Explore Miami: 30+Attractions and Fun Activities

aIn the popular imagination, Miami is considered the symbolic destination of all Florida: from my point of view I can confirm this, even if its great notoriety could give rise to misunderstandings. In fact, the most common mistake is to consider Miami only as a place for tourists in flip-flops and beach towels who spend the day on the beach before going out for a night in the fashionable clubs on the waterfront. Ok, it’s true: thanks to the enchanting beaches all different from each other and scattered in various points of the city, Miami has a lot of beach activities and nightlife to offer tourists. In fact, it is undoubtedly one of the world capitals of nightlife.

However, we mustn’t forget that this great city in South Florida is able to meet the needs of all types of travelers. Just think of South Beach, which more than a neighborhood is a “town within a town” characterized by endless white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters: the Ocean Drive waterfront, however, is also a fascinating open-air museum of historic buildings in Art Deco style, treasures that enrich any visit considerably. Beyond South Beach, there is much more: the classy neighborhoods of Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, the labyrinthine contemporary verticality of Brickell and Downtown, the Cuban heart of Little Havana, the artistic vitality of Wynwood, and the wild beauty of Key Biscayne…

These neighborhoods represent the many faces of the city and it takes time and adequate preparation to discover and fully experience them. For this reason, before leaving, in addition to figuring out how many days to visit Miami, it will be good to get an idea of the main places of interest to visit and the various things to do in the city. Let’s find out together what to do in Miami.

Things to do in Miami: places of interest and neighborhoods

There are many attractions to see in Miami and will require you to move from one end of the city to the other, crossing its various and exciting neighborhoods. For this reason, I recommend reading our guide on how to get around Miami to better organize your stay logistically.

Visit Miami Beach

Let’s start with the fashionable and touristy side of town, Miami Beach. By Miami Beach we mean the “town within the town” that occupies the long narrow strip of land that stretches between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, facing Miami Downtown and the entire North Miami area. Miami Beach is divided in turn into South Beach, Central Beach, and North Beach; however, for main tourist interest, generally by Miami Beach generally means South Beach.

South Beach: Ocean Drive and the Art Deco District

South Beach, the district of the city that goes from 24th St. down to the southern tip, has attracted everyone’s attention since the twenties when – after the devastating hurricane of 1926 (Great Miami Hurricane) – thanks to a far-sighted and ingenious urban project, it was transformed from an agricultural area in difficulty into a refined district in subtropical style, dotted with palm trees and full of hotels, museums and elegant Art Deco buildings: the district of the same name (Art Deco Historic District) is at its best on the seafront of Ocean Drive and in the parallel Collins Avenue, but wandering around, it is possible to see references to this style in secondary streets too.

The city’s beach life, active 365 days a year, takes place right along Ocean Drive‘s charming shoreline – in the shade of Lummus Park’s palm trees and on the white sandy beaches. When night falls, everyone moves to the clubs and discos in the area, always full of young people who want to have fun and make a night of it. To learn more, read our article dedicated to South Beach.

Central Beach and North Beach

Central Beach and North Beach are less flashy than South Beach but are still quite busy. Although they have changed over time, the two urban areas manage to preserve the prestigious legacy of the 1950s, when they were home to the city’s flagship luxury hotels and beachfront resorts, a haven for the wealthy and VIPs in search of the good life. Although today they don’t attract as many tourists as they once did, in addition to a charming boardwalk (Miami Beach Boardwalk), they retain some notable MiMo-style buildings, an architectural trend in vogue in the second half of the last century.

The beaches of Miami

The beaches in Miami Beach are a real spectacle: the wide coastline of white sand, the iconic colorful lifeguard huts, the crystal clear water, the shady promenade of Lummus Park where beautiful girls and muscular hunks parade and have their photos taken… it really seems like you are in a movie or a music video! Behind the palm trees, you find the bright and lively facades of historic hotels, with vintage cars strategically parked in front to make the experience of traveling back in time complete.

