Walking Tour

Welcome to Coconut Grove

Miami’s Historic Waterfront Village

We invite you to take a walk or ride a bike down memory lane to discover the magic of Coconut Grove, a quaint and storied bay-front village within the City of Miami. Starting in the middle of the action at Main Highway, Grand Ave., and McFarlane Road, we have handpicked a few of our favorite spots around the Grove that are easy to reach on foot or by bicycle. After all, that’s how our early settlers got around!
Since the 1870s, people have been drawn to this unique destination for its natural beauty, pleasant tropical breezes, and easy access to the pristine waters of Biscayne Bay – likely the very same reasons you’re here.
This list of structures, sites, and institutions is far from complete. So whether you’re a local resident or a guest here enjoying our exquisite dining, shopping, and world-class hotels, there are countless attractions and things to do in Coconut Grove. To find out more, visit www.coconutgrove.com.

This project is a partnership with the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District.

1. Plymouth Congregational Church

One of the most historical churches in Miami, Plymouth Congregational Church is located just south of Coconut Grove, off Main Highway. Along the way, you’ll pass the Coconut Grove Playhouse at the corner of Charles Ave., and Ransom Everglades School, a renowned college-prep day school.

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Plymouth Congregational Church sits on a vast 11-acre campus. Built by just one man, Felix Rebom, the religious edifice was founded in 1897 and completed in 1917, using only a hatchet, a trowel, a plumb line, and a T-square. The mission architecture of this church was modeled after the old Spanish missions of Mexico – and played a major role in the early settlement of Coconut Grove.
Visitors are drawn to the tranquility of the walled garden and the 300-year-old carved doors with original hardware. The interior of the vine-covered stone building is constructed along the lines of a classic basilica. In 2012, Plymouth Congregational Church was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 2017, the congregation celebrated the 100th anniversary of its sanctuary. Drop by for Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m., or simply to stroll the beautiful grounds.

2. Ransom Everglades School

Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is nestled across two scenic campuses in Coconut Grove. Serving students from grades 6 to 12, the mission of this distinguished coeducational institution. goes beyond academic excellence – they aim to cultivate graduates who embrace the belief that their purpose in this world is to contribute rather than simply receive.

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Through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, Ransom Everglades fosters a strong sense of identity, community, personal integrity, and enduring values, equipping their students not only to lead but also to make meaningful contributions to society.

3. Stirrup House

Built in 1897 by Bahamian immigrant Ebenezer Woodbury Franklin Stirrup, the historic Stirrup House serves as a symbol of Bahamian influence on South Florida's heritage and architecture.

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Stirrup played a crucial role in Coconut Grove's overall development, as one of the area's largest landowners and as a renowned carpenter. He believed in the power of homeownership and constructed numerous homes for African Americans, fostering community growth. Stirrup also owned various businesses and contributed to agriculture using local resources.
The Grove takes pride in preserving its historic buildings and architectural heritage in order to ensure that the neighborhood’s unique history continues to be told through its buildings. Today’s fully restored Stirrup House is a two-story vacation rental – a perfect place to enjoy the renowned tranquil lifestyle of Coconut Grove.

4. Coconut Grove Playhouse

At one point, the Coconut Grove Playhouse was the “coolest" place to go for a movie – especially during the summer months. Opening on Jan. 3, 1927, as part of the Paramount chain, it was notable for being the second air-conditioned movie theater on Florida's east coast. A really big deal at that time, as was the in-house Wurlitzer organ – the largest in the U.S.

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The theater began as the Player's State Theater, a movie theater constructed by architect Richard Kiehnel and built by Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Over the years, it hosted a wide variety of shows until its closure in 2006. Unfortunately, it has remained unused since then and gained recognition by being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

5. Original St. Stephen’s Church

Amidst the busy sidewalk cafes and trendy boutiques along Main Highway in the Grove is a relic of a small church, the original location of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Credited with establishing St. Stephen’s original church was Flora McFarlane who came to Coconut Grove from London in 1886.

