Miami Points of Interest and Places to Visit

Since 2013 this stunning glass structure with Miami coastal views has been showcasing contemporary and modern art to the masses. With one of the most impressive collections south of the Mason Dixon Line, the Perez Art Museum (known as PAMM to locals) drives to display works created in the 20 and 21st century from artists around the world. With colorful exhibits that reign from the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Australia, there’s a world of wonder inside PAMM’s doors. Museum educators host interesting talks and tours that unlock stories about the art and artists that line the halls of PAMM and a unique community-based program brings speakers, thinkers and creators to the community for informative lectures and roundtables.

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, formerly known as the Miami Science Museum, is located in Miami, Florida. Their aim is to inspire people to enjoy science and technology in order to better understand themselves and the universe around them. The museum has expanded several times since its inception and currently receives over 250,000 annual visitors of all ages. Exhibits include a sea lab where visitors can learn about coral reefs and the sea creatures that live in the reefs. You can even touch a sea horse or sea urchin. There are also exhibits about hurricanes and other aspects of weather. These exhibits show you how hurricanes work, how climates are changing, and how humans are affecting those changes. The museum also has exhibits that teach visitors about nano science, energy, movement, health, nature, wildlife, and much more. The planetarium has a 65-foot diameter domed projection screen with 231 seats. Check ahead for show schedules.

The Miami Children's Museum is not so much a museum as a glorified playhouse, with areas for kids to practice all sorts of adult activities like banking and food shopping, caring for pets, playing TV news anchor in a studio and acting as a local cop or firefighter. Kids can pretend they’re banking at the miniature Bank of America, shopping at the local Publix Supermarket, or taking a Carnival cruise ship, which even stops in the re-created port of Brazil. One of the more impressive exhibits is the World Music Studio, where budding rock stars can lay down a few tracks and play instruments. The Miami Children’s Museum also offers educational displays about subjects ranging from Miami architecture to Brazilian culture. There are also hundreds of bilingual, interactive exhibits as well as programs, classes, and learning materials related to arts, culture, community, and communication.

Located in Miami’s Art Deco District, The World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM) was founded in 2005 and is the only museum of its kind in the United States – exclusively filled with erotic art. The collection includes over 4,000 works of international art, dating back as far as 300 BC. The 12,000-square-foot museum is the world’s largest public collection of erotic art and was founded by Naomi Wilzig, an American art collector and writer. There are pieces from noted artists on display, including Rembrandt, Rodin, Picasso and Dali, while modern pieces include everything from countless sex toys in various shapes to dominatrix Barbie dolls. If you’re surprised to see Rembrandt’s name on the list of noted artists, you’ll soon learn about his erotic works here. “Rembrandt’s Erotic Secrets” is an exhibit of 20 etchings, several of which are now permanently housed in the museum.

The Miami Design District is dedicated to innovative fashion, design, architecture and dining. The area juxtaposes design brands with restaurants, international art collections and permanent and temporary art installations, while its new buildings exist with transformed historic ones. Design showrooms fill the area, including Holly Hunt, Knoll, Luminaire Contract and Ann Sacks, while retailers like Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Prada also saw the potential for the area and have opened stores here. The neighborhood continues to evolve, and new renovations continue with additional luxury brands like Givenchy, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Van Cleef & Arpels slated to open shop. The long-term dream for the district is for it to exist as a renowned destination for cutting-edge fashion, art, design and culture, while maintaining its commitment to creative experiences.

The De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space contains works from the personal collection of Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz and covers 30,000 square feet with art. Before moving to this site in 2009, the original space was an extension of the couple’s home of 25 years and focused on international contemporary art. The art space includes various rooms with rotating exhibits, including one dedicated to showcasing local Miami artists’ works. Look for lectures designed to increase public awareness of art history and modern-day art practices. To help further promote the local art scene, Miami creative often submit proposals for site-specific installations, and classes and workshops designed with local schools take place as well. The De la Cruz family has also developed internship opportunities and a scholarship program for high school and college students. The De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space is privately owned and funded by Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz.

