Brickell's End of The Underline Keeps a Weekly Calendar as the Last Miles Come Together

The Underline's newest pieces get the ribbon-cuttings. In August, families crowded into the Nikki Spoelstra Play Forest at South Miami's grand opening while a band played near South Miami City Hall, the Miami Herald reported. Crews are now working through Coral Gables on the final middle section. The Brickell end is where the trail began, and it has moved on from openings to a routine. Through mid-December it has a market most Saturdays, a free Pilates class on a Wednesday evening, a weekend workout at Urban Gym, and a walk that leaves from Hammock Playground.

That routine is the most useful thing to know about the trail at the moment. For anyone living within a few blocks of SW 1st Avenue, the half-mile under the Metrorail tracks now works like a weekly program.

The Half-Mile That Opened First

The Brickell Backyard was The Underline's first segment. It runs half a mile from the Miami River to SW 13th Street, the Herald noted at the time. Everything on this season's Brickell calendar happens on that stretch or just past its southern edge, along SW 1st Avenue:

• Urban Gym, between SW 7th and 8th streets: a fenced Flex Court, mini-pitch soccer, body-weight fitness equipment, a running track and spectator seating, with artwork by Dominican artist Bony Ramirez.
• The Inter Stage, at SW 8th Street and SW 1st Avenue: a programmed gathering space with a digital community screen under a cantilevered canopy.
• The 11th Street Plaza: a sculpture garden by local artist Typoe, with built-in seating and flexible space for pop-ups.
• Hammock Playground, at SW 15th Road and SW 1st Avenue, where the Brickell stretch gives way to the corridor heading toward Vizcaya.

From now through mid-December, the Inter Stage carries most of the schedule.

Saturdays at the Inter Stage

The Underline Market came back to Brickell on Saturday, October 31. It is run in partnership with East Coast Markets and brings together local farmers, fresh produce, prepared foods, artisan goods and small businesses at the Inter Stage, 805 SW 1st Avenue. That Saturday also closed out the Levitt Bloc Miami free concert series, which ran from July 18 through October 31 with stops that included a Hispanic Heritage Month concert on September 19, a Caribbean Carnival concert on October 8, and "The Underline Takes Over Halloween" on October 31.

The concerts are done for the year. The market keeps going. Eventeny's listing for The Underline Market–Brickell shows Saturday sessions through December 12. The listing calls the market SNL Market, so a given Saturday may not repeat the October 31 lineup of a market with a DJ and live bands. The live acts belonged to the concert series. Hours are on each date's listing.

From the Inter Stage, the market's own directions put it on SW 1st Avenue just past the crosswalk at SW 9th Street. The Underline suggests arriving on foot, by bike or by Metrorail. Take the train to Brickell Station, exit north and walk toward 8th Street. Bike racks sit on The Underline at SW 1st Avenue and SW 9th Street. For drivers, the market page names the Brickell City Centre and Publix Mary Brickell Village lots, plus the Brickell View Terrace Garage. Street parking runs on PayByPhone. Because the event is outdoors, the page says it is canceled for severe weather or a 50 percent chance of rain, and updates go out by email.

The Rest of the Week, Block by Block

The weekday and Sunday programs use the same few blocks the market does, so a whole week on the calendar fits between SW 7th Street and SW 15th Road. From publish day through mid-December, the Brickell-stretch dates line up like this:

The HIIT & RUN Workout is a free hour. It starts with 30 minutes of high-intensity training led by Instructor Decue, followed by a 30-minute group run along The Underline led by Instructor Mo. It meets at Urban Gym next to Brickell Metrorail Station. Starting there makes sense, because the track, the Flex Court and the body-weight equipment are all inside one fence.

Wednesday, November 18, is the busiest evening on the Brickell stretch this month. UPilates is a free mat fusion class with LitPilates, held at the Inter Stage from 6 to 7 p.m. Half an hour after it starts, Walking with a Purpose leaves from Hammock Playground. It is run by the Amigos Meet x The Underline Walk Club. The two events sit at opposite ends of the same corridor, roughly seven blocks apart along SW 1st Avenue. The walk returns to Hammock Playground on Wednesday, December 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The Underline's calendar also lists a Pride Run with the Out Collective on Wednesday, December 2, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Its listing does not give a starting point, so check the event page before heading out.

South of 15th Road, the Calendar Changes Shape

Past Hammock Playground, the programs spread out and are built around destinations. Underline Moves is a free, family-friendly Friday dance series with live music, professional instruction and a catered dinner. It meets November 13 and 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Vizcaya Station Plaza, 3205 SW 1st Avenue, and spots are reserved through The Center for Arts and Innovation. The Chewy Pack Walk, built around dogs, meets November 19 and December 17 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Chewy Bark Park, on Ponce de Leon Boulevard between SW 42nd Street and Grand Avenue in Coral Gables.

Those programs ask you to travel some distance. The Brickell programs ask for a walk of a few blocks. The difference matters more now that the trail is close to being one continuous route.

The Gap Closing to the South

Seven of The Underline's 10 miles were finished and open after the August 15 dedication in South Miami, the Herald reported. The middle section, through Coral Gables and along the University of Miami, was still to come. The Herald describes it as containing "some of the trail's most elaborate features." The northern open stretch already runs from Coral Gables and Coconut Grove up to the Miami River, according to the Herald's July report. Once the middle is finished, someone starting at the Brickell Backyard could follow the trail without a break all the way to Dadeland South.

In its October 3 report, the Herald wrote that construction was expected to wrap up by December, "years early thanks to a substantial federal grant." For that occasion, Underline founder Meg Daly has promised "a 10-mile-long party," the Herald reported in August. In August, Miami Today reported a $2.25 million contract increase and a 270-day extension for the final stretch. The county transportation director said she anticipated no further extension requests.

A finished trail also has ongoing costs. The Herald put the expected cost of operating the full trail at around $9.5 million a year. Friends of the Underline aims to cover 60 percent of operating costs next year through private donors and sponsorships. Miami-Dade County has agreed to three years of operational funding that tapers down each year. Money from the three cities along the route, Miami, Coral Gables and South Miami, is meant to help fill the gap. The Conservancy's request to those cities came to about 30 percent of the cost of operating, programming and maintaining the trail. Coral Gables commissioners voted unanimously to redirect $500,000 for fiscal year 2027 and to provide $180,000 for fiscal year 2026. In return, the city gets a seat on the Underline Conservancy board.

The Herald's figure covers programming as well as upkeep, so the calendar above is part of what donors, the county and the cities are now funding. The Brickell half-mile has had its routine longer than any other part of the trail, and the other seven-plus miles are now being set up to run the same way.

The trail is one reason we spend so much time on the streets around 1428 Brickell. If you'd like to see how this stretch of SW 1st Avenue connects to the residences and to the rest of the neighborhood, David De Leon and the De Leon Group are glad to walk it with you. Contact Us.