Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida · Wilfredor · CC0
● Florida

Miami

The only major U.S. city founded by a woman — citrus grower Julia Tuttle, who talked a railroad magnate into extending his line south — now home to the world's largest collection of Art Deco buildings.

01

Fast Facts

Population
442,241 city / 489,812 (2025 est.)
Typical visiting season
Dec–Apr (dry, cooler season)
One Unusual Stat
960 Art Deco buildings in one historic district
Founded
1896, by Julia Tuttle
02

What to Know Before You Arrive

Miami was incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, with a population just over 300, and is described in Wikipedia's account as the only major U.S. city founded by a woman — Julia Tuttle, a citrus grower who convinced Henry Flagler to extend his Florida East Coast Railway south. The city carries several nicknames, including Magic City, Gateway to the Americas and Gateway to Latin America.

South Beach's Miami Beach Architectural District, also called the Art Deco District, is described in Wikipedia's account as the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world — 960 buildings across roughly 5,750 acres, most built between the Great Depression and the early 1940s in Streamline, Tropical and Mediterranean Revival substyles. It was officially designated a historic district on May 14, 1979, and includes Casa Casuarina on Ocean Drive, formerly home to fashion designer Gianni Versace. Little Havana, west of downtown along Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street), is described as the best-known Cuban exile neighborhood in the world; it became a major settlement point for Cuban refugees after the 1960s Cuban Revolution, reaching more than 85% Cuban by 1970, though today's population includes significant Nicaraguan and Central American communities alongside continued Cuban business ownership.

On Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove sits Vizcaya, a Mediterranean Revival villa built 1914–1922 for businessman James Deering, constructed at a total $15 million expense, with Italian Renaissance gardens completed by 1923. Miami-Dade County acquired the estate in 1952 and opened it as a museum in 1953; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and today displays more than seventy rooms of European decorative arts spanning the 15th through early 19th centuries.

03

The Road Trip Stop

The Art Deco Historic District in South Beach holds 960 buildings across roughly 5,750 acres, described in Wikipedia's account as the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world. The buildings run from the Atlantic Ocean west to Alton Road, bordered by Sixth Street on the south and Collins Canal on the north, most dating to the Great Depression and early 1940s.

What the visit involves

  • The district spans 960 buildings in Streamline, Tropical and Mediterranean Revival substyles, walkable along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue.
  • It was designated a historic district May 14, 1979, protecting the buildings from the demolition that had threatened many by the 1970s.
  • Casa Casuarina on Ocean Drive, formerly Gianni Versace's home, is among the district's named landmarks.
  • Current guided-tour options and self-guided walking maps: the Miami Design Preservation League's own site lists a guided Art Deco Walking Tour offered daily, lasting two hours over about 1.5 miles, at 1001 Ocean Drive. We were unable to confirm a current self-guided walking map.
04

Neighborhoods

South Beach
Home to the Art Deco Historic District and Ocean Drive, on the barrier island of Miami Beach.

Little Havana
West of downtown along Calle Ocho, the best-known Cuban exile neighborhood in the world.

Coconut Grove
The Biscayne Bay neighborhood home to the Vizcaya estate.

Downtown / Brickell
Miami's central business district, home to Kaseya Center on Biscayne Bay.

05

Hidden Gems

▣

Casa Casuarina

A landmark within the Art Deco Historic District on Ocean Drive, formerly the home of fashion designer Gianni Versace.

▣

Domino Park (Máximo Gómez Park)

The daily gathering spot on Calle Ocho in Little Havana where residents play dominoes and socialize, now also a visitor destination.

▣

Vizcaya's Italian Renaissance gardens

10 of the estate's 50 acres, designed by Diego Suarez with a Secret Garden, Theater Garden, Maze Garden and Fountain Garden.

▣

Calle Ocho Walk of Fame

A stretch of Little Havana honoring Cuban and Latin cultural figures including Celia Cruz and Gloria Estefan.

