I spent around 10 days in Miami and surroundings and the question I asked myself first was, what are the cool things to do in Miami. I absolutely wanted to avoid doing all things trash Miami is often associated with. Beside laying of the beach I did very nice things thanks to some good readings and recommandations I got from my friends. I will share with you in this article.
So first, where to Stay in Miami?
If you would like to enjoy the beach, it would be a shame not to, as Miami has a very long beach, I would suggest to take an hotel on Miami beach.
Miami beach is pretty big though and if you would like to have some quiet time I would suggest to stay midbeach. I stayed both midbeach and southbeach but I didn’t like South beach that much because it was too much going on, and it was much more dirty than mid beach.
What to do in Miami?
I really enjoyed renting a bike and visit Miami beach that way. It is a great way to go around and it is not too expensive. To go around I would suggest using Uber Pool as it is very cheap.
What is to see in Miami beach is definitely the Art Deco district in South Beach but Miami in general has very cool buildings so I would suggest to do like I did, rent a bike and get lost in the side streets. People watching is also an interesting thing to do as Miami has got some never seen before creatures 😉 For this either sit at a café, sit on a bench on the beach walk or just lay on the beach.
If you have time, don’t stay only in Miami Beach, do not hesitate to take your Uber and go discover the city of Miami and more especially the Wynwood district that is famous for it’s graffiti. For this I would plan a day or half a day. Don’t stick to the Wynwood walls only, walk a bit around as there is much more than this to discover. Wynwood district has got very cool cafés, bars, restaurants and shops as well.
Not too far from the Wynwood district is downtown Miami. Downtown Miami, especially on the south part, has got skycrapers and an incredible view over the Biscayne Bay. This part of Miami is also called the Financial center. Beside the view, downtown Miami is good for souvenirs shopping and shopping at all at the Bayside Market place, go there on a sunday as the locals go there as well and some of them dance on live music. Must see!
For culture you just need to follow north the Baywalk path and you will find the Perez Art Museum Miami aka PAMM that shows art pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries.
If you have more day, ou should go to Little Havana home of Miami’s Latino community where you will be able to experience a bit of their culture through food and music! Not to miss as well is the Mimo district, famous for it’s postwar modern buildings. Indeed, this district got a makeover the past years and is now the new coolest district in Miami. Go check it out! A group of locals that do food tours and they go by the name of Miami Culinary Tours has a culinary and cultural tour of Little Havana and other neighborhoods in Miami.
Eat and drink!
*A cool diner : Wynwood Diner , 2601 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
*Healthy food and drinks with a cool concept that is that every item sold is color-coded based on six health benefits that a team of researchers has mapped out.So you eat what you lack : Dr Smood , 2230 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
*An authentic cuban restaurant that got me told by taxi drivers and locals : Puerto Sagua, 700 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
*Stone crab : Joe’s Stone Crab is very chic and pricey, but oh so good! If it is too chic for you, you can also eat in the Joe’s take away that is next to the restaurant for a more relaxed atmosphere.
*Best for people watching : News Café, 800 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139
* Drinks on the top floor of a parking garage, Juvia : 1111 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
* To meet Miami’s coolest crowd; The Broken Shaker : 2727 Indian Creek Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33140
* A bar to meet a star, maybe at the Delano : 1685 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
For the real Miami experience, drive around to your night out with a Party Bus Florida! So Miami!
Shopping in Miami
I am not a huge shopper when I travel but I like to check brands we don’t have here in Europe or cool concept stores.
In Miami beach you will find on on Lincold road or Collins Avenue shops like : J.Crew, Anthropologie, Madewell, Victoria Secret, Beach bunnyy swimwear, Banana Republic.
For designer clothes, check out cool concept store like :
* Dash, 815 Washington Ave, Miami Beach
* The Webster, The Webster, 1220 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
* Alchemist, 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
* Style Mafia, 2324 NW 5th Avenue, Miami
