South Florida's barrier-island playground — Ocean Drive's Art Deco strip, Lincoln Road, the Mid-Beach Faena and Alexander corridor on Collins, and a high-rise condo-hotel rental market unlike anywhere else in the state.
Miami Beach is a 7.7-mile north-south barrier-island city east of downtown Miami across Biscayne Bay, reached by three causeways from the mainland (MacArthur, Julia Tuttle, and Venetian). South Beach occupies the bottom mile-and-change with the Art Deco Historic District (800+ pastel-and-neon hotels and apartment buildings, the densest concentration of 1930s-era Art Deco architecture in the world), Ocean Drive, the Española Way pedestrian alley, the Lincoln Road open-air mall, and South Pointe Park at the southern tip overlooking Government Cut. Mid-Beach (roughly 24th to 63rd Streets) runs Collins Avenue's high-rise condo-hotel corridor — the Faena District's Damien Hirst-and-gold sculptures, the Fontainebleau, the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, and the Alexander All Suite Oceanfront Tower at 5225 Collins. North Beach and Bal Harbour anchor the upper third with the Bal Harbour Shops luxury-shopping center and the Haulover Inlet beaches.
An Art Deco walking tour from the Miami Design Preservation League, the Lincoln Road open-air mall, South Pointe Park's pier, the Faena House sand sculptures, and a sunrise paddleboard out of South Beach Marina.
The Miami Design Preservation League runs a 90-minute guided walking tour of South Beach's Art Deco Historic District, starting at the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive at 10th Street. The world's largest concentration of 1930s-era Streamline Moderne and Tropical Deco — the Carlyle, the Colony, the Park Central, the Cardozo. Around $35 adult; daily 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The default first-day Miami Beach orientation.
South Beach's eight-block open-air pedestrian shopping-and-dining mall on Lincoln Road between Alton and Washington Avenues — the 1924 Morris Lapidus colonnade redesign, Books & Books, the Lincoln Theatre, the Colony Theatre, a Sunday-morning farmers market, and 100+ open-front restaurants and cafes. Free; pedestrian-only. The default South Beach evening stroll. Connects to Espanola Way's pedestrian alley one block south.
Miami Beach's southern tip park at the mouth of Government Cut (the cruise-ship channel) — a half-mile pier walking out into Biscayne Bay, the South Pointe Park lawn, the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse on the point, a kid's splash pad, and the most-photographed cruise-ship-departure view on the East Coast. Free; open dawn to dusk. The local-favorite sunset stroll.
Miami Beach's beachfront runs the entire length of the island, but the most-photographed half-mile sits between 5th and 14th Streets — Lummus Park's Art Deco lifeguard towers (the most-Instagrammed beach huts in the world), free public beach access at every cross-street, lifeguarded swim zones, beach-volleyball courts at 8th Street, and a paved Beachwalk path running unbroken from South Pointe to 79th Street. Free public access; chair-and-umbrella rentals around $25.
An outdoor mural-and-graffiti museum in the Wynwood Arts District on the mainland, 15 minutes west via the Julia Tuttle Causeway — 60+ massive wall murals from international street artists (Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf, Os Gêmeos, Tristan Eaton), the surrounding Wynwood gallery walks, the Wynwood Marketplace food-and-bar courtyard, and the Wynwood Brewing taproom. Around $15 adult to enter the gated Walls courtyard; the surrounding district is free.
Herzog & de Meuron's hanging-garden waterfront museum on Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami, 20 minutes west across the MacArthur Causeway — a permanent contemporary collection focused on Latin American and African diasporic art, rotating major exhibitions, the Verde restaurant terrace over the bay, and the adjacent Frost Museum of Science. Around $19 adult.
A six-block Mid-Beach luxury enclave centered on the Faena Hotel (32nd Street and Collins Avenue) — Damien Hirst's gold-leafed-mammoth sculpture in the lobby, the Faena Theater cabaret, the Faena Forum cylindrical Rem Koolhaas-designed cultural space, and a Living Room bar lined with 24-karat-gold mosaic columns. Free hotel-lobby access; Forum tickets vary. The most-photographed lobby on the island.
