Exploring Miami, FL
Note: This post has been updated on February 2, 2024.
Time needed in this city: A long weekend (3 nights) or more!
Miami is a place of beaches, yachts, restaurants, nightlife, and an amazing amount of beautiful people. If your vibe is to be seen, this is the place to go.
The below information is a complete guide of the best places to stay, the top rated places to dine and drink, and all there is to see and do. We’ve also included a summary of the history of this vibrant city!
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Where to Stay
Opening in 1942, the Betsy (formerly The Betsy Ross Hotel) quickly went from “the ultimate place to relax” to housing war soldiers in a matter of a year. During this pre-deployment time, the soldiers were took advantage of the “rowdiness” that Miami quickly came to be known as, which still seems to “lurk” in the city to this day, and turned the newly opened hotel into something that required years of repairs, refurbishment, etc. It also, gravely, saw a lot of death in many different forms. As a result, many hauntings continue to be heard (and seen) throughout the hotel. In room 205, we could hear someone above us, rather heavy-footed, walk around at all hours, thinking it was just someone who couldn’t sleep. As we have now learned, that wasn’t an insomniac. There have also been repeat occurrences of doors that slam on their own, a bizarre stench of cigars, continued pokes and nudges in the renovated sections, stacks of coins or stones appearing, just before dawn, under one of the hotel’s many ground floor entrances and full-length windows; and inexplicable gun shot noises (we later learned what we thought we heard outside was actually this and not people working, loudly, at 4am).
As for our stay… if you’re looking to be in the heart of South Beach, at a reasonable price, with comfortable rooms, you should definitely book here. We loved the service (everyone was so nice), the spaciousness of our room, the fitness center, the lobby and bar area, the pools, and the beach service (your per day amenity fee covers beach chair/umbrella set up and towels). What could have been a bit better was the condition of the room. At first glance, it’s beautiful and feels like you’re staying in someone’s seaside guest room! But with older hotels, especially near the ocean, comes musty smells and dampness that you may not be accustomed to. We do know they are going through renovations so also keep that in mind!
Other recommendations
Where to Dine & Drink
AMA (Speakeasy)
Don’t miss the sequin spot on the floor to locate it and definitely play the Japanese arcade games!
Amalia
Serving Latin-influenced dishes
Apothecary 330 (Speakeasy)
Located inside a pizzeria
ATV Records (Speakeasy)
Bagatelle
Modern French fare & Euro-chic decor with colorful artwork lure jet-setters to this hot spot.
Bar Bevy (Speakeasy)
Inside Swan
Bar Centro - SLS
SLS is right around the corner from The Delano, and is great for drinks before you head out for the night, or for one of their famed pool parties (more on that later). Another recommendation - and great for groups!
Bodega Taqueria y Tequila (Speakeasy)
Enter the port-a-potty inside the taco shop.
Bunnie Cakes
I've been obsessed with this bakery since I first got hold of a gluten-free cupcake there. If you have any allergies or adhere to a vegan diet, this place is amazing!
Burnbury
Cozy Argentinean wine bar with a vast variety of vinos, empanadas, seasonal bites & outdoor patio.
Cafe La Trova
Popular Cuban spot on Calle Ocho known for cocktails in a vibrant space fit for large parties.
Carbone
Sophisticated venue dishing up traditional Italian fare, plus wines & classic cocktails.
Casa Tua
Cozy restaurant offering Northern Italian dishes in a sophisticated environment.
ConSentido
Fashionable venue with a raw bar, presenting reimagined seafood and meat dishes, plus sake and cocktails.
COTE
Sleek Korean steakhouse offering premium beef cuts and veggies to grill at your table, plus cocktails.
Crazy About You
CRUST
Casual Italian spot specializing in pizzas with gourmet toppings, plus imaginative main dishes.
CVI.CHE 105
Peruvian eatery with a hip, boisterous crowd, cocktails & ceviche & sleek space with eclectic art.
Dante’s HiFi (Speakeasy)
Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita
Fusion fare served on a rooftop terrace with city views & in a chic dining room, plus DJs & dancing.
Estiatorio Milos
Elegant lofty space with high-concept Greek preparations of seafood flown in from the Mediterranean.
