Rick,
I have spent a lot of time in Miami and can offer a few insights.
First of all…know where to park. If you look at google maps … it’s not obvious as to where to park. I marked up a map to get you started.
Pull into the service parking and park in any available slot. There will be 50 amp power, but no dump station at each site. The dump station is marked on the map. There is almost always a vacancy but if not, I have parked in the coach sales lot.
If the service department knows you are coming, be ready to be pulled into the shop by 6:30am. By be ready, I mean slides pulled in and coach aired up. No need to unplug. The technician will do that when they come for your coach. Note that you may not be the first coach into the shop…so it might be a while before they come and get you.
Once they bring you in, expect a visit from the service writer to get you to sign the service request. It will list the things that you are having done.
Normally, the tech’s do not mind if you watch what they are doing, but be sure to stay out of their way and always think about safety. The entire facility takes safety seriously and will let you know if they notice you without safety glasses.
Feel free to stay in the coach while the work is done. (This is a huge big deal for me. I really, really dont like staying in hotels and staying in the coach made the trip worth it).
If you are traveling without a car or transportation, the service writer can loan you a car if one is available. They have one or two most of the time. (Though its been a while and this may have changed) I often borrowed the car for a grocery run or dinner but usually returned the car in a few hours.
There are few places to eat in Miami. None of them are noteworthy….but the steak house is not too bad.
Walmart is pretty much the only shopping in town.
Joplin Mo (30 miles away) is reasonably sized and has everything you might want (restaurants, shopping, etc).
While you are at the factory, ask them for a plant tour. It is very interesting to see what goes into the new coaches and it never ceases to amaze me how you can see the lineage between older coaches to the newest coaches.
Finally, if you are coming into Miami from the east, you may be tempted to take the back roads to avoid the toll road. That is fine, but expect a low overpass not far from the plant. I think that it is marked 13’ 6” and was very scary the first time I went under it.
I am sure that other’s will chime in with other things to see and do.
Bill