06

The Food Stop

Little Havana's commercial corridors, including SW 8th Street (Calle Ocho), are described in a Miami-Dade MPO community report as characterized by businesses such as restaurants, botanicas, small shops, car dealerships, music stores and cigar factories, and the same report says most neighborhood businesses are still Cuban owned despite the later arrival of Nicaraguan, Honduran and other Central American residents; current listings and hours should be checked individually. We were unable to confirm which South Beach streets hold the Art Deco district's main concentration of dining.

Been here a while

Places that have been serving a long time. All were still trading when we last checked. Each name links to its source.

  • 1913
    Joe's Stone CrabCredited with turning stone crab claws into a restaurant dish in the 1920s; James Beard America's Classic 1998
  • 1971
    Versailles RestaurantCalle Ocho Cuban cafeteria and bakery; James Beard America's Classic 2001

9 breweries within 10 miles of Miami, one of them a brewpub with a kitchen.

See all 9

*Check before you go. This list says what the source records as open and where it is — nothing more. Opening hours, whether a kitchen is serving, and whether anywhere suits your family are not in this data and change without notice. A production site may have no public room at all. Please confirm with the venue.

Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)

07

The Home Teams

Miami Heat

NBA
Kaseya Center · downtown Miami

The Heat have played at the arena, at 601 Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, since 2000.

Miami Marlins

MLB
loanDepot Park · Little Havana, Miami

The Marlins' stadium sits in Little Havana, about 2 miles west of downtown Miami, on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl — within the city limits of Miami.

Inter Miami CF

MLS
Nu Stadium · Miami

Inter Miami moved from Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to the newly opened, 26,700-seat Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park in April 2026, placing its home venue in Miami proper for the first time.

08

Day Trips

DestinationTimeDistanceHow we got it
Key Westguide4 hr 5 min161 mirouted
About 3.5 hours southwest via the Overseas Highway: the drive itself, plus Mallory Square and the Hemingway House.
Orlandoguide4 hr 20 min234 mirouted
About 3.5 hours north via Florida's Turnpike: the major theme-park resorts.
Everglades National Parkguide1 hr 35 min62 mirouted
Everglades National Park has three entrances in three different cities, and the National Park Service notes the entrances are not interconnected. The Shark Valley entrance is the one closest to the greater Miami area, reached from Florida's Turnpike (exit 25A from the north, exit 25 from the south) by taking U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail/SW 8th St.) 25 miles west; the main Homestead entrance is reached by taking the Turnpike south until it ends at U.S. 1 in Florida City.
Fort Lauderdale38 min28 mirouted
A separate city that its own pages place between Miami and Palm Beach, with a beach and 165 miles of scenic inland waterways.

3 of these are places the Hub has its own guide to — marked guide and linked from the name.

Routed figures are computed over map data at free-flowing speeds, between map points rather than street addresses, so a real drive runs longer.

Distances routed by OSRM and places geocoded by Nominatim, over map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

09

Wineries and Distilleries Nearby

1 producer we have checked near here. These are the ones from our research we could check against their own site — not every producer there is.

  • Schnebly Redland's Winery

    winery and distillery · about 28 miles away · South Florida (Redland)

    Family winery making wines from tropical fruit in the Redland farm area; also brews beer.

    • HoursMon-Thu 12-5, Fri-Sat 11-11, Sun 11-8
    • Toursyes - tour $16; tour & tasting $41
    • Foodyes
    • Phone305-242-1224

    30205 SW 217th Ave, Homestead, FL 33030

*Check before you go. Every producer here links to its own site, which is where we read these details on the date we checked. Opening hours, tour times, tasting fees and who may come in change without notice and belong to the producer. A blank is something we did not confirm, not something they lack. None of these say anything about children, so do not plan around it without asking them.

10

Zoos Nearby

Within 60 miles of Miami, nearest first.

  • Everglades Safari ParkMiami

    Hours
    9am-5pm daily
    Season
    year-round

    Airboat tours plus wildlife exhibits.

