2024 Best Sights Around Miami Florida
South Beach, Miami, Florida
Intro
Whether you are coming down for the Miami nightlife, the Miami beaches, or you are a big fan of Miami Vice (yeah Don Johnson); there are many reasons to visit Miami, Florida and thousands of reasons that will keep you coming back for more. Many people barely scratch the surface of the city and never truly peal back the layers of this culturally rich and diverse city. You can dance until the sun comes up at one of the cities many clubs. You can sunbathe or parasail from the miles of white sand beaches. You can see a ton of different wildlife at one of the many parks or zoos (legit so many different places to see animals: Zoo Miami, Miami Seaquarium, Jungle Island, Dolphin Harbor, Monkey Jungle, Butterfly World, the Everglades, or even at the many botanical gardens or strolling the beach). Miami has something to offer everyone, around the clock.
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Prior to relocating to Florida in 2009, I had lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco for six months each. I had also studied at a university in upstate New York. All were very different experiences, partially due to the circumstances and partially due to the cities. When I had lived in LA and SF in 2008, I was in each city for barely six months a piece, so while I explored the city and met new people, it wasn’t enough time to scrape away a city as a local. It felt more like an extended holiday where I got to see the highlight reel of the city and have some fun.
I joined AmeriCorps in May of 2009, which is what brought me down to South Florida; my assignment was a non-profit in downtown Miami - situated between Little Havana and Bayfront Park, near Biscayne Bay. I had only applied to assignments in places completely different than my hometown in New Jersey, which isn’t hard to do as most places are very different than New Jersey. My final two choices came down to a tiny town in Alaska where I would have to take a prop plane, while in darkness half the year and Miami. While both areas are quite different than where I am from, I ultimately chose Miami because I wanted some place I could enjoy my 20s in and avoid cold winters. I knew Alaska would be beautiful and an amazing experience, I just didn’t know how I would handle that many months of mostly darkness and bitter cold.
When I first moved to Miami, I moved to the suburb of South Miami and spent my first year in this neighborhood. South Miami is close to Coconut Grove and Coral Gables, which is most notable for housing the University of Miami, which is one of the best universities in the area with some great sports teams. While living in South Miami, I would spend my Saturday mornings having a coffee at the Barnes and Noble or catching a movie at AMC in the Shops at Sunset Place. When I visited recently Sunset Place, it was virtually a ghost town. It still housed the AMC and Barnes & Noble, but there was not much else going on there. With that said, there was a coffee house called Tea & Poets on the ground level of the mall. It was virtually empty when I went in, but to be fair it was 11am on a Thursday and they had just opened. I wished this place was in business when I lived there. It had trendy coffee and tea but also was a store with bohemian clothes and jewelry as well as hosted open mics. This part of my day trip to Miami really brought back some nostalgia. When I first moved to South Miami, I was young, excited about being in a new city, excited about the road ahead, excited about all the new friends I made, and just excited. With age, that simple joy and excitement can dwindle, but being back here brought me right back to the feeling. I stayed for awhile, taking in the new surroundings in my old surroundings, before heading on my next leg of the journey to Fort Lauderdale for the weekend.
In my first year or so in Miami, my Friday and Saturday nights were mostly spent exploring new bars and clubs from Dadeland, to Aventura, South Beach, and everything in between. However, the hotspots that we frequented the most were typically the South Beach clubs, bars in Brickell, Wynwood art galleries, or grabbing food on Calle Ocho. After the novelty of Miami died down, we usually steered clear of Ocean Drive, which is mostly gimmicky bars geared towards tourists. My remaining three years living in Miami, I mostly went out on the bayside of South Beach, downtown and midtown Miami, or in the suburbs like around the Aventura Mall area. During my visit I drove past the Wynwood walls, art deco historic district, Bayside Marketplace, the Adrienne Arsht Center, and the American Airlines Arena, all of which I spent much time visiting and wandering around while a resident. So much so, I could probably give a very informative guided tour. It is a short drive between all of these places…that is, depending on the traffic.
One of the best places to visit in Miami if you want to see great beaches, natural beauty, and have a more mellow vibe than South Beach would be to visit Key Biscayne. It is not one of the Florida Keys by Key Largo or Key West, it is a very tiny Key close to Downtown Miami. This is also where the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne is situated, if you are looking for a nice hotel. There is a restaurant called the Rusty Pelican there that I went a few times for work and also took family to for special occasions, like my Dad's birthday. The Miami Seaquarium is right after the Rusty Pelican restaurant if you want to make a day of it on the little island.
