Miami Madness:12 Hotspots You Can’t Skip! This list of 12 Hotspots You Can’t Skip! will help you get to know one of the most Latin cities in the United States, where you will feel at home and enjoy unique experiences.
Located in the southeast of the Florida peninsula and bathed by the waters of the Atlantic, Miami enjoys sunny days and good weather most of the year, making it a highly sought-after holiday destination for tourists and locals alike thanks to its fantastic beaches with clear waters and white sand, as well as its endless leisure offering.
To get to know all the tourist attractions of this cosmopolitan city, we recommend spending a minimum of two days and, if you have more time, visiting one of Florida’s gems such as the Everglades National Park, Key West, the Kennedy Space Center or the fun parks of Orlando .
1. Ocean Drive
If you arrive by plane to its enormous international airport, located just 14 kilometers from the city center, one of the best things to do in Miami is to go to the Ocean Drive area .
On this long promenade of South Beach (the most famous neighborhood in Miami Beach) you will feel like you are in an episode of the popular series “Miami Vice” when you see the colorful Art Deco buildings, people practicing all kinds of sports and endless places with terraces perfect for eating or spending a fun night drinking piña coladas and listening to Latin music.
After our experience, we recommend walking along this entire avenue in the morning and part of it at night, observing its Art Deco buildings and hotels, especially those located between 6th and 9th streets, as well as the old Gianni Versace mansion until you reach South Pointe Park and its pier.
2. South Beach, one of the places to see in Miami
From the South Pointe Pier you will have fantastic views of South Beach , located in front of Ocean Drive and considered one of the most popular places to see in Miami.
This kilometer-long beach of white sand and shallow waters is dotted with picturesque lifeguard huts and hammocks with umbrellas, ideal for spending a nice day tanning and enjoying refreshing swims.
After a swim, there’s nothing better than a pleasant walk along a path that runs parallel to the beach and passes by areas with outdoor gyms, volleyball courts and the relaxing Lummus Park, until you reach Indian Beach Park. We walked along it a couple of mornings and we assure you that it’s well worth it.
3. Lincoln Road
Back in the center, you can walk down Lincoln Road, the most commercial street to visit in Miami, and visit the Holocaust Memorial, located within the South Beach Botanical Garden.
On Lincoln Road, in addition to numerous stores of international and local brands, there are outdoor art exhibitions such as the one we saw by the French artist Richard Orlinski. Also, if you get hungry, at the end of this street you will find the famous Shake Shack burger joint, although not far away is also Five Guys, our favorite.
About 10 minutes’ walk from Lincoln Road is a memorial to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, represented by a large bronze hand with tormented human figures climbing up it, searching for a ray of hope.
4. Spanish Way
If you are looking for good Italian restaurants and a warm atmosphere at night, we recommend you visit the small pedestrian street Española Way, located between Washington and Pennsylvania Avenues, and one of the must-see places in Miami.
This street of buildings with peach-colored facades and a Mediterranean style, which was an old bohemian neighborhood where several artists with a Spanish accent lived, hence its name, has several art galleries and, above all, excellent restaurants such as the Italian Pane & Vino and Mercato della Pescheria, the Cuban Havana 1957 and the Spanish Españolita Miami.
Keep in mind that this street is very close to Lincoln Road, which we talked about earlier, so it can also be a great option to have lunch or dinner here if you are in the area.
Miami Madness:12 Hotspots You Can’t Skip!
5. Wynwood Walls
After visiting the most interesting spots in South Beach, you can head to Wynwood Walls, located 8 kilometers from Ocean Drive, to take a closer look at the spectacular street art murals, which will undoubtedly become one of the best things to do in Miami.
This neighborhood of old industrial warehouses has become fashionable thanks to the opening of new art galleries, original cafes, chic shops and, above all, graffiti by renowned artists.
In our case, we chose to first visit the Wynwood Walls open-air museum, which houses the most striking graffiti and some shops with very original gifts, and then take a walk through the surrounding streets that also have great examples of street art.
To get to Wynwood Walls and other points away from the city centre, we opted to book the tourist bus , which offers a very complete route and explanations of all the points of interest recorded.
Although it is not something we usually do, in Miami it was a very good choice as it allowed us to forget about the car and thus relax and avoid the traffic chaos that usually occurs in the city. In addition, this type of transport allows you to enjoy the city while learning all the details of what you see thanks to the audio guide. And if that were not enough, this 2-day ticket includes a cruise through the houses of celebrities, which is another must-see in the city.
6. Downtown Miami
Less than an hour’s walk from Wynwood Walls is the city centre, also known as Downtown and another of the most famous areas to visit in Miami.
In this place of imposing skyscrapers such as the photogenic Miami Tower, the Freedom Tower stands out, much loved by locals for its important role in Cuban emigration and which currently houses the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD).