The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, founded in 1963, specializes in global art, primarily from the Renaissance period on. The museum is located in the 1930s Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center and includes traveling exhibitions from national and international collections to contribute to the cultural activities available in the area. A large expansion took place between 1998 and 2002, more than doubling its size from 15,000 to 35,000 square feet, and more expansions are planned. There is a year-round calendar of contemporary exhibitions, artists’ projects, educational programs, lectures, workshops and concerts at the museum. Don’t miss the Art History Lab, a spot that mixes different works of art from various eras in art history to create visual and thematic relationships between them. Pieces are displayed in a “salon style” format as well, so visitors can perhaps also consider the connections between art created in different countries at different points in time.

Separated from the mainland of Florida by only a small strip of water, Bal Harbour is a small, upscale community on the island of Miami Beach. The affluent area is most known for its luxury shops, high rise apartment buildings, and St. Regis hotel. The beautiful Bal Harbour Shops include high-end retailers and designers such as Prada, Gucci, Versace, Hermes, Chanel, and Tiffany. And the open-air shopping center features many palm fronds and a tropical feel that is fun to explore. The Bal Harbour Beach is a wide expanse of fine white sand in the shadows of the nearby buildings. It is difficult to access without direct access to the surrounding structures, so the tropical beach is (for the most part) private. Bal Harbour has fine dining and cocktail options as well — though the island is mostly quiet and peaceful in the evenings.

The New World Center sits in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood and is a top venue for music education and performance. Designed by Frank Gehry, the concert hall is home to the New World Symphony and includes state-of-the-art technical capabilities. Yasushisa Toyota designed New World Center’s acoustics, working with Gehry previously on the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Opened in 2011, the venue hosts the New World Symphony’s performances from September to May, including percussion concert series, small ensemble shows, a chamber music series, full-orchestra concerts and other special-themed recitals and events. The center features a main performance hall, a pavilion, a rooftop garden, an atrium, a lounge and an ensemble room. Don’t miss the rooftop gardens, which host many private parties and receptions, and not only feature expansive views of the surrounding South Beach area but also look down into the New World Center Atrium, which is captivating on its own.

The Port of Miami is one of the busiest embarkation and disembarkation points in the cruising world, so get there a day or two early to minimize stress and see a bit of the city before you set sail. Known for its Art Deco architecture, glamorous South Beach and Cuban influences, Miami is a fast-paced city with endless urban adventures, but if it’s all a bit too much for you, escape the bustle for a shore excursion to the Florida Keys, an Everglades airboat tour or a helicopter ride up in the clouds.

Located in Homestead, Florida, the Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts NASCAR, IndyCar and several other series of racing events. With a design representing the vibrant nearby Miami Beach Art Deco district, the speedway opened to a sold-out NASCAR crowd in 1995. The track contains several lakes, the largest of which is 18 acres and even stocked with rare peacock bass. The lake is deep enough to submerge an entire six-story building. The speedway has continued to gain in popularity and garner the attention of motorsports enthusiasts around the globe. The track made history in 2008 when it became the first venue ever to host all of North America’s major motorsports championships: IndyCar, Grand-Am and Firestone Indy Lights Series, NASCAR’s Spring Cup, and the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

Cape Florida, officially known as Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, is home to a historic lighthouse dating back to 1825 and serves as a popular place for visitors to relax, sunbathe, swim and picnic. Although the lighthouse was reconstructed in 1847, it remains the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County, and this stretch of sandy beach runs for over a mile, over which other activities such as fishing, kayaking and bike riding take place. It’s hard to imagine that the tranquil area was once the site of significant bloodshed in the 18th century, when marauding pirates and Native Americans used the area as their hunting grounds. One of the most notorious pirates was Black Caesar, who terrorized the region until he was caught and hanged in 1718.