Away from the skyscrapers of Miami, there are the wild beaches and tropical paradises of Key Biscayne, a small island south of South Beach, which I’ll talk about later. Last but not least, a pearl incredibly little known to most: Matheson Hammock Park, an artificial beach in the shape of an atoll in the area between Coral Gables and South Miami. Invigorated by the tides, crowned by palm trees and surrounded by mangroves and tropical plants, this hidden gem is an ideal choice for families and those who want a little peace.

To learn more about these and other major beaches to consider during a trip here, please read our article on the best beaches in Miami.

Venetian Pool and Coral Gables

Imagine, if you can, a fabulous public pool adorned with elegant buildings, pretty little bridges and elaborate Venetian-style finishes: waterfalls plunge into the turquoise water gushing from the deep natural spring that feeds the pool, and cozy coral rock caves open up shaded by palm trees rising from the surrounding islets. This place is not a dream. It exists: it is the Venetian Pool, probably the most famous and representative attraction of Coral Gables, a district that can only be defined as a brilliant urban invention of the architect George Merrick.

In the twenties – with major investments – Merrick transformed a vast land of pine forests and citrus groves of about 4.6 miles² into one of the most exclusive and prestigious neighborhoods in Miami: driving around this labyrinth of streets with Andalusian and Italian names, one can see precious mansions and elegant residences in the Mediterranean Revival style (not the only one) snoozing peacefully in the shade of the banyans, majestic trees that – with their intertwined trunks and unmistakable foliage – gently bend over the road accompanying the slow passage of cars.

In our article dedicated to Coral Gables we have indicated the monuments and attractions to visit in this prestigious district of Miami, with particular attention to shopping on the Miracle Mile, the commercial area.

Villa Vizcaya and Coconut Grove

Perhaps you would never have expected such an attraction among the things to do in Miami, but this city is really able to surprise you. Back in 1914, James Deering, an eccentric tycoon from Chicago, spent 15 million dollars to build a sumptuous Renaissance mansion in the coastal area of Coconut Grove (south of Downtown), overlooking the ocean in the middle of the tropical forest. The idea was that, thanks to the ancient appearance and the impressive attention to detail of the interior and the adjoining park, the sumptuous Villa Vizcaya would give the impression of having been inhabited for at least 400 years.

The result was an eccentric but very elegant palace that shows baroque, renaissance, rococo and neoclassical influences. Inside the many rooms of this small palace – which are spread over two floors around an Italian-style courtyard enriched by lush tropical vegetation – you will find an ambitious collection of furnishings, fittings and works of art (some original, some reconstructed), while outside it’s great to get lost along the paths of the villa’s beautiful gardens, adorned with an orchidarium, elaborate darting fountains, panoramic terraces, decorative sculptures and, last but not least, the grandiose marble vessel that is called upon to defend the villa from the waves of the sea.

You will find Villa Vizcaya at 3251 S Miami Ave, in the northern part of Coconut Grove, a smaller residential neighborhood than Coral Gables. Villa Vizcaya is not the only attraction in Coconut Grove: in its southern part, the neighborhood is distinguished by the exclusive character of the rich private houses hidden in the greenery, the historic residences overlooking the sea (Barnacle Historic State Park), and by the presence of lush tropical gardens (Kampong Garden) as well as a small harbor. Here is our article on Coconut Grove.

Wynwood Arts District

If you’ve got yourself an idea of Miami by reading the paragraphs above, the small neighborhood of Wynwood (if you can call it that) is here to turn it upside down! Located north of Downtown, Wynwood is famous for its beautiful murals, an expression of an artistic vitality that in recent years has proved so vibrant and effective that it has transformed an unpretentious industrial neighborhood into a beautiful open-air exhibition dedicated to street art.