After seeing this tower, you can take a walk along Brickell Avenue, Miami’s financial centre, to the Brickell Key Bridge, which offers a good panoramic view of the Miami skyline.
The next visit to Downtown is Bayfront Park, a green oasis perfect for playing sports, having a picnic or simply relaxing while enjoying the views of Biscayne Bay and the port of Miami.
Next to Bayfront Park is Bayside Marketplace, a two-story shopping complex where you can go shopping or eat at one of its restaurants.
To finish off one of the best things to do in Miami for free, we recommend taking the Metromover, an elevated train that runs 7 kilometres through downtown Miami.
7. Take a boat ride in Biscayne Bay, one of the things to do in Miami
Biscayne Bay, a stretch of water located between Downtown, Miami Beach and the Altos Keys, is one of the best places to see in Miami from a boat.
Cruises leaving from the port located on one side of the Bayside Marketplace pass in front of the islands of Star Island, Palm Island and Hibiscus Island, which are home to many famous people such as the Beckham family, Ricky Martin, Rihanna and Gloria Esfefan, among many others, as well as luxurious yachts.
These boat trips last about an hour and a half and include a guide who will tell you the price of the houses and who their owners are, as well as other interesting facts. But that’s not all, since the boat trip will also allow you to enjoy the port of Miami and the skyline, with unique views.
Although any time is a good time to take this boat trip, if you choose to do it at sunset, you will clearly have a 2-for-1 deal on this activity.
8. Little Havana
Another of the best things to do in Miami is to walk down Calle Ocho, the main avenue of Little Havana, a neighborhood created by a large Cuban community that decided to exile itself to this area after Fidel Castro came to power.
In addition to breathing in the Latin and Cuban atmosphere in all the establishments on this street, it is worth visiting Domino Park, a small plaza where Cubans go to play one of their favorite board games, and the Walk of Fame that imitates the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the most famous Cuban stars dotting the ground.
On Calle Ocho you will also find places to dance salsa, bars where you can taste Cuban coffee, cigar shops and some of the best restaurants where you can eat in Miami and try the most authentic Latin food, although we recommend you get away from the center and try the delicious Cuban sandwich at the famous Versailles Restaurant.
Something we want to highlight is that, although the neighborhood seemed very safe to us, we received several comments from locals telling us that it is better not to walk around at night.
9. Coral Gables
Coral Gables, located in the southern part of the city and known for its fantastic Mediterranean-style mansions, is another of the must-see areas in Miami.
A walk along its wide tree-lined avenues such as Miracle Mile will allow you to enjoy its colorful facades and well-kept gardens until you reach the imposing Biltmore Hotel, a hotel inspired by a Spanish castle, opened by George Merrick, planner and builder of this beautiful city within Miami.
Another of the jewels of Coral Gables is the Venetian Pool, a huge pool built in 1924 in an old coral rock quarry, used to build the luxurious houses, and which has waterfalls, bridges and grottos.
10. Villa Vizcaya
Coconut Grove, an independent city until 1925 and far from the city center, is one of the neighborhoods least visited by tourists and where it is easier to observe the daily life of the locals.
Walking along CocoWalk you will find the bohemian air that surrounds this whole area thanks to its fashion boutiques, art galleries, and international restaurants, although the real jewel of Coconut Grove is the Villa Vizcaya, an impressive palace.
Built by the millionaire businessman James Deering as a winter residence, this enormous Renaissance-style mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens has 3 floors and 34 rooms that house objects from a valuable art collection accumulated by the former owner, as well as original furniture that you can see in different rooms such as the Music Room or the Lobby.
Among its most essential corners are the gardens full of statues, waterfalls, and ponds, and the large stone barge, located at the dock.
11. Museums to visit in Miami
If after visiting everything we included in the post you have more time or you are a museum fan, we recommend you reserve a few hours since you will find some very interesting ones in the city. Among the best museums to visit in Miami are:
- Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM): Museum with a vast collection of 20th and 21st-century Western art housed in a designer building.
- Goldcoast Railroad Museum: A space away from the center with a valuable collection of old locomotives and trains from the golden age of railroading in the United States.
- Wolfsonian: a museum with numerous unique and original objects from the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science: perfect science museum to go to with children.
12. Key Biscayne
To complete this list of the most beautiful places to see in Miami, we suggest you cross the spectacular Rickenbacker Causeway bridge over the sea by car or public transport until you reach Key Biscayne, a green paradise that has some of the best beaches in Florida.
On this small island, chosen in 2020 as the best place to live in the state of Florida, you can walk the trails of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Crandom Park natural parks, approach the Cape Florida Lighthouse, and bathe in its incredible white sand beaches such as Crandom Beach.