Miami's South Beach holds the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world, pastel facades from the 1930s and 40s, preserved through decades of decline and eventual revival, sitting alongside a city whose culture, food, and language reflect its position as the de facto capital of Latin America in the United States.
Art Deco and South Beach
Ocean Drive's Art Deco Historic District includes hundreds of preserved buildings from the 1930s streamline moderne era, saved from demolition in the 1970s and 80s by a dedicated preservation campaign, a walking or bike tour in the early morning avoids both the heat and the evening crowds.
South Beach's nightlife, still centred around Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, runs alongside a quieter daytime beach culture, Lummus Park's stretch of sand is Miami's most photographed, but quieter beaches exist further north along Collins Avenue.
Little Havana and the Everglades
Little Havana's Calle Ocho is the heart of Miami's Cuban exile community, where domino games run continuously at Máximo Gómez Park and cafecito (strong, sweet Cuban coffee) is served from walk-up windows throughout the neighbourhood, a genuinely different cultural register than the beach scene a few miles east.
The Everglades, roughly 45 minutes west, offer airboat tours through sawgrass marshland home to alligators and a huge range of wading bird species, a stark, important ecological contrast to Miami's beach-and-nightlife reputation.
Recommended Stay · Miami · South Beach
The Setai Miami Beach
An Asian-inspired luxury resort built around a restored 1930s Art Deco building, with three infinity pools cascading toward the beach.