Here you can breathe an authentic underground spirit in the air: there are no glittering skyscrapers or dream beaches, but low buildings and industrial warehouses painted with huge murals, clubs and bars for young people and artists, sophisticated restaurants and unconventional stores. You can concentrate your visit in the space delimited by the Wynwood Walls – where works by internationally renowned street artists are exhibited and sold at a high price – or wander (with due caution, although it is not a dangerous area) through the surrounding streets, looking for other graffiti, which have spontaneously multiplied throughout the area. To learn more, read our article dedicated to Wynwood.

Little Havana

Miami is full in all its neighborhoods of South American people, who are generally well integrated. Spanish is spoken almost as much as English: there are Venezuelans, Haitians, Argentinians, Colombians and so on and so forth. However, the most important “enclave” of Miami, for well-known historical reasons of a socio-political nature, is the Cuban one. Little Havana is its beating heart, and more precisely the short stretch of Calle Ocho (SW 8th St) that goes from 12th Ave to 19th Ave: a short walk here literally throws us into another world, among typical restaurants (watch out for the prices of cocktails: as soon as they see a tourist, Cubans easily adjust to the high prices of Miami!) and clubs where Cuban music is played from early afternoon, small clubs where old people with hollow faces play chess and dominoes, cigar stores and exotic fruit stores where they only speak Spanish.

But not everything is joyful and carefree in this neighborhood: there is also room for silence and emotion in front of the monuments of the Cuban Memorial Boulevard Park, where the events and heroes of Cuban independence and the dramatic outcome of the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) are remembered. For more details, read our article dedicated to Little Havana.

Downtown and Brickell

With its flashy skyline, Downtown Miami immediately arouses the curiosity of anyone arriving in the city for the first time. Curiosity is satisfied when you get on the Metromover, a sort of small free elevated train that gives you the opportunity to wander among the skyscrapers that tower over Biscayne Bay: an experience that won’t leave you indifferent.

However, when you get off the Metromover and enter Downtown you will be a bit disappointed: apart from a few museums, art and entertainment centers and buildings mentioned in our article on Downtown, the central area of Miami is actually a bit neglected and lacking in real interest for visitors. In addition, at the other extreme, it is excessively touristy, especially in the area of the Bayside Marketplace, a crowded commercial center overlooking the sea.

The situation improves decidedly when you cross the Miami River to the south: Brickell is quite a small district with towering hotels, luxury condominiums and skyscrapers where the successful bankers and financiers of Miami work. At street level, ordinary mortals can enjoy a pleasant day and nightlife of pubs, upscale stores, malls and cozy restaurants.

Key Biscayne and Virginia Key

The island of Key Biscayne lies just in front of Brickell, about 4.3 miles from the mainland. To access it, it is necessary to take a pleasant toll road over the sea, the Rickenbacker Causeway, which offers a beautiful skyline view. Key Biscayne, unfortunately, does not stand out for any architectural reasons, invaded as it is by luxurious but anonymous resorts where there is mainly wealthy tourism. However, there is more: this is the right place to look for beautiful beaches that are less crowded and chaotic than South Beach. I refer especially to the beautiful and unspoiled beach of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area, in the shadow of the historic lighthouse, which competes with Crandon Park Beach, another tropical paradise of the island, quilted with palm trees and suitable for long days of sun, sea and barbecue. Beware: Key Biscayne is full of iguanas… ophidiophobes be warned!

Just before arriving in Key Biscayne, via a detour from the Rickenbacker Causeway, you reach a beach hidden in the vegetation of an even more pristine island: the Virginia Key Beach Park. To learn more about this and the other natural attractions on the two islands, read our in-depth look at Key Biscayne.

Minor neighborhoods

As you may have guessed, there is so much to see in Miami! However, if you have time and want to discover other interesting neighborhoods, you can go to Little Haiti, a particular Caribbean district that becomes more lively in the area of NE 2nd Ave. Here they speak 3 languages (Creole, English and French), as the same store signs testify.