  • Jungle IslandMiami

    Hours
    9:30am-5pm daily; last admission 4pm
    Season
    year-round
    Admission
    Adult from $22.95
    Reservations
    Not required (VIP encounters require reservation)
    Parking
    fee ($20/day garage)

  • Monkey JungleMiami

    Hours
    box office normally closes 3pm; guided tours 10:00, 12:15, 2:30
    Season
    year-round

    Tour reservations requested; walk-ins if space allows.

  • Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of ScienceMiami

    Hours
    10am-6pm
    Season
    year-round

    Science museum with multi-level aquarium.

  • Zoo Miami — some details below are unconfirmedAZA-accreditedMiami

    * We could not confirm: hours/admission not captured. Check their site before you go.

  • Flamingo GardensDavie

    Hours
    9:30am-5pm daily; last entry 4pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
    Season
    year-round

    Botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary; Wikipedia lists city as Fort Lauderdale.

This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. 1 of these carries an accreditation we confirmed against the accrediting body’s own register. Where there is no badge we did not confirm one — that is not a judgement on the place, and a good many municipal, state and university sites belong to no register we check. One entry is marked with an asterisk: we could not confirm part of what is listed, and the note under it says which part. Opening times, prices and seasons change without notice, so check the operator’s own site — every name above links to it.

11

Music Venues Nearby

Within 60 miles of Miami, nearest first.

Where to see something

  • Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtstheaterMiami

    Hours
    Box office Mon-Fri noon-5pm and 90 min before curtain
    Tours
    tours page on site
    Address
    1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132
    Phone
    305-949-6722 (box office); 786-468-2000 (office)
    Capacity
    Ballet Opera House 2,400; Concert Hall 2,200

    Incorporates the surviving 1929 Art Deco tower of a former Sears store.

This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Opening times, line-ups and ticketing change without notice, so check the venue’s or organiser’s own site — every name above links to it.

12

Parks and Attractions Nearby

Within 60 miles of Miami, nearest first.

This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Prices, hours and ride closures change without notice — every name above links to the park’s own site.

13

Historic Sites Nearby

3 near Miami, each checked against the operator or agency that runs it.

  • Domino Park (Máximo Gómez Park)Public spaceMiami

    Hours
    9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (7 days a week) source
    Admission
    City page does not mention fees (WebFetch read).
    Season
    Not stated.

    A city park on SW 8th Street set up for dominoes and chess, with restrooms, open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.

    • miami.gov blocked curl (403); page read via WebFetch, re-check quotes in a browser
    • City park page does not use the name Máximo Gómez Park; the dual name is not confirmed on a page read here
    • City lists an 'Option to Reserve' feature

    Run by City of Miami Parks & Recreation

  • Miami Design DistrictPublic spaceMiami

    Hours
    Neighborhood; no district hours given (shops and galleries set their own).
    Admission
    No entry fee mentioned; garage parking is paid on exit (rates not read).
    Season
    Not stated.

    A neighborhood of designer shops, galleries and restaurants, with public art and architecture placed around its streets; public restrooms are on the second floor of Palm Court and Paradise Plaza.

    • High-end shopping district; operator copy is promotional ('World-Class')
    • Paid garage parking, payment on exit; valet offered
    • District hosts evening events (receptions, rooftop DJ sets)

    Run by Miami Design District (district operator; developer not named in text read)

  • Ocean Drive, Miami Beach Architectural (Art Deco) Historic DistrictPublic spaceMiami Beach

    Hours
    Daily Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day source
    Admission
    Walking-tour price not in page text (booking widget); Welcome Center admission not stated.
    Season
    Not stated.

    A beachfront street of pastel Art Deco buildings in Miami Beach's historic district; the Art Deco Welcome Center at 1001 Ocean Drive has scale models and exhibits on the architecture and runs a daily walking tour open to all ages.

    • In Miami Beach, a separate city from Miami
    • Tour length (two hours, about 1.5 miles) is on the tour page: 'Two hours, approximately 1.5 mile walking'
    • Tour price not read; tour enters hotel and restaurant lobbies
    • Operator copy is promotional ('world-famous design destination')

    Run by Street: City of Miami Beach (not confirmed on a page read). Welcome Center: Miami Design Preservation League (nonprofit)

This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Opening times and prices here are quoted from each operator’s own page on the date we read it, and both change without notice. Where this list says an operator does not publish their hours or their price, that is what we found on their page — 1 of these publish no hours and 3 state no price. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”, so ring ahead where it matters. Every name above links to that page.

