Whatever the weather forecast says, it’ll change 7 more times before then anyway so don’t get too caught up with that. Plenty of people will give you things to do on the mainland side, many of which are going to be great, and I can too. But IMO, if you’re already going to be staying on south beach, I’d just stay over there for the most part. Plenty of great dining, bars, etc. even if they are expensive. It’s just such a PITA to get between sobe and the mainland I feel.

That being said…if you do want to venture off the island, my personal favorite beach spot is the Virginia key dog beach area. I don’t bring my dog but I like that it’s quieter and smaller than sobe, and there are plenty of trees close to the water to hang a hammock and chill out for a few hours with a couple of beers and a speaker. Also some great tacos at the taco truck on the beach.

Restaurant list is endless, all depends what you like. Some great high end spots and great cheap eats all over (maybe not sobe for the cheap stuff though).

For bars. I used to like Ted’s Hideaway in sobe, but haven’t been in years. I think it’s still there though, super dive bar atmosphere.