5 hotspots you must visit in Miami
World-class destinations that have become iconic Florida destinations, Miami Beach
Miami Beach Food and Art Deco Walking Tour
Miami Beach is a 16-kilometer stretch of white sand, lined with hotels, resorts, apartments, and other high-rise buildings. It’s so long that people often refer to it as “Long Beach,” and the streets along the beach vary in character. The most common is the South Beach neighborhood, which is lined with historic hotels, fancy restaurants, and quirky shops. Winter mornings and evenings are cool enough for strolling, while the hot midday sun draws young people into the water. Miami’s eastern location also makes it a sunrise hotspot, and in the early morning, people’s eyes sparkle from the balconies of ocean-facing hotels, condos, and beaches.
One block back along South Beach, the Art Deco neighborhood is full of character and has been called Miami’s loveliest street. Art Deco is a collection of pastel-colored Art Deco buildings, hotels, and restaurants that give the area a bright atmosphere. Art Deco is French for Art Decoratif, which is the English equivalent of Art Decoration. Art Deco is a style of architecture, craft, and design that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and its utilitarian design with an emphasis on straight lines has greatly influenced the interior and exterior decoration of modern buildings. In total, there are 1,000 buildings in the Art Deco district, 300 of which have been renovated in the Art Deco style, making it one of the largest concentrations of Art Deco architecture in the world. In 1972, the U.S. government designated the Art Deco neighborhood as a National Historic Landmark.
Travel TipLincoln Road Mall
Lincoln Road Mall is a pedestrian-only street in the heart of South Beach. A favorite among tourists, it’s home to chic shops, boutiques, reputable restaurants, and clubs. The clubs here stay open late, making it a favorite among night owls. Enjoy the sunshine on the white sandy beach during the day, then head to the clubs at night for Latin music and a cold beer.
A vast wetland filled with natural wonders, Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park Biologist Led Adventure: Cruise, Hike + Airboat
Much of the southern part of the Florida peninsula is made up of vast, flat wetlands, and one-third of it, or 8 million acres, is the Everglades. The core of this, a vast 1.5 million-acre area, was designated a national park in 1947. The pristine swamp and its wildlife are so important to the global ecosystem that in 1979 it was declared an International Ecological Reserve and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. The area is also known for having one of the world’s largest populations of alligators. The Everglades National Park is located very close to Miami, the largest city in Florida, so it always attracts a lot of tourists.
The ecosystem of the Everglades is mostly composed of pristine swamps and the water flowing through them. The swamps are not the muddy, muddy fields we often think of, but rather wetlands where rivers flow, trees grow, and beautiful flowers bloom.
Overseas Highway
Florida Key West Self-Driving Tour (Overseas Highway, 7 Mile Bridge)
Getting to the southernmost port city within the continental limits of the United States is simple. It’s a three-hour drive from Miami on U.S. Highway 1. It’s called an island, but it’s connected to the mainland by road. The road, called the Overseas Highway because it was built over the ocean, has 42 bridges and connects the coral archipelago known as the Florida Keys. Once you leave the palm-lined streets of Miami and get on the Overseas Highway, you’re in for a treat. In front of you is a road that seems to stretch into the sky, with the ocean on either side. The original bridge is old and only open to pedestrians, while vehicles travel on a newer bridge.
The highway’s final destination, Key West, is considered a bonus destination after Miami. Most travelers to Miami take at least a day to visit Key West, and there are a few attractions that people make sure to stop at once they arrive. For starters, there’s the Southernmost Point, a hot spot where many people take Instagram photos of the sign that says, “This is the southernmost point in the United States. Another attraction is Sloppy Joe’s Bar. It is said to have been a favorite bar of novelist Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West from 1928 to 1940.
A Little Cuba in Miami,
Little Havana
Little Havana Food and Walking Tour in Miami
The Miami neighborhood of Little Havana is a fun way to experience an American city steeped in Latin American culture. Little Havana was settled by Cubans who fled the island during Cuba’s socialist revolution in the 1950s. More than 60 years later, the neighborhood is still full of Cuban-run shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars. You can experience Cuba without traveling to the island.
An entire city is an art museum, Miami
Wynwood Graffiti Tour and Workshop: Create Your Own Street Art
As you walk down the streets of Miami, everywhere you look there’s art that catches your eye: sculptures, architectural designs, artwork in hotel lobbies and restaurants, even wall decorations in big box stores. It’s impressive to see that the artwork isn’t just hanging there for show, but really tells a story about the place.
Wynwood
Wynwood was once a large factory district, and as the factories closed, it became run-down, which is why the neighborhood was so affordable. Artists who settled in Wynwood began to paint colorful murals on the exterior walls of the windowless, drab factory buildings. Many artists flocked to Miami, and one by one, they opened studios and galleries in the Wynwood neighborhood. Wynwood has become Miami’s leading art district and a favorite hangout for young people. It’s also home to many unique design-brand stores, trendy restaurants, and cafes. One of the best things about Wynwood is that artists are constantly painting over the murals, so you’ll see something new every time you visit. People line up to take pictures in front of the famous murals.
Miami Art Basel
Miami is also home to one of the world’s largest art festivals, Art Basel. Often referred to as the Olympics of the art world, Art Basel was first held in Basel, Switzerland in 1970, but has been held annually in Miami since 2002. Since 2013, it’s also been held annually in Hong Kong, making it one of only three cities in the world to host Art Basel.
The purpose of Art Basel is to bring together and showcase collectible works of art in one place, so that they can be sold and bought. In short, it’s a very large art market. You’ll find everything from the work of fascinating emerging artists to multi-billion dollar works by artists who are already world-renowned. Miami Art Basel takes place every year in early December.
Prez Art Museum Miami
Located in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park, the Perez Art Museum (PAMM) opened its doors in December 2013. The museum focuses on modern and contemporary art, but also features works by local Miami artists.