To fully breathe in this characteristic climate, go to 54th Street, where you will find some botánicas, stores where you can find clues of how deeply (here and in Little Havana) the cult of santería is felt, a religion shaped by Yoruba slaves of African origin. Santería unites and confuses devotion to the gods of the original rite with devotion to Christian saints.

Not far away, but totally different, is the Design District, a flashy commercial center on the rise, famous for the production of fine furniture. Here you can do some luxury shopping, but if your pockets won’t allow it, you can still enjoy walking between NE 38th St. and 42nd St., looking at designer furniture, expensive fashion garments and jewelry in the windows of the most prestigious brands in the world.

Museums of Miami

• Pérez Art Museum Miami: With a collection of about 2,000 works of contemporary art ranging mainly from American, European and African artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this museum stands as the most important in the city and not only for its large exhibition of masterpieces, but also for the very construction of the building, which is itself a work of art. If you want to know more, you can read our guide to the Pérez Art Museum in Miami.
• The Bass: Another interesting contemporary art museum, housed in a 1930s Art Deco building that once housed the city’s public library. The name comes from its main benefactors, John and Johanna Bass, who donated their private collection, thus starting the history of the museum. Read our article about The Bass Museum of Art.
• Superblue Miami: A museum where contemporary art is not only to be admired but becomes an immersive art experience in which you are an active participant! A must-visit in combination with the nearby Wynwood Walls. Read our article about Superblue Miami.
• History Miami: Formerly called the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, here you can learn about the history of South Florida, the region of the Miami metropolitan area, the Florida Keys and the Everglades.
• Gold Coast Railroad Museum: A museum dedicated to the history of some important American trains: a must-visit for enthusiasts of this type of attraction! Read our article about the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami.
• Wings Over Miami: Not only trains! Aviation enthusiasts also have a museum to visit! Just outside the center of Miami is the impressive collection of the Wings Over Miami Air Museum. This museum is dedicated to aviation and offers flight enthusiasts a unique opportunity to explore the history of American aviation.
• Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science: this is a center of excellence for the study of the sciences, with interactive exhibits installations, an aquarium and a planetarium. You can find more in our article about the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science.
• Paradox Museum: Reality is not what it seems. Discover it at the Paradox Museum in Wynwood, where all the rules of physics are overturned!

Miami Parks

• Miami Seaquarium: this is one of the first water parks created in the United States. Here you can admire dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, killer whales and many other marine species, as well as enjoy shows, exhibitions and educational programs on marine wildlife conservation. Read more in our guide to the Miami Seaquarium.
• Jungle Island: This is not simply a zoo, but a true tropical theme park, where you can interact with the animals and enjoy many other special experiences. For more details in this case, see our article on Jungle Island.
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: This 34-hectare botanical garden showcases a wide assortment of rare tropical plants, with the aim of preserving biodiversity. To reach it you’ll have to move in the direction of Coral Gables, just a few minutes from the aforementioned Matheson Hammock Park.

Best Activities in Miami

Here are the main activities you can do in the city. These are experiences that have a cost but can further enrich your trip to Miami. Following the useful tips in the next paragraph you can still find some suggestions to save money.

Watch an NBA game: the Miami Heat

If during your visit to the city the Miami Heat are scheduled to play a game at the American Airlines Arena, the stadium two steps away from the Bayside Marketplace in Downtown, then consider spending an evening enjoying the spectacle that only the NBA can offer.

Whether you’re a fan or just curious, you can read our in-depth analysis dedicated to how to buy tickets for the NBA in Miami to better organize yourself and save a little on your shopping thanks to a special discount code dedicated to the readers of Viaggi-USA.

Other sporting events in Miami: NFL and tennis

Biscayne Bay Cruise

Taking a cruise in the bay of Miami, perhaps at sunset, is the best way to admire the skyline and to see the harbor, the parks and the rich houses of Millionaire’s Row overlooking Biscayne Bay from the sea. At the link below you will find a page where you can book the Millionaire’s Row Cruise at an attractive price. It sails on the bay for 90 minutes starting from Downtown, more precisely from Bayside Marketplace.