14

Practical Road Trip Info

The Art Deco Historic District is a walkable, open-air neighborhood; the Miami Design Preservation League's own site lists its guided Art Deco Walking Tour as offered daily, at $50* for adults (ages 18-64), $40* for ages 65 and over, $35* for ages 13-17 and $0* for ages 12 and under.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens' own site lists it as open daily except Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adult admission (ages 13 and over) is reduced to $20* during on-site restoration, against a listed $32*; ages 6 to 12 are $10* and ages 5 and under are free. Guided tours of the main house are on hold until further notice.

Several well-known Miami-area teams play outside city limits: the Dolphins and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team play at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, a separate incorporated city.

Little Havana lies immediately west of downtown Miami on the mainland, while South Beach is on a barrier island across Biscayne Bay from the city of Miami, so the two sit on opposite sides of the bay. We were unable to confirm the driving time between them.

*Fees subject to change, please check mdpl.org for updated information.

*Fees subject to change, please check vizcaya.org for updated information.

15

The Local Debate

16

Family-Friendly

▣

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

A Biscayne Bay estate with Italian Renaissance gardens and more than seventy furnished rooms, open as a public museum.

▣

Domino Park

An open, free public park on Calle Ocho where visitors can watch daily domino games and street life in Little Havana.

▣

A walk through the Art Deco Historic District

An open-air, self-directed walk past 960 preserved buildings along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue.

▣

A Marlins game at loanDepot Park

Major League Baseball in Little Havana, within Miami city limits.

17

Plan Your Visit

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Address
3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129
Hours
See official site for current hours
Price
See official site for current admission

We checked opening hours, fees and operating status on 2026-10-13. These change without notice — confirm with vizcaya.org and mdpl.org the week you travel.

