Miami is one of the world’s most famous vacation destinations for a reason. It’s a city of bright colors, vibrant beaches, and a never-say-die-style nightlife scene. It’s a city that dares you to keep up.
Yet even as the brightly colored buildings, flashy murals, and omnipresent palm trees pulse with Latin flare, they also encourage visitors to come as they are. In Miami, no two storefronts or nightclubs, beaches or shopping districts are alike. The city seems to expect the same of its visitors, which is why there is no shortage of activities worth pursuing.
No matter who you are or where you come from, you’ll discover not only something to love, but maybe even something to return to. Discover one of South Florida’s most exciting cities by way of bar hopping at South Beach, shopping your way through downtown, sunning on the beach, or attending a local event.
Get a Taste of the Miami Way of Life
RE-ENERGIZE AT CARDOZO.
Cardozo's newly-remodeled rooms and suites sit just steps from the sand. Indulge in sun and surf, then head back to the Cardozo to freshen up before a night out on vibrant Ocean Drive.
Cross over Ocean Drive and sink your toes in the white sand, whether that's at South Beach or any of Miami's other well-groomed beaches. And the best part about soaking up the sun? It's a totally free activity.
Whether you're looking for a lively party scene or a more serene and peaceful atmosphere, Miami's beaches have something for everyone. And the best part? Soaking up the sun and enjoying the beach is a completely free activity, making it accessible to anyone.
There's nothing in Miami quite as iconic as South Beach. If you ask us, you haven't really experienced the Vice City until you've strolled down Ocean Drive. Peruse museums like the Wolfsonian or historic attractions like the Holocaust Memorial or Ancient Spanish Monastery. You can also immerse yourself in the finer things in the city, like the Miami Ballet or the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater.
South Beach and the Greater Miami Area offer some of the world’s most iconic al fresco shopping destinations. But you’ll discover more than international brands. Bring home a keepsake unique to Miami by also shopping local makers and artists.
Don’t shop too hard, though. In Miami, there’s no need to shop ‘til you drop—just shop ‘til you’re ready to get back to the beach.
Ocean Drive has a little something for everybody, especially when it comes to its restaurants. On Ocean Drive, you’ll discover tried-and-true dishes as well as new takes on foodie favorites, from Irish pubs to local favorite Cuban joints. Even if you simply step off the beach to grab a sandwich, you’re sure to fall in love with fresh new foods.
There’s a little-known ghost town that resides in Miami. Well, technically not Miami, but a mile off the coast in Biscayne Bay. Known as Stiltsville, this curious grouping of pastel-colored wooden stilt houses are reachable through a boat tour with History Miami. During the excursion, a docent will fill you in on the history, about how in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, this was the place to see and be seen where 27 total structures served as private clubs and gambling quarters. But, as you figure-eight your way around the last-remaining seven spindly legged structures, what you’ll experience is an eerie and weathered memory, populated only by seabirds.
Explore the natural beauty of Florida with a two-hour nighttime tour through a mangrove trail in Oleta River State Park; ends with a bonfire on a private beach. Other activities include extreme mountain biking and relaxing paddleboard tours. These adventures are available for private groups day or night.
Allow the pioneers of Miami Culinary Tours to take you through five authentic stops along eight blocks in Little Havana: picadillo-stuff empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, café Cubanos, and Latin ice cream. These local eateries sample the unique blend of flavors that collide in Miami, one of the most diverse and exciting culinary destinations.
Let your inner adrenaline junky fly with a 30-minute or hour-long session; jet pack attaches to your feet (instead of your back), for hovering over water at 30 to 40 feet. If flyboards and jet packs aren't for you, then there are an abundance of other rentals, including stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, boats, parasails, and Jet Skis.
Like a Local
Quirky, Under-The-Radar Highlights only A Local Could Recommend.
Coral Castle
For 60 years, a sign stating “You are about to see an unusual accomplishment” has greeted visitors to this stone sculpture garden 40 miles south of Miami Beach. Built by just one barely-100-pound man between 1923 and 1951 under the cover of night, the 1,100 tons of carved, coral-rock obelisks, blocks, and edifices utilized no cranes or mechanical machinery. To this day, scientists are still baffled by how the monuments were erected.
The Venetian Pool
It’s the only swimming pool to ever be listed to the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1923 from an old abandoned rock quarry, this 820,000-gallon pool in Miami’s Coral Gables is spring fed, filling and draining naturally each day. Loggias, porticos, and palm trees, as well as waterfalls, cave-like grottos, and old bridge, add to the Mediterranean charm.
Foxhole Bar
As the name suggests, you’ll have to do a little hunting to find this bar with an unmarked entrance located down an alley between Alton Road and West Avenue. Inside, expect only the slickest touches: a polished cement bar with a creative speakeasy-style cocktail list, deep leather booths, and wall of backlit vintage weaponry.