Ferraro’s
Upscale Italian kitchen featuring Venetian dishes & an ample wine list in a cozy, modern interior.
Giselle
Blending Asian, Mediterranean & French-inspired cuisine, elevated cocktail programming, and exquisite design, Giselle serves up a journey to remember.
Hiden
Small, upscale 8-seat counter behind a taco stand serving an elevated omakase menu plus sake & wine.
House of Food Porn
Informal restaurant with a funky exterior preparing classic Japanese sushi with a Cuban twist.
Jaya
Sleek, modern hotel eatery dishing up eclectic, Indian-accented Asian dishes, plus cocktails & sake.
Korner 67
Serves global food to share and craft cocktails.
Lido Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club
Mediterranean fare & cocktails served in a refined spot in the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club.
LT Steakhouse
Mareva 1939
Serving dynamic Spanish cuisine featuring a sharing menu selection based on traditional Spanish dishes with a unique twist.
Mila
High-end Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine in a flamboyant venue with a stylish cocktail bar.
MORLA
You will be able to taste a combination of flavors with Peruvian Nikkei and Mexican influence in signature dishes.
ONE K
Per their website, “Despite the name, the chef-crafted menu presents dishes beyond raw bar items and transports guests on a flavorful journey, using top-quality ingredients to present elevated versions of classic & international dishes with new, innovative culinary techniques that taste as beautiful as they look.”
Panther Coffee
Hip local cafe with barista drinks, plus coffee beans roasted in small batches & sold by the pound.
Rm. 901 (Speakeasy)
On the 9th floor of the Hilton
Shh.. Miami (Speakeasy)
Press the right book and the door opens
Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery (Speakeasy)
Tea Room (Speakeasy)
The Broken Shaker
Compact, romantic watering hole in the Freehand Hostel offering inventive drinks & a large backyard.
Vicky’s House
Known for their milkshakes.
YucA 105
Located on Lincoln Road, this is one of the hippest Cuban restaurants in the area, and the food is amazing! Definitely check it out for a late lunch.
Where to Party
Hyde Beach
Hyde Beach cemented its place as a world-class day club years ago. It offers everything you’d want in a mega-club, after dark, in a sunny poolside setting.
LIV Nightclub - Fontainebleu
Never, in my wildest dreams, would I believe we'd be sent to party with the New York Rangers... or that Lil’ Jon would be spinning... or that, that would happen at the same time. We are still so grateful to the hockey team for letting us join the table, and having us join them at their afterparty. It DEFINITELY made the weekend!
M2 Miami
You might remember this club as “Mansion” or “Level” if you wanna go way back. The 35,000-square-foot concept is breathing new life into Al Capone’s old movie house, going 1000% in on the lights, the smoke, and the bass.
SLS South Beach Pool Party
The SLS pool parties are legendary. We were fortunate enough to have a connection to get us in, get us a table, as well as some bottles. We spent the day there, hanging in the pool, drinking, and having a great time.
Things to See & Do
Historical Exploration
Ancient Spanish Monastery
Per their website, “Construction of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux was begun in the year 1133 AD in Sacramenia, near Segovia in northern Spain. Completed eight years later in 1141, the Monastery was dedicated to the Blessed Mother and was originally named ‘The Monastery of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels.’ Upon the canonization of Bernard of Clairvaux in 1174, the Monastery was renamed in his honor. A Cistercian monk and mystic, the founder and abbot of the Abbey of Clairvaux, Bernard was one of the most influential church leaders of his time. Cistercian monks occupied the Monastery for nearly 700 years. After a social revolution in the 1830's, the Monastery’s Cloisters were seized, sold, and converted into a granary and stable.
In 1925, William Randolph Hearst purchased the Cloisters and the Monastery's outbuildings. The structures were dismantled stone by stone, bound with protective hay, packed in more than 11,000 wooden crates, numbered for identification, and shipped to the United States. Soon after the shipment arrived, Hearst's financial problems forced most of his collection to be sold at auction. The massive crates remained in a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, for 26 years. One year after Hearst’s' death in 1952, they were purchased by two entrepreneurs for use as a tourist attraction. It took 19 months and the equivalent of nearly $20 million dollars (in today’s currency) to put the Monastery back together. In 1953, Time magazine called it ‘the biggest jigsaw puzzle in history’.
