ll be remembering weeks or months or years from now? It's a shame that so many of the great mansions of the former Millionaires’ Row have been lost to redevelopment, but the Trust has managed to preserve several in the face of onslaught. It was moving to hear firsthand about the organization's ongoing preservation work. So: money, time—how can we make the most of both? This is a perfect tour for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into the history of the city and what was its most affluent area. The glamour associated with Miami today has its roots here, and it’s fascinating to learn about those origins." - Paul Oswell