Plant the Future
Modern art sculpture meets a plant nursery in this boutique based in Miami’s Wynwood Art District. Succulents and air plants, cacti and grasses come arranged in the store’s signature white porcelain animal figurines and objects (think horses, deer, televisions sprouting porcelain mushrooms), as well as irregularly cut glass vases and hanging terrariums.
The Weekender
How to Spend 36 Hours in Miami, with Cardozo Hotel as Your Base Camp
Friday
6 P.M. | Sunset Cruise
Head three miles north of Cardozo Hotel to Mid-Beach for a Sunset Champagne Cruise with Miami Aqua Tours.The Heritage of Miami II – the only commercial schoonersailing in Miami Beach – gently plies the intercostal waters for two hours, offering a breathtaking vantage of the Miami skyline at sunset amid unlimited champagne refills.
Saturday
9 A.M. | Beach Morning
It wouldn’t be a visit to Miami without spending some time on South Beach, with two-miles of sugar-white sand, emerald waters, and iconic pastel-colored lifeguard stands just across the street from your guest room. Umbrellas and lounge chairs are available for rent; for those who can’t sit still, the beachfront Lummus Park’s paved promenade winds from 5th to 15th street for Rollerblading, running, and plenty of people watching.
1 P.M. | Art Deco District
Rent a Citi Bike from the dock station on 13th Street ($6 an hour), just a block west of Cardozo Hotel, to explore South Beach’s Art Deco architecture district. The main drags of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, in particular, are home to hundreds of historic pastel-colored retro-fabulous structures from the 1920s through ’40s (including Hotel Cardozo built in 1939). Must-see buildings: Jerry’s Famous Deli, The McAlpin-Ocean Plaza, and the Bass Museum of Art. Grab lunch at one of the many sidewalk restaurants.
5 P.M. | Wander the Wynwood Art District
This trendy arts hub is the center of “cool” in Miami right now, having undergone a renaissance that transformed the once-quiet neighborhood of neglected warehouses into 70 art complexes, galleries, and performing art spaces. Peruse the Wynwood Walls, a set of giant outdoor murals in the heart of the district created by some of street art’s biggest names, including Shepard Fairey.
8 P.M. | Dinner at Joey’s
Located next to the Wynwood Walls, this modern Italian restaurant features white marble tables, polished concrete floors, a huge dining-room mosaic mural, and “the best pizza in the United States” – as alleged by Food & Wine magazine. Try their best-selling “Joey”– tomato sauce, mozzarella, portobellos, shallots, and oregano on a thin crust – and watch it being thrown in the open kitchen.
Sunday
11 A.M. | Brunch at Eating House
Located in Coral Gables, this laid-back restaurant with a graffiti-decked interior is famous for two unique brunch dishes: the chicken and waffles (bite-size pieces of fois gras waffles, fried chicken, and candied bacon presented on a skewer) and the Cap’n Crunch pancakes topped with a candied version of the cereal.
12:30 P.M. | Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Walk off some of that breakfast by among the 10 acres of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European-inspired gardens at this 1910 estate. Perched on Biscayne Bay in Miami, the property’s most impressive feature is the breakwater, carved out of Florida limestone to mimic the shape of an ornate Venetian barge.
Flavor Of
The Best Food Artisans, Farms, & Local Markets
Robert Is Here
This 50-year icon of a fruit market is known for its unique menu of locally grown exotic fruit: Jackfruit, canistel, sapodilla, persimmon, dragon fruit, and guava are just a few that make up aisle after aisle of the open-air building you can’t miss off West Palm Drive in Homestead. You might even see the owner and establishment’s namesake, Robert Moehling, behind the counter slicing up samples of his current fruit in season.
Miami Smokers
Two longtime Miami residents run this small deli-style operation, offering artisanal smoked pork products, like slab bacon, prosciutto, sausage, and more. They refuse to use anything other than locally raised heritage breed pigs and Old World curing and smoking techniques: just Miami sea salt, smoke, and temperature/humidity control. Try their candied bacon cured with sugar and nuts.
Buenos Aires Bakery & Cafe
North Beach’s busiest bakery is the place for authentic Argentinian empanadas. Get there before 8 a.m.; otherwise, you’ll be waiting in a line that snakes out the building for the savory pockets filled with whole olives, garlic, spices and your choice of chicken, spinach, or ham and cheese.
Freakin’ Flamingo
Made in the kitchen of Renee Joslyn, these jams and jellies are prepared and canned from whatever is in season (oranges, mulberries, strawberries, etcetera). Even the rum used in the signature piña colada jam – pineapple, coconut, and rum – is from Florida. Order online, or visit Joslyn at Miami’s Saturday Southwest Community Farmers’ Market.
LA Ventanita at Versailles
It wouldn’t be a visit to Miami without a café cubano. The best place for the frothy, super sweet, and super strong coffee drink served in a thimble-sized cup is the outdoor coffee window (which translates to "la ventanita" in Spanish) at this long-running Cuban eatery in the heart of Little Havana. The staff cranks out as many as 1,000 café Cubanos a day.
