Looking for the best things to do in south beach Miami? Then look no further than our guide to the top things to do in Miami Beach! There is such a wide selection of fun and enjoyable things to do in South Beach, you will be spoilt for choice. Are you a foodie? Then we have some of the best restaurants in Miami Beach. Are you a culture vulture? The unique and historic South Beach Art-Deco district will entertain you with fascinating places and beautiful architecture.
But don’t forget, South Beach is not the only neighborhood in Miami worth visiting. Take a visit to Wynwood or Coral Gables, for more interesting and fun things to do on your vacation to South Beach Miami.
Our favorite thing to do in Miami Beach is to take a flight-seeing tour – to see the impressively long stretch of white sands that is South Beach from the air! Not only do you get to see the Miami Beach peninsular but air tours also fly over Stiltsville which is in the Biscayne Channel, just south of Key Biscayne. Enjoy an aerial sightseeing tour, one of the best things to do in South Beach Miami, with a Bahamas Air Tours flight charter. You can also take aerial flight seeing tours by helicopter with other tour companies.
Flying down South Beach Miami on a flightseeing tour
With the experience of hundreds of guests who visit us on our Bahamas Day Trips, we have unique insight into the many top places to visit in South Beach! As one of the top places to stay in Miami, South Beach has the most dense collection of hotels and Resorts in South Florida. Without a doubt one of the top things to do in South Florida is a Bahamas Air Tours Day Trip from Miami to Bahamas. On an incredible Bahamas Day Tour it is possible to visit the famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs and go swimming with Sharks in the Exumas islands.
Ocean Drive: Miami’s most famous Palm Tree lined Drive
Miami’s Art Deco Edison Hotel and a Classic Car
At the heart of South Beach is the Ocean Drive road, running like an artery through the bustling Miami Beach peninsula. Along this famous street are a host of restaurant and bars. Some famed for their oversized cocktail glasses and other like the “Palace” are the top spot for Brunch. But Ocean Drive isn’t just about easting or drinking, the dreamy pastel colors and art deco architecture bring about a 1950’s nostalgia. Classic American cars line the palm fronted street. And it’s iconic presence in some of Hollywood’s most famous films and TV include; Scarface, Miami Vice, Reno 911: Miami, Bad Boys, There’s something about Mary. If movie magic is one of your interests then be sure to checkout one of these best things to do in South Beach Miami.
Away from Ocean Drive, visitors can enjoy the Lummus Park promenade (that heads both North and South) and connects South Beach to Miami Beach and North Beach.
Best things to do in South Beach Miami: Famous Ocean Drive at Night
South Beach, lighthouses
One of our top attractions in South Beach are the 35 individually styled Miami Beach lifeguard huts. These brightly coloured and unique art deco style light houses have become iconic images that represent the Miami Beach experience. They stretch all the way from South Pointe Pier (southernmost tip of South Beach), all the way up to 87th Street (North Beach). Constantly maintained and refurbish by the Miami beach city authority, the lifeguard huts have been in place since around 1995, after Hurricane Andrew.
Getting a photo with one of the lifeguard huts is one of the best things to do in South Beach Miami! They truly are unique expression of identity and culture of South Beach Miami
Bahamas Day Trip by Plane
As the premier tour operator of Bahamas Day Trips by Plane, Bahamas Air Tours offers the experience of visiting the Bahamas, all in one Day from South Beach! Take to the air for an incredible one day adventure to the Exuma Cays, without doubt one of the best things to do in South Beach Miami.
The famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs have been taking the World by storm! Everyone that visits South Florida is now finding out about how to visit them, and now you can on the exciting adventure that is the Miami to Bahamas Day Trip.
The Bahamas Swimming Pigs in Exuma
Want to find more than just the usual “what to do in Miami Beach” list, then consider the bucket list activity that is flying away to the exotic Exuma Cays. A collection of 365 exotic islands that only an hour away from Miami and South Beach. Top of the list on the best things to do in South Beach Miami has to be the Swimming with Sharks experience! Go swimming with these Bahamian Nurse Sharks on our unique one day trip to the Bahamas.
Swimming with Sharks at Compass Cay on a Miami to Bahamas Day Trip
Flying to the Bahamas in a day makes perfect sense, since it won’t detract from your vacation stay in Miami, you can leave your South Beach hotel in the morning and be back in the evening, without having to worry about securing accommodation for an overnight stay in the Bahamas. Day Trips from Miami and quick and convenient way to experience the best that the Bahamas has to offer!
Enjoy the South Beach greenery: Lummus Park & South Pointe Park
Nestled between South Beach and Ocean Drive is the tropical greenery of Lummus Park. It’s meandering promenade lined with Palm Trees and sandy beach volley ball courts is a hive of activity as visitors enjoy the activities and relative tranquillity from the bustling bars and restaurants of Ocean Drive.
The Miami Beach promenade, now fully paved (since 2021 they removed the cumbersome wooden planked boardwalk, is an excellent choice for walking or cycling the full length of south Beach. From Lummus Park, the promenade heading south winds it’s way behind South Beach towards South Pointe Park. South Pointe Park is a large open expanse with tropical gardens and playful water fountains on the southern most point of South Beach. It’s main attraction is the South Pointe Pier, giving perfect panoramic views of the full stretch of Miami Beach and the many passing cruise ships that sail out of Port Miami.
Art Deco District
The visually vibrant Miami Beach Art Deco district is a historical neighborhood that is made up of over eight hundred architecturally impressive buildings built between the 1920’s and 1940’s.
What is Art Deco? A modern take on neoclassical, Art Deco reached it’s hey day in the early 1920’s. Pastel colors, geometric lines, glass blocks, terrazzo floors and porthole windows are all features unique to this style of design.
What to do in South Beach Miami Florida: Visit the Art Deco district along Ocean Drive
You can find many examples of Art Deco in the area between 5th Street and 23rd Street in South Beach. Prominent Art Deco featured hotels line the main seafront along Ocean Drive. Such as the Beacon South Beach Hotel and the Colony Hotel. If you step backwards into Lummus Park you can take in the Art Deco skyline at a distance, and as dusk approaches the colorful neon lights drastically change the atmosphere of South Beach.
The Art Deco Welcome center (Ocean Drive and 10th street) is a great starting point and is brimming with guidebooks and brochures. It also offers regularly times official guided walks around the Art Deco district. An Art Deco Walking tour is one of our best things to do in South Beach Miami.
Lincoln Road: Shop till you Drop
Lincoln Road runs east west and joins ocean drive through to sunset harbour. As an open air street mall (one of the county’s first pedestrian malls). Big brand stores and quirky art/photography galleries are located here, along with al fresco dinning options.
One standout place to visit is the Time Out Market Miami. A collection of 17 local concept food outlets offering some of Miami’s best burgers, fried chicken and ice creams.
Just a couple of blocks south of Lincoln Road is Espanola Way The salmon pink outdoor walls of this charming street corner extend down the pedestrian alleyway that offers dinning with a Latin feel. Outdoor flamenco shows feature on weekends.
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If you’re looking for the top rated number one thing to do in Miami then consider one of the Bahamas Air Tours unique Miami to Bahamas Day Trips by plane. Visit the famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs and have an incredible day out in the Bahamas Exumas Cays
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