Five Fun Things To Do In Miami

August 26, 2022

Five Fun Things To Do In Miami

If you say Miami, what's the first thing that springs to mind? Maybe beaches or Art Deco Architecture? Or older people or fabulous nightlife? With some 450,000 people, Miami is the second largest city in Florida. It's known for its sports teams - the Dolphins, the Marlins, and the Heat - and its sunshine. It's known for its beautiful people, art festival-Art Basel - and its fantastic food. We spent a week in Miami and the Florida Keys last winter and found a few things to do that you might not have thought of - and a few you might already have known about.

1. Visit Little Havana

Little Havana is the best known Cuban exile neighborhood in the world. In the 1960's Cuban exiles fled to the area, opening businesses and settling here. Centered around Calle Ocho, this street hosts latin-inspired restaurants, art galleries, bakeries and fruit stands. Politics are discussed at Maximo Gomez Park over a game of dominoes - also known as Domino Park.

We headed to one of the most well-known restaurants in Little Havana, Versailles. Billing itself as "the world's most famous Cuban restaurant", it is a Little Havana institution. We were there for lunch so we headed next door to it's bakery for a proper cuban sandwich and pastry. It was quite full but they get people through the line quickly and we enjoyed dining al fresco.

Then we took a ride down Calle Ocho to see the colorful street. And before we knew it, it was time to head to the beach!

2. Hang out on Miami Beach

Our accommodations were not on the beach but it was within walking distance - and our Kimpton Hotel Palomar South did have a reciprocal agreement with the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel to use the beach facilities. We simply checked in at the hotel beach club and were able to use the beach chairs (which we were assigned), order food and drinks from the staff and enjoy the beachfront.

It was my first time on Miami Beach and it was quite nice ( and the beach club was great, except for the high prices of food/drink but that's to be expected in Miami Beach) The weather was a bit of a mixture - it was January after all - and we had some sun, some clouds, and some breeze. But in all it was quite a good afternoon. And let's face it, anytime I'm at the beach is a good day!

3. Tour Vizcaya

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a Gilded Age estate on Biscayne Bay. Sometimes referred to as The Hearst Castle of the East, it is a National Historic Landmark. Constructed in 1914 by James Deering of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fame, it was named after a shoreline of the Spanish coast. When he hired 1000 workers to build his estate in 1914 at a cost of $15 million, he and his design partner were scouring Europe for the finest antiques, paintings and furnishings. Though he only wintered here from 1914 to 1926, he left his mark on the estate including modern innovations such as a telephone system and central vacuum.

You can tour the villa, including the indoor garden, and some of its 70 rooms. (Price for adults is $25 and includes the villa and formal gardens) And if it looks familiar, it has been used as a backdrop in movies such as Iron Man 3 and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It's also extremely popular for photo shoots - there were several going on while we were there - and weddings.

The indoor/outdoor pool

Where Mr. Deering would arrive by yacht

The star of the show has to be the 10 acres of gardens. The formal gardens are said to resemble Versailles along with Italian Renaissance gardens. They include a massive topiary lined corridor, a pavilion with aerial views, a fountain garden and an orchidarium.

4. Check out the Art Deco Architecture

The Art Deco Historic District in Miami Beach is between 5th and 23rd Street, along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue. It is the largest collection in the nation of this sleek and colorful architectural style. It contains some 800 designated historic buildings (though some are just historic from a different period than Art Deco) and you can take Art Deco Walking Tours provided by the Miami Design Preservation League. The tours run daily and last up to two hours.

Miami Beach as we know it today was largely developed by automobile pioneer, Carl Fisher. He saw potential in the mosquito laden and rat infested Biscayne Bay. So he built luxury properties, including hotels, along the beachfront in the early 1900's. He knew to lure vacationers that he needed the area to look stunning and in the 1930's that meant Art Deco.

It's easy to spot Art Deco in Miami - geometric lines and curves, bright colors or pastels, chrome accents and window "eyebrows" are some signature details. (For more on this click here)

5. Water Taxi the Intracoastal Waterway

(Okay, so this is cheating because it's in Fort Lauderdale. But it's under an hour drive from Miami to Lauderdale so I'm counting it. Because I can if I want :) For $35 you can take a water taxi ride on the Intracoastal Waterway. You can board the water taxi at any one of 10 stops in Fort Lauderdale and one in Hollywood. Then you can stay on for a 3 hour boat ride or you can get off and on again at any stop. They typically run from 9:45am to 10pm and there is parking available at the Stop #1 which is the Riverside Hotel Parking Garage ($3 per hour to park) The crew will be happy to give you restaurant, shopping, parks or the beach recommendations.

We ate at Fifteenth Street Fisheries which is inside the Lauderdale Marina. We ate in the casual downstairs - no reservations accepted - and only had a short wait to get a waterfront table. (Reservations are accepted for the more upscale upstairs) Mr. UR had lobster - because one can never have enough lobster - and we enjoyed watching all the boats on the waterway. And we also enjoyed seeing the spectacle of the staff - and others - feeding the giant tarpon fish.