In 1964, Colonel Robert Pentland, Jr, who was a multimillionaire banker, philanthropist and benefactor of many Episcopal churches, purchased the Cloisters and presented them to the Bishop of Florida. Today the parish Church of St. Bernard de Clairvaux is an active and growing congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Services are held on Sundays and weekdays in both English and Spanish.”
Coral Castle Museum
Edward Leedskalnin was 26 years old when he was suddenly rejected by his 16-year-old fiancée, Agnes Skuvst, in Latvia, just one day before the wedding. Leaving for the United States, he came down with allegedly terminal tuberculosis, but spontaneously healed, stating that magnets had some effect on his disease.
He spent more than 28 years building Coral Castle, refusing to allow anyone to view him while he worked. A few teenagers claimed to have witnessed his work, reporting that he had “caused the blocks of coral to move like hydrogen balloons”. The only advanced tool that Leedskalnin spoke of using was a "perpetual motion holder".
Leedskalnin originally built the castle, which he named "Ed's Place", in Florida City, Florida, around 1923.At the time, it was an extremely remote location with very little development. He charged 10 cents a person who wanted to tour it.
The castle remained in Florida City until about 1936 when Leedskalnin decided to move and take the castle with him. He reportedly chose relocation as a means to protect his privacy when discussion about developing land in the original area of the castle started. He spent three years moving the component structures of Coral Castle 10 miles north from Florida City to its current location outside Homestead, Florida. When it was moved, he then asked for a donation of 25 cents per person to tour it. There were signs carved into rocks at the front gate to "Ring Bell Twice". He would come down from his living quarters in the second story of the castle tower, close to the gate, and conduct the tour. He never told anyone who asked him how he made the castle. He would simply answer "It's not difficult if you know how."
Leedskalnin named his new place "Rock Gate" after the huge rear swinging gate he built into the back wall. He continued to work on the castle until his death in 1951. As he had no will, the castle became the property of his closest living relative in the United States, a nephew from Michigan, named “Harry”. However, his nephew was in poor health and he sold the castle to an Illinois family in 1953. The new owners turned it into a tourist attraction and changed the name of Rock Gate to Rock Gate Park, and later to Coral Castle.
In January 1981, the family sold the castle to Coral Castle, Inc., which is who maintains ownership today.
In 1984, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added under the name of "Rock Gate", but the name on the list was changed to "Coral Castle" in 2011.
The Arts & Sciences
Rubell Museum
The Rubell Museum, formerly the Rubell Family Collection, is a private contemporary art museum with locations in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, Florida, and the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Opened to the public in 1993 and formerly housed in a warehouse in the Wynwood Art District, the museum and its collection were developed by Mera and Don Rubell, Miami-based art collectors who have played a significant role in the city's development as a center of the international contemporary art market. The museum relocated to a significantly larger campus in Miami, and opened a campus in Washington, in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
They focus on contemporary art.
Superblue
According to their description, “You will be transported into mind-blowing new worlds created by the most innovative artists of our time. Brace yourself for a journey through a mesmerizing mirrored maze, dive into multi-sensory environments, and find yourself surrounded by incredible light-based works. Don't forget your camera, because non-flash photography and video are more than welcome throughout the experience.
The Bass
Per their website, “The Bass Museum of Art’s educational mission is to stimulate creative interpretation of contemporary art and provide an environment that encourages inquiry, exploration and dialogue.
The Bass Museum of Art offers a cutting-edge education program through tours, workshops, gallery talks and public programs using a non-traditional approach to museum education. We encourage museum-goers to be experimental and active in their understanding of our collection and exhibits by offering interpretive materials and learning interventions that stimulate critical observation, and an inquisitive examination of artists’ ideas, materials and processes.”
Wynwood Walls
Visit Wynwood Walls in Miami, the world’s most iconic outdoor street art museum. Immerse yourself in the hip atmosphere and take photographs of murals and sculptures from great international artists.
Unique Experiences
Clear Kayak Tour
To help you discover the underwater world—without having to get in the water—a clear kayaking is provided. During your tour, ride past idyllic mangrove tunnels and look out for marine life and coastal birds—with plenty of stops to take photos along the way.