I left Miami in 2013 when I realized that I was not taking advantage of and appreciating the city as I once had. This by no means is a statement of me seeing everything the city has to offer or not loving the city anymore, as much as it served its purpose and was time for a change. I always had my sights set on living in Los Angeles. When I took the assignment down in Miami, I thought I would only be living in the city for a year before making my way out west, but like Miami does to so many people, it entranced me and I wound up staying for four years.
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The Magic City was founded in 1890 by Julia Tuttle when she moved her family down there from Ohio. This being the only major city in the United States to date, that was founded by a woman. (Grabbed this fun fact from Wikipedia).
In the US, Miami has the 9th largest population, the 3rd tallest skyline (just behind NYC and Chicago), and 2,431 square miles in Miami/Dade County which makes rush hour in this vehicle focused city super fun. (Wikipedia is filled with tons of great Miami facts).
South Florida has become a melting post from Central and South America countries as well as the Caribbean and snowbirds trying to avoid the harsh winters of the northeast United States.
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Hotels in Miami is my favorite topic as I spent 4 years living in the city and 3 of those years working for various hotels around Miami, so I have some strong opinions on the matter. AirBNB only became known when I was living in the city and working for hotels, so I can't speak much on the matter but vacation rentals in Miami are very much alive and well. What I can speak on though is hotel options. My three favorite place to stay in Miami are Miami Beach (between 17th Street and 23rd Street), Midtown, and Brickell. I will list some of my favorite hotels in the area, below:
Hampton Inn & Suites Miami/Brickell
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Miami-Dade County is a very spread out county with a lot to see and do. Similar to Los Angeles, Miami is very reliant on cars, as the mass transit is limited. There is a train, buses and the Metro-mover, but they have limited stops and limited hours (doesn't run 24/7 like NYC). So I suggest you make sure you have your transportation ironed out, whether you will be renting a car or relying on rideshare. That could determine where you stay and how much you get to see. Also keep in mind, in addition to the city being very spread out, it is a major metro area so traffic can at times be horrible.
If renting a care is your preference, you will be able to do that upon arrival to Miami International Airport. They have most of the major car rental companies at the airport and scattered throughout the city.
Once you have what you want to do in Miami and how you will be getting around figured out, you can then focus on a place to stay which I focused on in the previous tab.
South Point - Miami Beach, Florida
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Surfside Beach
Haulover Beach
South Pointe Pier
Richmond Beach
Bal Harbour Beach
Crandon Park Beach
Matheson Hammock Beach
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Miami isn’t necessarily the city you think of to take your kids to on vacation but it is actually a really kid friendly city. To start off with, it has an amazing beach with a lot of water sports and not too big of waves. But it also has a lot of other outdoor activities like zoos, parks, and outdoor movies.
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There are no shortage of views or greenery in Miami. For being in a major metro area, the below parks are some of the most serene and relaxing places around the city, with fabulous views to boot.
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Kendall
Aventura
South Miami
Coral Gables
Key Biscayne
Coconut Grove
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This is one of the main reasons many people come to Miami for. My list of bars derived from tasty places I visited during my recent trip, popular tourist attractions, or places that stood the test of time since living in Miami 10 years ago.
Tobacco Road (the exception to the above note, I needed to make mention of the bar I spent the most time at while living in Miami - RIP)
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Since the pandemic and the surge of ecommerce stores, like seen at the Shops at Sunset Place - there is a decline in physical shops in many of these malls. But if you of the breed that likes to shop in person or you need an activity to get you out of the South Florida heat, check out the below malls around Miami/Dade County.
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Similar to the bars I listed, I put together this restaurant list from delicious places I visited during my recent visit, popular tourist attractions, or restaurants still around since 2014.
Last but not least, please find a local Cuban restaurant close to where you are visiting for breakfast, you will find the tastiest and most reasonably priced breakfast around! Also, try the Cuban Coffee.
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Conclusion
I will always have a soft spot for the city of Miami. It’s where I grew up in my early 20s, gave me a sense of independence and self-reliance, and I had such an amazing time in the city with the people I met.
I hope this posts helps scew the stereotype that Miami is only a party town. While it does have an amazing nightlife and many places stay open later than in many other cities, there is so much more to see and do in Miami than just the club scene. Whether you are a partier, trying to get away for a relaxing weekend, or are planning a family vacation, there will be something for everyone to enjoy!
Quote
“Miami is a city built on dreams, and dreams are what make the impossible possible.” Unknown
Next On The Blog…
If you are road-tripping or checking out other areas in Florida, check out my posts on Orlando, Tampa and St. Augustine.
Those of us who love to travel, sometimes forget to explore what’s in our own backyards. Check out some of the best sights in South Korea from a locals perspective in “The Most Instagrammable Places in Seoul” from Janice’s Lifestyle Blog.
Biscayne Bay - Miami, Florida