Biscayne Bay cruise info

Miami Day Trips

Outside the urban perimeter of Miami are some of the Sunshine State‘s major tourist attractions. To stay in the vicinity, I mention the lovely Fort Lauderdale, the wonderful Everglades National Park nature preserve, the quirky Coral Castle, and the paradisiacal Florida Keys, with its jewel in the crown Key West. A little further away, you will find the incredible parks of Orlando, the splendid Bok Tower Gardens and aerospace facilities of Cape Canaveral. To get an idea of what you can find around Miami check out our article on how to plan a Florida trip.

Festivals and other events in Miami

As mentioned, fun is the buzzword in Miami; among the most important and significant events taking place in the city we must certainly mention Art Basel/Miami Beach, a renowned exhibition event held in December, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, considered as one of the main outdoor art festivals. In March, there is the Calle Ocho Festival, an engaging Cuban-flavored festival held in Little Havana that features jazz concerts, art competitions, sports competitions and more.

Shopping in Miami

Don’t forget about shopping! As already mentioned, you’ll be spoiled for choice in Miami, given the wide availability of stores of every type and for every budget! Certainly, enthusiasts will want to do some shopping in one of the more than 100 establishments in Bayside Marketplace, in Downtown, but this is not the only commercial area to shop in. In South Beach, Lincoln Road, once referred to as the “Fifth Avenue of the South”, is worth a visit and is now rivaled by the Design District (see above). In Coconut Grove, the small CocoWalk (in March 2019 under renovation) is noteworthy; in Coral Gables you can wander among the storefronts of the Miracle Mile, a short stretch of road (SW 22nd St) that interrupts the magical Banyan Line of Coral Way.

Other popular tourist activities

The city offers an amazing selection of tours and activities for a fee, from the most common (e.g. guided tours of the city or hikes in the surrounding area) to the most unusual and bizarre (do you know what it’s like to take a flyboard ride?). If you are interested in a general overview of all the offers available, take a look at the page indicated below:

Activities available in Miami

Miami in 3 days: recommended itinerary

Usually the standard period of time dedicated to Miami is 3 days, but considering that the time of your stay can be easily extended, especially if you want to explore the surroundings (in our article on how many days to spend in Miami you can find our “flexible” itinerary modeled from 1 day to a week, easily applicable depending on how long your stay is).

Below I summarize how I would organize a Miami itinerary with 3 days to spare:

• Day 1: South Beach (morning and early afternoon) and Wynwood Walls (late afternoon)
• Day 2: Villa Vizcaya and Coconut Grove (morning), Key Biscayne and Virginia Key (afternoon)
• Day 3: Matheson Hammock, Venetian Pool and Coral Gables (morning and early afternoon), Little Havana and Downtown (afternoon and evening)

To see this itinerary in detail and understand how to best arrange the timing of the trips, please take a look at our guide on how many days to devote to Miami, where you can find just an in-depth day-by-day of this daily itinerary.

Other useful information for visiting Miami

After my advice on what to do in Miami, I think it is useful to give you some additional information to help you organize your stay in the city.

How to choose accommodation in Miami

There are numerous options for overnight accommodations in the city, given the wide availability of facilities. Moreover, as you may have read, there are many areas to choose from, all different from each other (South Beach, Brickell/Downtown, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, etc…). If you are trying to figure out which is the most suitable neighborhood for your needs, take a look at our tips on the accommodations in Miami.

Miami Pass

Depending on your needs, it could also be a good idea to use a tourist pass, a sort of pass that gives you discounted access to some of the main destinations, with the possibility of avoiding queues and better planning your stay. In addition to this, there are numerous reductions and discounts for the main tours in the city and excursions in the surrounding area: we have talked more about this in the article dedicated to the Miami Pass.

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