Things to do · Miami · United States
17 best things to do in Miami
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Massimo Catarinella, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Miami are South Beach, Art Deco Historic District and Wynwood Walls. Of the 17 picks below, 7 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- South Beach
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Pérez Art Museum Miami
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Beach | South Beach | Half a day | Free |
| Art Deco Historic District | South Beach | 2 hours | Free |
| Wynwood Walls | Wynwood | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Vizcaya Museum and Gardens | Coconut Grove | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Little Havana and Calle Ocho | Little Havana | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Pérez Art Museum Miami | Downtown Miami | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Frost Science Museum | Downtown Miami | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park | Key Biscayne | Half a day | Low cost |
| Biscayne Bay boat tour | Downtown Miami | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden | Coral Gables | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Venetian Pool | Coral Gables | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Zoo Miami | South Miami-Dade | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Lincoln Road | South Beach | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Miami Design District | Design District | 2 hours | Free |
| South Pointe Park | South Beach | 1 hour | Free |
| Coral Castle | Homestead | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach | South Beach | 45 minutes | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Beach · South Beach
1.South Beach
The beach at Lummus Park, in front of Ocean Drive, is the classic Miami scene: wide pale sand, turquoise water, lifeguard towers painted in bright colours and volleyball courts, with the Art Deco hotels behind. The sand continues north for many kilometres and gets quieter the further you go.
For a calmer stretch, walk south to South Pointe Park, where the pier looks out at cruise ships heading to sea.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Architecture · South Beach
2.Art Deco Historic District
Miami Beach's Art Deco district has hundreds of 1920s–1940s buildings, many restored in pastel colours, with porthole windows, neon signs and 'eyebrow' sunshades over the windows. The Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive runs guided walking tours.
Walk Ocean Drive by day, then Collins and Washington Avenues after dark, when the neon signs are lit.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Photo spot
Gallery · Wynwood
3.Wynwood Walls
Opened in 2009, the Wynwood Walls is an outdoor gallery of large murals by international street artists, refreshed regularly, at the centre of a district where almost every warehouse wall is painted.
The walls inside the ticketed garden are the best known, but the surrounding streets are free; come in the late afternoon and stay for dinner.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Photo spot
- Iconic
- Food
Palace · Coconut Grove
4.Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Industrialist James Deering's Italian Renaissance-style winter villa, completed in 1916, sits on Biscayne Bay with formal gardens, a carved stone barge breakwater and rooms full of European antiques. It is one of the most atmospheric places in Miami for a slow morning.
Arrive at opening to see the gardens and the bayfront terrace before tour groups arrive.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are sold online and weekends can sell out; book ahead.
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Little Havana
5.Little Havana and Calle Ocho
Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) is the spine of Little Havana: cigar shops with rollers at work, walk-up windows serving tiny cups of Cuban coffee and Máximo Gómez Park, where older men play dominoes. Live salsa plays in the evenings at bars such as Ball & Chain.
Visit on the last Friday of the month for Viernes Culturales, a street festival of music, art and food.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- History
- Free
- After dark
Gallery · Downtown Miami
6.Pérez Art Museum Miami
PAMM, in a Herzog & de Meuron building on Biscayne Bay, shows modern and contemporary art with a focus on the Americas and the African diaspora. Its shaded terraces, hung with vertical gardens, look out over the bay and the port.
Have lunch on the bayfront terrace, then walk next door to Frost Science in Museum Park.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Views
Museum · Downtown Miami
7.Frost Science Museum
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Museum Park has a three-level aquarium built around a huge Gulf Stream tank, a planetarium and hands-on science galleries for all ages.
Look up through the giant oculus lens at the bottom of the aquarium to watch sharks and rays swim overhead.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Park · Key Biscayne
8.Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
At the southern tip of Key Biscayne, this state park has a long sandy beach, shady trails and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825 and the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. From the seawall you can see the Stiltsville houses standing in the bay.
Ask at the park about guided lighthouse climbs, then rent a bike and ride the island's trails.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- History
- Views
- Kids
- Nature
Experience · Downtown Miami
1.Biscayne Bay boat tour
Sightseeing boats from Bayside Marketplace circle Biscayne Bay past the cruise port, Fisher Island and the waterfront mansions of Star Island, with views back to the Downtown and Brickell skylines.