Miami Beach is the only American beach city where you can wake up in a 1936 Art Deco hotel on Ocean Drive, take a Cuban café cortadito at Versailles in Little Havana for lunch, see a Pérez Art Museum exhibition in the afternoon, and dance in a Wynwood club until 4 a.m. — all without ever crossing the same bridge twice. The city was built for night and engineered for spectacle.
The Holocaust Memorial, the Bass Museum on Collins, the Venetian Pool day trip to Coral Gables, a Little Havana cortadito-and-Versailles morning, and the Florida Keys roadtrip down the Overseas Highway.
Miami Beach Marina at South Pointe runs jet-ski rentals, parasailing, sport-fishing charters, and Biscayne Bay sunset cruises — the local-favorite Thriller Miami speedboat tour (45 minutes around the celebrity-mansion-lined Star, Hibiscus, and Palm Islands), the Island Queen sunset cruise, and the Miami Beach Bike Center for Beachwalk rentals. Speedboat tour around $50 adult.
A continuous paved promenade running unbroken from South Pointe Park (1st Street) all the way north to 79th Street — the city's free linear park, used by joggers, cyclists, and dog walkers, and the easiest non-driving way to cross between South Beach and Mid-Beach. Bike rentals at the Miami Beach Bike Center on 5th Street and from any of the Citi Bike stations along the route.
Miami-Dade's most-photographed Atlantic-side public beach 10 minutes north of Bal Harbour past the Haulover Inlet — wide free-parking lots, a kite-surfing zone at the north end (Florida's most reliable consistent on-shore wind), the country's largest officially-designated clothing-optional beach at the north end, the Haulover Park marina, and a free pavilion picnic area. $7 day parking.
Kenneth Treister's 1990 outdoor memorial at Meridian Avenue and Dade Boulevard, four blocks north of Lincoln Road — a 42-foot bronze Hand Raised at the center surrounded by 100+ life-sized bronze figures, an arc-shaped Wall of Remembrance, and a circular reflective pool with the names of camps. Free; open daily. The most-affecting cultural stop on the island.
Miami Beach's contemporary art museum on the boardwalk at Park Avenue and 21st Street — a Russell Pancoast 1930 Art Deco library converted to a museum, rotating contemporary exhibitions (Ugo Rondinone, Pascale Marthine Tayou), and the Lindemann Family Creativity Center programming for kids. Around $15 adult, free Sundays for Miami-Dade residents.
Miami's most-rarefied luxury-shopping center 10 minutes north of the Alexander on Collins Avenue — Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Cartier, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, plus Carpaccio's Italian dining room and the Le Zoo brasserie. Free parking 90 minutes; valet $10. The post-beach showering-and-shopping default.
South Beach's Sunday-morning farmers market on Lincoln Road — Florida-grown citrus, local cheeses, fresh-baked breads, ceviche carts, pet adoptions, and a coffee row. Sundays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., year-round. Free. The local-favorite slow-Sunday-morning move.
Miami's Cuban-American cultural district 20 minutes west of Miami Beach across the MacArthur Causeway — Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street), the Cuban café strip at Versailles Restaurant and La Carreta, the Domino Park (open-air park where Cuban-American men play dominos seven days a week), the Tower Theater, and a Walk of Fame of Latin musicians along the sidewalk. Free walk-around access; great for a half-morning.
James Deering's 1916 Italian-Renaissance-style winter villa on Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, 20 minutes south of Miami Beach across the MacArthur Causeway — the 70-room villa with intact European antique furnishings, 10 acres of formal Italian gardens with a stone barge in the bay, and one of the most-photographed garden-museum vistas in the United States. Around $25 adult.
The Overseas Highway (US-1) starts at Florida City 45 minutes south of Miami Beach and runs 113 miles through the Florida Keys to Key West — the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park snorkel-and-glass-bottom-boat trip in Key Largo, the Theater of the Sea swim-with-dolphins in Islamorada, the Seven Mile Bridge between Marathon and the Lower Keys, and Mallory Square's Sunset Celebration in Key West. Plan 3.5 hours one-way without stops.
America's largest sub-tropical wilderness, 45 minutes west of Miami Beach via SW 8th Street — the Shark Valley Visitor Center's 15-mile paved tram-loop, an observation tower with 360-degree sawgrass-prairie views, and reliable alligator, anhinga, great-blue-heron sightings on every visit. Tram tour around $30 adult, around $9 for the day-pass to bring your own bike.