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Back then, the Grove’s most notable qualities were mosquitoes and swampland, but that didn’t stop Miss McFarlane who, upon hosting an organizational meeting with local Episcopal women in 1906, established St. Stephen’s Church as a mission. They spent the first few years raising funds to build the church, but by 1912, work on the small ornate mission-style building was finally completed.
The Rev. C.P. Jackson was priest-in-charge until 1910 when a permanent rector was found, Father Soper, who served for 28 years. During his tenure, Coconut Grove was still a sleepy little vacation spot, rather isolated from the rest of the country, and largely ignored by travellers. That obviously didn’t last.
This original St. Stephen’s served the community well here for nearly 100 years until it was torn down to make way for a replacement church bearing the same name. Never fear though, because the tall mixed-use building on the same site where H&H Jewels now stands has incorporated the mission bell from the original structure.

6. Barnacle Historic State Park

Miami’s oldest home, The Barnacle is located here in the heart of Coconut Grove. Built in 1891, this charming historic estate sits atop a ridge facing Biscayne Bay in the eastern portion of a five-acre state park by the same name – and truly offers a glimpse of Old Florida during The Era of the Bay.
Home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, one of the Grove’s most interesting and influential pioneers, the Florida Park Service acquired this portion of Munroe’s original 40-acre home site in 1973. Today, it serves as a popular venue for moonlight concerts and films, sunset soirees, and annual special events – all sponsored by The Barnacle Society, the park’s official fundraising arm.

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Upon Munroe’s first visit to South Florida from his native Staten Island, N.Y., in 1877, he immediately fell in love with the isolated tropical paradise. By 1886, he purchased the land upon which he built a two-story wood-frame boathouse on the shoreline. The first floor was his workplace while the second story served as his original living quarters, until a main house was completed in 1891. It also became the initial home of the newly founded Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, where Munroe served as Commodore for 22 years.

Barnacle Munroe.
The main residence was designed and built by Munroe who also designed shallow-draft sailboats. He drew on the principles of boat design and his observations of traditional Caribbean home construction to make his house comfortable – and stable.
The central room of his new home was octagonal in shape. Presumably, this is how he came to call his home “The Barnacle,” because it looked like the small marine creature that fixes it self to boats and dock spaces.
As his family grew in numbers, Munroe was prompted to build a new first floor under the original house, by raising the home on beams in order to insert the new first floor below.
The entire home was built with Dade County pine and salvaged lumber from the Bay’s many shipwrecks. A rooftop cupola, complete with transom windows operated by ropes and pulleys, served as a ventilation system by creating a chimney effect to draw warm air up and out. Another addition, which served as Munroe’s library and study, was completed in 1913.
Guided tours take place several days a week. It’s the best way to get inside the main house, which is decorated with photographs taken by the Commodore, various tools of his trade, and family butterfly collections. The bedrooms are also decorated with Munroe family belongings.

Barnacle Munroe's Saiboat
As a seaman, naturalist, and photographer, Commodore Munroe was a man who cherished the natural world around him. As a result, he preserved the original forest of tropical hardwood hammock between the business of Main Highway and The Barnacle, cutting out only a winding buggy trail barely wide enough for one vehicle. Today, it is one of the last remnants of the once vast “Miami Hammock” and appears much as it did in Munroe’s day.

7. Coconut Grove Bank

Coconut Grove is a treasure trove of architectural wonders that mirror its vibrant history. Perhaps one of our most revered buildings is the old Coconut Grove Bank building. Founded on July 12, 1926, and now home to H&H Jewels, this prominent structure evokes nothing short of strength and solidity.

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Step back into the rich history of our downtown district by visiting this architectural gem that’s graced the corner of Fuller Street and Main Highway since the late 1800s. The Grove is a place where historic buildings stand as living testimonies of bygone eras, coexisting with modern structures that showcase innovative designs. This blend of the old and new is what gives our village’s architectural landscape its distinct identity.

8. Peacock Park

The City of Miami is home to over 148 beautiful parks – and perhaps the proudest peacock of them all is located in the heart of Coconut Grove. A generous and inviting green space abutting Biscayne Bay, Peacock Park is just down the ridge from Coconut Grove’s central business district. Here you’ll find a plush field of grass surrounded by a protected hammock, with plenty of room for a full range of sports and a kid’s playground. Its 10-acres also accommodates myriad public events – including the widely acclaimed Coconut Grove Arts Festival.