Take a late-afternoon departure for the best light on the skyline and the mansions.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
.jpg){kind=link}
Garden · Coral Gables
2.Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
This 33-hectare garden in Coral Gables has collections of palms, cycads and flowering tropical trees around a chain of lakes, plus a rainforest area and a butterfly conservatory. A narrated tram tour gives an overview of the grounds.
Visit in the morning in warmer months and start with the tram tour to get your bearings.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Kids
Historic site · Coral Gables
3.Venetian Pool
Created in 1924 from a coral-rock quarry, the Venetian Pool is a public swimming pool filled with fresh well water, with waterfalls, grottoes, a stone bridge and Venetian-style loggias. It is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
Check the age and height rules before you go; very young children are not admitted.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Entry is capped; reserve online in advance for summer and weekends.
- Kids
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Zoo · South Miami-Dade
4.Zoo Miami
Zoo Miami, about 35 km south-west of Downtown, groups animals by region in open habitats, with Asian, African and Australian species and Florida wildlife. The site is large, so plan a full morning and use the tram or rent a bike.
Arrive at opening; the animals are more active and the afternoon heat is intense.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Street · South Beach
5.Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road is a pedestrian mall running across South Beach, lined with shops and outdoor restaurant terraces. At its eastern end, the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center projects concerts onto an outdoor wall in SoundScape Park for free 'WALLCAST' screenings in season.
Check the New World Symphony's schedule for free WALLCAST screenings and bring a picnic blanket.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- After dark
- Free
- Architecture
Neighbourhood · Design District
6.Miami Design District
The Design District packs luxury fashion flagships, design showrooms and restaurants into a few blocks of striking modern architecture, with public art such as Buckminster Fuller's Fly's Eye Dome and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, which has free admission.
Visit the free ICA Miami and its sculpture garden, then walk through Palm Court for the architecture.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Art
- Architecture
- Free
Park · South Beach
7.South Pointe Park
At the southern tip of Miami Beach, South Pointe Park has lawns, a playground, a waterfront promenade and a fishing pier overlooking Government Cut, the channel where cruise ships pass close to shore on their way out to sea.
Come in the late afternoon, when cruise ships often depart and the light falls on the water.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
Historic site · Homestead
8.Coral Castle
Built single-handedly over more than two decades by Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin, Coral Castle is a garden of carved limestone blocks, some weighing several tonnes, in Homestead about 45 km south of Downtown.
Combine it with Biscayne National Park or the Everglades entrance near Homestead.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Kids
Historic site · South Beach
9.Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
The memorial centres on a large bronze sculpture of an outstretched arm covered with human figures, surrounded by a reflecting pool and granite walls of names and photographs. Entry is free.
Afterwards, walk next door into the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, a quiet green space.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Wynwood Walls, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Frost Science Museum and Miami Design District |
| History | Art Deco Historic District, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Little Havana and Calle Ocho and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park |
| Views | Pérez Art Museum Miami, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Biscayne Bay boat tour and South Pointe Park |
| Outdoors and nature | South Beach, Frost Science Museum, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden |
| Food and markets | Wynwood Walls, Little Havana and Calle Ocho and Lincoln Road |
| After dark | Art Deco Historic District, Little Havana and Calle Ocho and Lincoln Road |
| With children | Frost Science Museum, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Biscayne Bay boat tour and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden |
| On a rainy day | Pérez Art Museum Miami and Frost Science Museum |
What to book ahead
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: Timed tickets are sold online and weekends can sell out; book ahead.
- Venetian Pool: Entry is capped; reserve online in advance for summer and weekends.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Miami?
South Beach. The beach at Lummus Park, in front of Ocean Drive, is the classic Miami scene: wide pale sand, turquoise water, lifeguard towers painted in bright colours and volleyball courts, with the Art Deco hotels behind.
+What can you do for free in Miami?
South Beach, Art Deco Historic District, Little Havana and Calle Ocho, Lincoln Road and Miami Design District. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Miami when it rains?
Head indoors to Pérez Art Museum Miami and Frost Science Museum.
+What is there to do in Miami at night?
Art Deco Historic District, Little Havana and Calle Ocho and Lincoln Road are best after dark.