Personally I am not a city girl. If you know anything about me, you know I grew up on a farm, I enjoy hiking in the mountains and floating on the lakes and rivers, and I don’t like to be contained to big cities. Typically a place that isn’t full of fresh air and greenery isn’t for me, but Miami made me think twice. Everything I have ever really heard about Miami was always about the rich community, the luxury shopping, and the crazy night life. I think I may have heard references to South Beach in movies and shows throughout life, but that’s about it. Actually experiencing Miami is a totally different experience. Although Miami is expensive and luxurious, and the night life is wild and crazy at times, there is so much more to offer if you know where to look.
If you really want the chance to experience the most of Miami, take the time to explore as much of the area as you can. Here are what I believe the best things you should be doing while visiting Miami.
1. Immerse yourself in the art and culture of Miami
At one time Miami was called Magic City. It was called this because it seemed to just pop up overnight. And I would say the name still suffices. Miami can be quite magical, especially if you take in all the art and culture. I personally have experienced nothing like it in all of my travels. Cultural areas are separated into different districts. Each area showcases art, music, and food of all different kinds. It is absolutely amazing to see.
A few that I got the chance to explore, and thoroughly enjoyed are..
- Little Havanna – Little Havana is the center of Cuban culture in Miami. In the 1960s hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles setteled in Miami. It is said that today over 1.2 million Cuban Americans live in there. As you walk down Calle Ocho (8th street) you will smell the amazing food and hear great music. Venture your way to one of the many Cuban resturants to test out some of that delicious food.
- The Art Deco Historic District – The Miami Beach Area located between 5th street and 23rd street along Ocean Drive, Collins and Washington Avenue is what is considered the art deco district, or South Beach. Although Ocean Drive can be crazy busy and expensive with intense crowds, when you step back and look you will see how perfectly preserved and stunning the street really is. The entire area is full of 1920s and 30s style architecture. The beautiful old schools colors are an absolute must see.
- Wynwood – Wynwood was once an industrial neighborhood full of warehouses. And now it is now known as a hub of contemporary and street art. The entire neighborhood is decorated in beautiful street art and graffiti. Whats really cool is that many of the businesses in the area also stick to the colorful theme as well. This makes the area make so much of an impact. Everything just seems to fit perfectly, from the resturants and breweries, to the whywood walls its an amazing site to see.
- Downtown Miami – Downtown Miami looks mostly like your normal city. It is full of skyscrapers and intense traffic, and is the center for business. But, within this very typical citylike area there is actually a lot to explore.
- Key Biscayne – key Biscayne is another totally different area than everything else. First off its an island. A quick ride across the bridge will bring you into another side of Miami. This area is full of quieter sandy beaches and nature preserves. Although we didn’t get to explore the entire island, from what I have read there are plenty of great food places, and things to explore in this area. Even if you just do what we did and take a quick trip to the island it is totally worth checking out.
2. Take a Miami tour.
City tours are a super great way to get a lay of the land. Of all the traveling I have done I have never taking out some time to do a city tour and man I wish I had. There are so many different tours, you could probably find one that fits everyone. Some were on land, some were on the water and some did both. Some of these tours offer things you probably wouldn’t have a chance to see without them. We had the pleasure of doing these two tours and I am glad we did them ..
Two greats tours to check out..
- Millionaires row tour – this tour was really cool. The millionaires row tour takes you on a boat tour through Biscayne Bay. You get to enjoy all the sights and check out the area where many of the rich and famous own homes. The guides along the way spend their time teaching you about the history and pointing out some of the famous homes. They also had a little bar and snacks for purchaser on the tour which was also nice. We really enojed this tour. It would be a great thing to put on your list for a nice relaxing day especially since it is about an hour and a half of sitting and just enjoying the sites.
- Hop on and off bus tour – This tour takes you through some of the most popular areas in Miami and allows you to hop on and hop off as you please. It was really fun to sit up on top of the double decker bus and get great views of the city while also being able to listen to all the fun commentary about each of the areas. The ticket for this tour allows you to hop on and off unlimited times throughout the day, making this a great option. So not only do you get to comfortably explore all the great areas of the city, it is also your transportation for the day so long as your staying within a walking distance of one of the stops. This is what we did and it actually worked out perfectly.
There are plenty of additional tours that you can take, some super cheap and some a little high end. So whether you want to do a private Miami plane tour or and airboat tour of the everglades you can do it all. Make sure you do some research and check into what tours you might be interested in. If you’re looking to do a few check out the GoCity Pass which is what we used, and totally plan on doing it for our next trip as well.