Guided Horseback Ride
We offer a one-hour horseback riding tour through the enchanting trails of Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. Guests learn about the park's history, local nature all while connecting with our well-trained horses that are suitable for riders of all levels.
Guests will start riding through the trails and finish off riding their horse on the pristine waters of the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. The ranch is committed to providing guests with the best possible experience, ensuring the comfort and safety of their horses.
Little Havana Food & Walking Tour
Explore this lively Cuban district and learn about its fascinating history and culture, with stops at some of the best family-owned and operated Cuban restaurants in the area. Sample the local cuisine, like guava pastries, chicken plantain cups, and flan ice cream, to name just a few of the delicacies offered along the way. Also, meet some of the local artists, watch skilled Cuban cigar rollers and listen to traditional Cuban music.
Venetian Pool
Per their website, “This unique aquatic facility has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people since 1923. The Venetian Pool is fed by spring water from an underground aquifer and is refilled daily, with over 820,000 gallons of water. The pool features two waterfalls and cave-like grottos for a fun experience for all swimmers.”
Walking Tours
Deering Estate
Charles Deering lived on the 444-acre property for five years, from 1922 to 1927. The property consists of a three-story wooden house (Richmond Cottage), as well as a three-story stone mansion. Other buildings were also built on the property to serve as auxiliary buildings to the estate. After his death in 1927, the property was maintained by his family.
In 1982, after his daughter died, the property became available for sale. In 1984, the estate was purchased by Finley Matheson, which fought to get it turned into a state park. In 1985, the State of Florida purchased the land for $22.5 million.
The Deering Estate became a national landmark in 1986, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The grounds include what is thought to be the largest virgin coastal tropical hardwood hammock in the continental United States. Today, it’s not only open to the public but used for ecological research as well.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
The garden was established in 1936 by Robert H. Montgomery, an accountant, attorney, and businessman with a passion for plant-collecting. He purchased the 83-acre site along Biscayne Bay and later deeded it to Miami-Dade County. Montgomery named the garden after his friend, renowned plant explorer, David Fairchild. Fairchild's travels brought more than 75,000 plants to the United States, including pima cotton, durham wheat, mangos, alfalfa, nectarines, dates, horseradish, bamboos, and flowering cherry trees. He retired to Miami in 1935 after a long career at the USDA, establishing the Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction Bureau. Many plants still growing in the Garden were collected and planted by him, including a giant African baobab tree.
The garden was designed by landscape architect William Lyman Phillips and a leading landscape designer in South Florida during the 1930s. He obtained his landscape architecture degree from Harvard in 1910. Lyman Phillips came to Florida in 1924 and by 1938, began design for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. The primary buildings and landscape features he designed over the next 15 years, included the Montgomery Palmetum, Bailey Palm Glade, Allee and Overlook, Vine Pergola, Amphitheatre, Gate House, Montgomery Library and Museum, 14 lakes, stone terracing walls, irrigation systems, Moos Sunken Garden, and Nell Montgomery Garden House auditorium. Later buildings included the Davis House (1953), Hawkes Laboratory (1960), Robbins Plant Science Building (1967), Rare Plant House (1968), Corbin Education Building (1972), Jean duPont Shehan Visitor Center (2002), and various additions over the years. In 2010, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a new complex of buildings, including the Paul and Swanee DiMare Science Village, Dr. Jane Hsaio Tropical Research Laboratories, Clinton Family Conservatory, and Burns Building.
Lincoln Road Mall
Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road is one of the most unique shopping districts in the world, full of stunning architecture, world-class culture, and destination retail stores. The 8-block-long pedestrian mall was designed by fabled art deco architect, Morris Lapidus, filling the broad street with public art and native plants that enhances the experience. Over 200 boutiques and restaurants line both sides of the street.
Sundays welcome a weekly farmer’s market, where you can stroll Lincoln Road enjoying fresh smoothies and sampling a wide variety of local vendors. On Sundays, from October through May, you can search for rare finds at the Lincoln Road Antiques & Collectibles Market.