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The history of this land goes back to 1883 when Charles and Isabella Peacock established the area’s first hotel here, the Bay View Inn. They later renamed it the Peacock Inn and allowed it to serve as the first venue for local Miami community gatherings. In recognition of the Peacocks’ contributions, the park site was dedicated as Peacock Park in 1973.
You’ll also be drawn to the water's edge where you’ll find an inviting boardwalk bridge to relax, feel the ocean breeze on your face, and take in a view of the bay and mooring sailboats. Park hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

9. Eva Munroe's Gravesite

Because the land for the Coconut Grove Library was donated by one of the area’s prominent pioneers, Commodore Ralph Munroe, he had one stipulation – that the grave of his first wife Eva Amelia Munroe would be maintained here in perpetuity. Today, it stands as the oldest marked burial site in Miami-Dade County. Nestled into a lovely spot directly in front of Peacock Garden Cafe — named in honor of the Peacock family — there in repose are the remains of Eva Munroe, considered a leading personality of Coconut Grove.

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It is a story reflecting the often-tragic realities of late 19th century living. Shortly after giving birth to their first daughter in Staten Island, N.Y., Eva contracted tuberculosis in 1881. Hoping a milder winter climate would improve her health, the Commodore brought Eva to live in Florida. The Munroes settled at the mouth of the Miami River where Eva eventually perished and was buried there in 1882, at age 23. Ralph went back to New York, after that first daughter also died, but soon returned – where he eventually purchased bay front property on which to build his permanent home in the Grove, called The Barnacle. He disinterred her body and moved it to its present location beside the library.

10. Coconut Grove Library

The fledgling Coconut Grove Library got its jumpstart with the donation of several boxes of books by the family of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Turns out, his sister-in-law visited the library, originally housed in the Peacock General store, and came away impressed with it.

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As early settlers walked up McFarland Road, they could easily find the Coconut Grove Library right beside the Women’s Club along the dirt road running up the ridge from Biscayne Bay. Founded in 1895 by Mary Barr Munroe and members of the Pineneedles Club, an organization of young women, the library was housed earlier in a wood-frame building – a masonry mock up of which is affixed to the west wing of the present structure.
The land for the library was donated by Commodore Ralph Munroe with the stipulation that the grave of his wife Eva Amelia Munroe would be maintained there. The current library was built in 1963 and recently got a historic marker signifying its long history in the Grove. Operated by the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the building’s sweeping roofline can be seen slightly hidden behind thick tropical trees and foliage. The library is open every day excluding Sundays.

11. Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove

One of the best spots to begin your self-guided tour is the Women’s Club of Coconut Grove, located in the heart of the retail, dining, and hospitality district. With its striking coral rock and lime stone façade, this beautiful 1891 Historic Club House provides a picture-perfect look at those institutions that constituted life here in the 19th century.

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The Women’s Club of Coconut Grove was renowned for organizing hundreds of community-uplift activities and fundraisers over its 90-year history. Founded by Flora McFarlane, Mary Barr Munroe, and other prominent women of the settlement, Harpers Magazine in fact once suggested that its members represented a touch of civility in the subtropical wilderness that was Coconut Grove.
This prodigious rock building, designed by Walter Degarmo who lived only a mile away, sits on the ridge overlooking the waterfront and Peacock Park just across the street. It has been tastefully renovated and continues to maintain the intimate and elegant feel it has brought to so many over the years. Replete with warm wooden floors and a gorgeous stone fireplace, the old rustic charm of the Women’s Club continues to be an irresistible draw for local events, meetings, and weddings.

12. City Hall / Seaplane Terminal

You won’t need a passport for this trip back in aviation history. Just a short walk northward from Peacock Park along the bay, is a long drive to a bright white art-deco building set way back off S. Bayshore Dr. Located at Dinner Key, this area was once a small island in Biscayne Bay, but joined with the mainland during World War I to provide a training field for the U.S. Navy.

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Suddenly in 1924, Pan American Airways lands in town – and Coconut Grove finds itself on the map of major international destinations. The U.S. flagship carrier selected this parcel to operate a hub here, serving South and Central American with flying Clipper Ships. The stunning two-story terminal allowed for the public to watch takeoffs and landings from an outer promenade upstairs. The first-floor level offered waiting rooms and ticket counters – as well as a giant, three-and-one-half ton revolving world globe in the lobby that once attracted thousands of visitors.
Though Pan Am ceased operations here in 1945, the present terminal building still stands as a monument to the golden years of aviation. Since 1954, the terminal has served as Miami City Hall. The restored mural that graces its ceiling in the commission chamber depicts the history of flight from Leonardo Da Vinci’s designs to the Clipper planes flown by Pan Am.