3. Indulge yourself in a few great dining experiences.
If there is one thing you are definitely going to want to be sure to do its enjoy the food. The amount of different cultural experiences you can have in Miami are unlimited. If trying different foods from all over is something you are interested in then this is where to do it. There are so many places that have great food and great experiences. You are going to want to do a little research and find at least one or two of the known and top rated places to eat. For instance we got a few recommendations from friends and most of them were not just something we would have stumbled upon.
A few of the places we loved were,
- La Sandwicherie – one of my friends bosses gave her this recommendation for a quick and not expensive lunch idea and man did it not disappoint. They are open from 7am – 5am an apparently people love to stop by after a night out. The ingredients are fresh and the bread is mouth watering, so if your looking for a quick bite to eat check this one out. They also have a few locations all throughout the city so keep an eye out.
- Novecento – this restaurant also has a few different locations. It is traditional Argentinan cusine and I will say it did not disappoint. The food and the drinks were amazing, we also sat out on the patio so the environment was super relaxing and refreshing as well.
- Ball and Chain – Ball and Chain is located in Little Havanna and it was a really great place to check out. I mostly enjoyed this restaurant for the design, and the cultural experience. The interior kind of reminds you of an old saloon, a little westerny with lots of wood, and it has a super cute little garden and stage area in the back. Throughout our meal there was live music playing and people in the streets joining in to dance with the band. It was a really fun experienc.
- Sugar – Sugar was a really fun experience. If you want you can get a huge speciality fish bowl drink. It is super expensive as well, but getting the chance to enjoy such a cool drink was literally the reason we went. We decided to split one drink. This way we got to enjoy the experience and save a few bucks. See the image above for reference!
4. Enjoy a fun day trip a short distance from Miami.
Miami is close to so many additional places that you might want to visit. I highly suggest taking a day to do a daytrip to one of those places. There are so many different deals and trips that are offered through tickets events that might be worth a try. Or you can just plan your own trip, but if you have the time I would totally put it on your list. If I could have gone to all of them I would have done as many of the day trips as I could, especially since places like the keys, and the Bahamas are so close. So if your thinking about visiting any of these places, why not conjoin a few of them together and experience it all.
Here are just a few ideas for a great day trip from Miami
- Ft. Lauderdale (1hr.) – We were lucky enough to do one daytrip, and we went to Ft. Lauderdale to snorkel. Day trips are totally worth it if you have the time available in your schedule. It was amazing to get to go on a boat ride out into the open water to snorkel. The snorkling was super fun, but I think I just enjoyed the ride there even more. Being able to see that view of Ft. Lauderdale was really awesome, especially since I had never been before. After our snorkling trip we had plenty of time to eat, shop and explore the area which was really fun. From Miami beach to Ft. Lauderdale beach is only 56 a minute drive so it is defiantly a super close and perfect place to take a day trip.
- Bimi, Bahamas (2hr.) – This is a day trip I totally wish I would have known about when we went, but unfortunately learned about too late. The Bimi Islands is only a whopping 55 miles from Miami, which ends up being a 2 hour ferry ride from port to port one way. Which isn’t a bad trip at all, especially when youll be relaxing on a ferry, you can literally just sit back and relax. Plus getting to visit the Bahamas while on your Miami vacation is a totally fun option. Definitely do your research though, because when I looked it up it looks like the ferry was about $200 and only runs 3x a week currently. Just keep in mind that this day trip probably isn’t the best choice for a last minute trip, make sure to plan it so you can get the most out of it.
- Key Largo (1.5hr.) – Another great daytip option is to visit the keys. Key Largo is only a 1 hour and 30 minute drive from Miami beach. I personally never realized that it was that close. Now keep in mind this is just the trip to Key Largo, if you want to go all the way into Key West its going to take you almost 4 hours. But personally if I had the chance to take an hour trip to visit one area of the Florida Keys I totally would.
- Everglades (1hr.) – Although we didn’t do an entire day trip to the everglades we were lucky enough to get the chance to do an airboat tour of the everglades which was really cool. The everglades national park is only about an hour and 6 minutes judging by my gps. Which is another super quick daytrip! In my opinion an hour is nothing. I think my next trip will be planned on taking hour trips everywhere haha. Also keep in mind most of southern florida is considered part of the everglades. The everglades is 7,800 square miles so your basically in the everglades way before you would actually hit the entrance to the national park.
5. Check out at least one museum.
Miami is full of amazing museums to visit. I highly advise setting aside some time to visit atleast a few of them. Unfortunately while visiting we didn’t have the time to visit all of the museums we wanted to but we did get a few in.
Here are the ones we were able to visit..
- Wynwood Walls – The wynwood walls was truly an amazing experience. The majority of the museum is outside which is always a blessing to me. I am a lover of that Florida weather so anything outside has my name on it. All throughout the area of Wynwood you will have the ability to see tons and tons of street art, but the Wynwood walls is one step more. It is Miami’s original museum dedicated to street art.