Palm Court (Miami Design District)
Palm Court is a premier event space and plaza located in Miami’s Design District. Designed by Japanese architect, Sou Fujimoto and Aranda/Lasch, Palm Court is a place in which public art installations are aplenty in a visually appealing and modern outdoor space. It’s a tree-lined “oasis” that hosts live concert series, family day trips, and art tours.
The Kampong
The Kampong was bought as a winter home by the famed horticulturalist, Dr. David Fairchild and his wife Marian, in 1916. For many years, he managed the Department of Plant Introduction program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., searching the world for plants that could be useful and successfully introduced into the United States. Fairchild introduced around 30,000 plant species and varietals into the U.S.
At his home in Florida, Fairchild created a garden that contained many of the plants that he obtained throughout his travels. In 1931, Marian's sister, Elsie, and her husband, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, acquired the adjoining property on the north to use as their winter home. Fairchild and his wife made the Kampong their permanent home from 1928 until their deaths in 1954 and 1962, respectively.
A year after David Fairchild's wife's death, the land was purchased by Catherine Hauberg Sweeney, a botanist and preservationist. Sweeney maintained Fairchild's garden and was vital in its preservation for future use and study, securing its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984, Sweeney donated the property to the then Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden (now National Tropical Botanical Garden).
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, previously known as “Villa Vizcaya”, is the former villa and estate of businessman, James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present-day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. The early 20th-century Vizcaya estate also includes extensive Italian Renaissance gardens, native woodland landscape, and a historic village outbuildings compound.
How to Get Around
Private airport transfer
If you’d prefer not to wait for an Uber (those can expensive and take forever), consider a private transfer to/from the airport for a flat fee and in a comfortable, luxury vehicle. Check out the link above for me.
Ride share
Ride shares are aplenty in Miami however, traffic is bad enough that wait times to secure one and even to hop in one can take a while. Make sure to secure one well in advance of a reservation!
A History Summary
The Tequesta tribe occupied the Miami area for around 2,000 years before contact with Europeans.
500-600 BCE - A village of hundreds of people was located at the mouth of the Miami River. It is believed that the entire tribe migrated to Cuba by the mid-1700s.
1566 - Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Florida's first governor, claimed the area for Spain. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later.
1821 - Spain (and briefly Britain) ruled Florida until it ceded it to the United States in 1821.
1836 - The U.S. built Fort Dallas on the banks of the Miami River as part of their development of the Florida Territory and their attempt to suppress and remove the Seminoles. As a result, the Miami area became a site of fighting in the Second Seminole War.
Mid-19th Century - Miami is noted as the only major city in the United States founded by a woman. Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native, was the original owner of the land upon which the city was built.
Late 19th Century - In the late 19th century, the area was known as "Biscayne Bay Country", and reports described it as a promising wilderness and "one of the finest building sites in Florida".
1894 - 1895 - The Great Freeze hastened Miami's growth as the crops there were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his Florida East Coast Railway to the region, for which she became known as "the mother of Miami".
July 28, 1896 - Miami was officially incorporated as a with a population of just over 300.
Early 20th Century - During the early 20th century, migrants from the Bahamas and African-Americans constituted 40% of the city's population, though white residents weren’t happy, constantly threatening them to move.
1920s - 1930s - Miami prospered during this time with an increase in population and development in infrastructure as northerners moved to the city. The collapse of the Florida land boom of the 1920s, the 1926 Miami Hurricane, and the Great Depression in the 1930s slowed development.
1940s - When World War II began, Miami became a base for U.S. defense against German submarines due to its prime location on the southern coast of Florida. This brought an increase in Miami's population with 172,172 living there.
1959 - After Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba, following the Revolution in 1959, many wealthy Cubans sought refuge in Miami, further increasing the city's population.
1972 - The region hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in the 1972 Presidential election. The Miami Dolphins also made history with their undefeated "perfect" season. The area's educational and cultural institutions had also developed significantly in this period, positioning the city to service a larger and increasingly international population.
1980s - 1990s - South Florida weathered social problems related to drug wars, immigration from Haiti and Latin America, and the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew.
Late 20th Century - Racial and cultural tensions sometimes sparked, but the city developed in the latter half of the 20th century as a major international, financial, and cultural center.