Joe's Stone Crab in season, the Lincoln Road open-front lineup, Versailles in Little Havana for the Cuban breakfast, the Beachcraft and Stubborn Seed for the chef-driven dinner, and Yardbird Table & Bar for the Southern-comfort late-night.
Miami Beach's 1913-opened South Pointe institution on Washington Avenue — the local-favorite stone-crab claw seasonal menu (October 15 through May 1, with the day-of-catch claws as a Florida winter signature), the Joe's Take Away counter for off-hours, the back-room key-lime pie, and the always-an-hour-wait dining room. Reservations not accepted; arrive at 5 p.m. for under-an-hour. The Miami Beach institution.
South Beach's 24-hour Pullman-railcar diner at 11th Street and Washington Avenue — the after-club institution since 1992, all-day pancake stacks, the local-favorite turkey burger, and a small-but-mighty milkshake counter. The Miami Beach late-night essential.
Lincoln Road's Southern-comfort hit on Lenox Avenue — the local-favorite chicken-and-watermelon-and-waffles platter, low-and-slow-smoked St. Louis ribs, Florida-shrimp-and-grits, and a 100+ bourbon list. Reservations recommended Friday through Sunday. The Lincoln Road dressy-but-not-fussy dinner default.
Top Chef alum Jeremy Ford's South of Fifth chef-driven tasting room on Commerce Street — a $145 prix-fixe seasonal-tasting menu, an open-kitchen counter with eight seats, the local-favorite uni-and-charred-octopus opening course, and a tightly-curated wine pairing. Reservations a month out for any weekend. The South Beach anniversary default.
Tom Colicchio's chef-driven New American room inside the 1 Hotel South Beach on Collins Avenue — local-and-Floridian seasonal menu, the local-favorite grilled-octopus appetizer, a 200-seat wood-and-greenery interior, and a poolside lunch-and-cocktail terrace. Reservations recommended for dinner; walk-in friendly for lunch.
Miami's 1971-opened Cuban-cuisine landmark on Calle Ocho, 20 minutes west across the causeway — the most-photographed Cuban-cafecito ventanita window in America, the local-favorite ropa vieja, lechón asado roast pork, and the half-side platter that defines a Miami Cuban breakfast. The window stays open until 1 a.m. The classic Cuban-Miami pilgrimage.
A Lincoln Road and 41st Street local Latin-Caribbean roast cafe — the local-favorite cafecito-Cubano-with-a-twist, smooth single-origin pour-overs, a small Caribbean-pastries case, and a side-walk-facing patio at the Lincoln Road location. The reliable South Beach morning coffee outside the resort hotels.
South of Fifth's Lebanese-Mediterranean cafe-and-juice-bar on Washington Avenue — the local-favorite acai-and-pitaya bowls, fresh-pressed celery and ginger juices, kid-friendly grain bowls, and a small grocery-and-prepared-foods counter. The post-beach healthy lunch default.
South Beach's 1924 Mediterranean-villa restaurant-and-private-club on James Avenue, two blocks from the Lincoln Road Mall — Tuscan-Italian seasonal menu, a 12-table candlelit garden courtyard under bougainvillea, and the most-photographed romantic dinner setting in Miami Beach. Reservations a month out for weekend. The Miami Beach anniversary classic.
South Beach's tiny 1988-opened French-Vietnamese sandwich counter on 14th Street — the local-favorite half-Vietnamese baguette with the famous house vinaigrette, freshly-grilled chicken kabob plate, and a perpetual late-night line until 5 a.m. Cash and card. The South Beach post-club essential.
A 14-table Argentine steakhouse on West Avenue at Sunset Harbour, 10 minutes north of Lincoln Road — wood-fired Argentine ribeye and short-rib, the local-favorite chimichurri-and-house-salsa side, a tightly-edited Malbec list, and an open-kitchen-counter with 6 seats. Reservations recommended a week out.
Best season for Miami Beach, the MIA vs FLL airport choice, neighborhoods (South Beach Art Deco, Mid-Beach high-rise, North Beach / Bal Harbour), what a Miami Beach week actually costs, and whether you need a car.
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