- ARTECHOUSE Miami – This museum was one of those really cool immersive experiences. It was really fun and really nifty to be immersed into the art. I hadn’t been to a museum like this one before so it was a lot of fun.
And a few I wish we would have visited. These couple museums are one my must do list for next trip forsure.
- Perez art Museum – The Perez Art Museum was on our list to visit but we totally ran out of time. I was particularily interested in this museum because of the architecture of the building, as we passed by. But it was also always listed as a top museum to check out.
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens – The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens looks absolutely beautiful from all the photos I have seen. The main house was built between 1914 and 1922. It is a National Historic Landmark and is on 10 acres of formal gardens. It is listed as a top destination for visitors of Miami.
6. Enjoy some of the beautiful Miami city views from a rooftop bar or lounge.
The city has quite a few rooftop bars that are well worth the visit. Even if your not a drinker its totally worth it for the view of the city at night. Being able to see all the lights and the hustle and bustle of the Miami nightlife is a really fun experience. I would highly suggest atleast stopping in at one of the many cool rooftop bars just to check out the experience. We only had time for one, during our visit and I am really glad we went.
- Sugar – Located in the Brickell city center. It is often busy, and was very crowded when we visted as well but well worth the visit. We went just to enjoy the views and have a good drink. The drinks are pretty pricy so keep that in mind, but going for one just to see the night view of the city comfortably from 40 floors up is pretty cool.
7. Rent a bicycle for the day.
Renting a bicycle for the day was probably one of the best choices. With a bicycle you get to see the city at a faster pace allowing you to see more that you would if you were on foot. We took our bikes and headed down the beach boardwalk checking out all scenery. And then we buzzed through town checking out as many buildings and culture as we could. Plus, renting a bike means burning off some of those extra vacation calories. It was super cool to be able to see so much in such a short time and get in some exercise, I would highly recommend it!
8. Take a walk down Ocean Drive.
Ocean drive is overpopulated, overpriced, and totally a tourist trap, but at the same time it is something to see atleast once. From the beautifully restored and well kept buildings with a 70s style, to the hustle and bustle of the “nightlife” Ocean Drive is something you should take some time to check out..
During quiet mornings you will see people sitting and drinking coffee and taking in the sunrise, people working out on the sand gym across the way and some heading to the beach to get the best spot. The mornings are calm. They are quiet and they are somewhat peaceful. At least that’s what it was like every morning when I visited. The evenings though, the evenings were totally different. Its like the beast is let out of its cage at night or something. The restaurants began to get pack, people crowd everywhere, the attire goes from comfy and beachy to sparkly and tight, tons of people get all dolled up, the streets are filled with luxery vehicles and there are lights everywhere. Performers bursting out of their venues and into the streets while people crowd around to view as much as possible. It is an experience. And it is crazy.
We spent one free evening just walking up and down ocean drive with a beverage in hand and taking in all the views. Another night we actually decided to go out to at least one bar to see what all the fuss was about. Although I will tell you it was one expensive night being as drinks can be upwards of $50, it was fun. Would I do it again? Probably not. We went to the Clevelander which was one of the recommended bars to check out at night. It was crowded, it was expensive, but we had a blast. We were also pretty drunk by nights end so who knows. But I did enjoy being outside again and being able to see the beach across the street.
Anyway just keep that in mind when deciding what to do on Ocean Drive. Walk down the street, check out the old school buildings during the day, and at least people watch a little bit at night, you wont regret it.
9. Soak up as much sun as you can on the Miami beaches.
This one is last because to me it is the most obvious. The beaches of Miami are definitely a must. Something that is really cool about Miami Beaches is the variety in which you can choose from. You can choose from the popular South Beach, to something a little less crowded in Mid or North Beach. Or you can even choose something even less crowded and less hustle and bustle on Virginia Key and Key Biscayne.
One thing is for sure, make sure you get to see a few of those awesome lifeguard towers. Miami Beach is lined with the cutest and most creative lifeguard towers I have ever seen. As strange as it is I really think they were one of my favorite things. I think that was mostly because it was something I have never gotten the chance to see before. Either way I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one.
THAT’S ALL FOLKS!!
That’s it that’s everything. Oh yeah I almost forgot, if your looking to save some money while planning some of these experiences, go check out the GoCity website or app to see what kind of deals you might be able to get. We purchased a 3 day pass and that pass got us so many of the fun experiences we did that I listed above. It was totally worth the price and trust me we are already planning to purchase it for our upcoming trip to Cancun this fall! If you want to learn more about the pass just keep an eye out for my next post. I plan on going into detail about the pass in that post so keep an eye out.
Okay, now that’s everything, haha. Hope you enjoyed this post!!
