MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — "Swifties" from all over are in South Florida as Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" kicks off Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
It’s been a long time coming as "Swifties" have been waiting over a year since tickets went on sale.
"What does Taylor Swift mean to you?' asked WPTV's Joel Lopez to Swiftie Willow Alvan.
"Everything, It's really big," Willow Alvan said, holding back tears.
"We didn't think it was going to happen, so it's really really cool that we got this opportunity," said her mother, Stacy Alvan.
Stacy Alvan said Willow's uncle, Brian, surprised her with tickets to the Miami show two months ago, and they traveled to town from the Cayman Islands.
"When it comes to hotels, what did that look like?" asked Lopez.
"Everything was sold out, prices were jacked, we were just trying to find something as close as we could get," said Stacy Alvan.
They found a room on South Beach.
Hotels in Miami told WPTV they’ve been booked for month, some selling rooms for the show dates since tickets went on sale last year.
Places like the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood said they only have luxury suites available valued at $1,000 per night.
Erin Loden from Atlanta Georgia said she's tried getting a hotel room for a year and things places were already selling out.
"We were trying to stay at the Hard Rock. There was such a waitlist they wouldn't even accept any reservations, you had to get on a waitlist and hope to get a callback," said Loden. "It's insane to think that but for Taylor Swift, anything goes.”
"Swifties" Lily Gemberling and her mom, Jennifer from Philadelphia, found a room 30 minutes from Hard Rock Stadium at the W Fort Lauderdale.
"Thing booked up crazy fast and way overpriced to be that close so we were like we'll just stay a little bit of a distance away, and i know the area well so that's why I picked here," said Jennifer.
W Fort Lauderdale is catering to the Swift fans with a weekend of events including karaoke, friendship bracelet crafting, ticket giveaways, and transportation to the concert.
“How excited are you to be in town for Taylor Swift?" asked Lopez.
"I’m so excited," said Gemberling.
Gemberling said she's been a fan since Taylor Swift's 1989 album, and got her mom on the bandwagon, and Miami will be their second "Eras Tour" together.
“This is something you are going to remember for the rest of your life," said Jennifer. “I hope it’s as special for them as it is for me. Thank you, Taylor!"
"Swifties" like Avery Blaha and her mother, Kristine Meade, are also staying at W Fort Lauderdale from New Jersey.
“It’s very memorable this is her first concert," said Kristine. "We paid $2,500 dollars a seat.”
A hefty fee to experience the priceless final leg of "The Eras Tour."
“It’s really exciting and I’m glad that I get to spend it with my mom,” said Blaha. "I don't know, it doesn’t feel real."
A lot of Swift fans, however, couldn't get tickets to "The Eras Tour," but they were welcomed into Hard Rock Stadium Wednesday and Thursday to buy items from the merchandise store.
WATCH: Fans snag Taylor Swift merch
"I came from Lincoln, Nebraska, I came all the way down to Miami, Florida just to see miss Swift, I got this tour sweatshirt, a white shirt, a zip up," said Amber Lundquist.
For security reasons, the media was not allowed to go into the merchandise store, or film the entrance of the gates but people WPTV spoke with today just around 1 p.m. on Thursday said they waited about an hour long to get through the line.
When we asked fans around 4 p.m., the line took over three hours as people lined into the parking lot.
"How excited are you for the show?" asked Lopez.
"So, excited I'm night one, I've been waiting over a year for this, this is a once in a lifetime experience for me, I'm beyond excited," Lundquist.
The store was only available to the general public through 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday you'll need to have a concert ticket to get through the gates.