Sources — 21 claims, 20 checked against the source on 2026-09-22
ClaimSourceStatus
Miami population 442,241 (2020 census), estimated 489,812 (2025), second-most populous city proper in Florida; officially incorporated July 28, 1896 with population just over 300; described as the only major U.S. city founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle, a citrus grower who convinced Henry Flagler to extend the Florida East Coast Railway; nicknamed The 305, Magic City, Gateway to the Americas, Gateway to Latin America, Capital of Latin America, Vice CityMiami — WikipediaChecked
Miami Beach Architectural District (Art Deco District) described as the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world; located in South Beach, spanning roughly 5,750 acres with 960 historic buildings, from the Atlantic Ocean to Alton Road, Sixth Street to Collins Canal/Dade Boulevard; buildings mostly built Great Depression era to early 1940s in Streamline, Tropical and Mediterranean Revival substyles; designated a historic district May 14, 1979; includes Casa Casuarina on Ocean Drive, formerly Gianni Versace's homeMiami Beach Architectural District — WikipediaChecked
Little Havana described as the best-known Cuban exile neighborhood in the world, west of downtown Miami along roughly 2.5 miles from the Miami River; originally a lower-middle-class Southern and Jewish neighborhood in the 1930s; transformed after the Cuban Revolution, more than 85% Cuban by 1970, now more diverse with significant Nicaraguan and Central American populations; Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) is the main thoroughfare, home to Domino Park (Máximo Gómez Park), the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame honoring figures like Celia Cruz and Gloria Estefan, the Calle Ocho Festival (over one million annual visitors), Viernes Culturales monthly arts fair, Tower Theater and Manuel Artime TheatreLittle Havana — WikipediaChecked
Vizcaya is a former villa in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood on Biscayne Bay, now a public museum owned by Miami-Dade County spanning approximately 50 acres; built 1912-1923 for businessman James Deering at a cost of $15 million, Mediterranean Revival architecture with Baroque and Italian Renaissance influences, designed by F. Burrall Hoffman, Paul Chalfin and landscape architect Diego Suarez; gardens comprise 10 of the 50 acres; Miami-Dade County acquired the property 1952, opened as a museum 1953; designated National Historic Landmark 1994; houses more than seventy rooms of European decorative arts from the 15th through early 19th centuriesVizcaya Museum and Gardens — WikipediaChecked
Miami Heat play at Kaseya Center, 601 Biscayne Boulevard, in downtown Miami, since 2000Kaseya Center — WikipediaChecked
Miami Marlins play at loanDepot Park, 501 Marlins Way, in Little Havana about 2 miles west of downtown Miami on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl, within the incorporated City of MiamiloanDepot Park — WikipediaChecked
Miami Dolphins and University of Miami Hurricanes football play at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, in Miami Gardens, Florida, a separate incorporated city (incorporated 2003), not Miami properHard Rock Stadium — WikipediaChecked
Inter Miami CF played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale before moving to Nu Stadium, a 26,700-seat soccer-specific stadium at Miami Freedom Park (1900 NW 37th Avenue), located within Miami proper near Miami International Airport; Nu Stadium opened April 2026 with its inaugural match April 4, 2026Nu Stadium — WikipediaChecked
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens hours: open daily except Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Vizcaya Museum and Gardens — official siteChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Everglades National Park has three entrances in three different cities; Shark Valley is the entrance closest to the greater Miami area (U.S. 41, 25 miles west of the Turnpike exit); the main Homestead entrance is reached via the Turnpike south to U.S. 1 at Florida CityEverglades National Park — Directions (NPS)Checked
Fort Lauderdale: City of Fort Lauderdale's own description of its beach and 165 miles of scenic inland waterways; centrally located between Miami and Palm Beach (second source row added under v4)City of Fort Lauderdale — About Fort LauderdaleChecked
Unable to confirm: driving distances and times from downtown Miami to Everglades National Park and to Fort Lauderdale, and between Little Havana and South Beach; which South Beach streets hold the Art Deco district's main concentration of dining; a current MDPL self-guided walking mapNo source accepted yetNot confirmed
Prices shown in this guide from mdpl.org: $0, $35, $40, $50mdpl.org — the page the prices are taken fromChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Prices shown in this guide from vizcaya.org: $10, $20, $32vizcaya.org — the page the prices are taken fromChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Miami Design Preservation League guided Art Deco Walking Tour: offered daily, two hours, about 1.5 miles, 1001 Ocean DriveMiami Design Preservation League — Art Deco Walking TourChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Little Havana's commercial corridors (incl. SW 8th St) characterized by restaurants, botanicas, small shops, car dealerships, music stores and cigar factories; most neighborhood businesses still Cuban ownedMiami-Dade MPO — Little Havana Community Background ReportChecked
Fort Lauderdale incorporated March 27, 1911; centrally located between Miami and Palm BeachCity of Fort Lauderdale — City History (flpd.gov)Checked
Miami Design Preservation League Art Deco Walking Tour admission: adults (18-64) $50, seniors (65+) $40, ages 13-17 $35, ages 12 and under $0Miami Design Preservation League — Art Deco Walking TourChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Vizcaya admission: adults (13 and over) $20 reduced from $32 during on-site restoration; ages 6-12 $10; ages 5 and under freeVizcaya Museum and Gardens — Welcome / admission pricesChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Vizcaya main house guided tours on hold until further notice (preservation work)Vizcaya Museum and Gardens — Planning your visitChecked
monitored · 2026-10-13
Miami Beach is on barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, which separates it from the mainland city of Miami; South Beach is its southernmost neighborhoodMiami Beach, Florida — WikipediaChecked
Make the drive part of the trip

Road Trippin’ with the Harts

The Highway Heads books turn the miles between stops into a game the whole car can play.

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Nearest Airports

Straight-line distance from Miami, not drive time.

  • Miami International (MIA) — 6 miles
  • Miami-Opa Locka Executive (OPF) — 11 miles
  • North Perry (HWO) — 16 miles
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