Miami Attractions
Things to do in Miami
Miami Attractions. Looking for something fun to do with your family? Want something kid friendly? Need to find a good park to play with your dog? Then look no further because HelloMiami.com has you covered. We've sought out the best attractions in Miami and have detailed information about parks, museums, festivals, zoos and more.
Kids love animals, and in Miami there are zoos filled with ligers, parrots, tigers and dolphins. Here is a list of great animal encounters for kids in Miami.
Throws of 50+ yards, vertical leaps and horizontal dives can only mean one thing – you’ve experienced Ultimate Frisbee! Miami has an active, adult Ultimate Frisbee league. The season runs from February through May, with games on Sunday afternoons at 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm in Tropical Park.
The Ronald W. Shane Center is a nonprofit water sports center open to all levels of athletes and rowers. The Shane Center has a fleet of rowing boats spread out in two boathouses, an indoor fitness facility with weight room and Concept II ERG room, and more than 4,000 square feet of rentable, air-conditioned meeting space. This center offers access to the best water for rowing in Miami, competitive junior and adult rowing programs and internationally recognized coaches.
If tours normally bore you, you're in for a treat here, literally. See a different side of South Beach in a tour complete with flavorful bites from different cultures and a glimpse into the fabulously fun Art Deco architecture.
Relish in your celebrity-like status as a Hummer arrives for your personal pick-up. Climb in, buckle-up and then hold on tight! This is one Everglades tour that will have your heart pumping hard -- even before you see the alligators.
Miami and shopping go together like peanut butter and jelly, or rice and beans. Here are the top five South Florida shopping malls, from high end to outlet, for shoppers looking to splurge or to save.
The Everglades National Park is 1.5 million acres covering South Florida from Miami to Naples. Each of the park’s five visitor centers offers different activities and amenities. Whether visitors are interested in photographing wildlife, bird watching, educational tram rides, cycling, hiking, boating, fishing, camping or ranger guided tours, each center can be a jumping off point into the wild wetlands.
The “oldest building in the Western Hemisphere” is the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach. The stone cloisters were built in 12th century Spain. Once occupied by monks, this old world treasure now plays host to South Florida weddings, quinceaneras, photo shoots, special events and tours.
Guaranteed to give you chills, South Florida’s premier Halloween Amusement Park, House of Horrors (HOH), returns to Miami October 7-31. This year, HOH is boasting a 2 acre haunted house, which is sure to be one of the largest in South Florida.
Checkout Schnebly Redland's Winery in Homestead, Florida. They specialize in tropical wines, made mainly from exotic fruits like mango, lychee and star fruit. The scenic winery grounds are worth a trip alone. Join them any day of the week for a memorable wine-tasting. On the weekends, they offer tours of the winery grounds.
Miami Beach's New World Symphony celebrated the opening of its new home, the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, on January 25th, 2011. The New World Center campus is composed of a 2.5-acre musical park and outdoor SoundScape, a parking garage, and a concert hall in South Beach. The center is a teaching space for students in the symphony, a concert hall for world-class performances and an intimate park for community gathering.
Everglades National Park is the third largest National Park in the continental U.S. – stretching over 1.5 million acres. Shark Valley is a small section of the national park, with a paved loop that winds through the wide expansions of the Everglades’ saw grass prairies. Located just 30 miles west of Miami, Shark Valley is an easy-to-do day trip, offering many ways for enjoying the wilderness of South Florida.
The annual Florida Renaissance Festival has crowds yelling, “Hip, Hip Huzzah,” as their favorite knights joust and battle for applause. The Florida Renaissance Festival visits Miami for three weekends a year in January. Bringing to life an English medieval village on Virginia Key, guests to the festival can expect to eat giant turkey legs, see glass blowers and pewter makers, and mingle with minstrels, wenches and magicians.
Miami Beach might not be well known for operas and high culture, but next to the nightclubs and a few blocks from the ocean there are several world-class Miami Beach performing arts venues. These theaters host a variety of shows year-round, including musicals, plays, concerts, dance and stand-up comedy. The arts are alive in Miami Beach with intimate, smaller theaters ready to entertain audiences.
Visitors to Miami or locals looking for something fun to do should check out the Miami Jai Alai scene. Jai Alai is a cross between indoor lacrosse and handball/racquetball. In this sport, players use cesetas, curved wicker baskets strapped to their wrists, to hurl balls, called pelotas, which can reach speeds exceeding 170 miles per hour.
South Florida is the kayaker’s tall drink of water, with convenient year-round paddling and up and down the clear blue waters of Biscayne Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and the several rivers. From the ocean to the mangrove trails, kayaking is a fun way to explore Miami’s manmade and natural beauty, and Miami kayak rentals are available with instruction and tours. Kayaking takes minimal skill to get started, and can be enjoyed by all skill and exercise levels.
Beach goers can walk, run, jog or skate from South Beach to North Beach on the Miami Beach boardwalk and beachwalks. Anchored by South Pointe Park, for roughly 7.5 miles, exercisers can stretch their legs and enjoy the ocean views as they make their way to North Shore Open Space Park. Stroll down to the beach for a walk after dinner, or wake up early and catch the sunrise while running on the boardwalk.
Miami Beach has three public swimming pools, all open year- round. The Miami Beach public pools are the perfect family- friendly fun spots for swimming laps, enjoying a water playground or taking swim classes.
Come spend an enchanting day interacting with ocean mammals and tropical birds at Theater of the Sea. Theater of the Sea is located at mile marker 84.5 if the Florida Keys, an easy day trip from both Miami and Key West. With general admission to Theater of the Sea, visitors will get to experience live dolphin, seal and parrot shows, take a look at several marine life exhibits, relax at a lagoon-side beach and see below sea level during a bottomless boat ride.
Come and visit the oldest residence in Miami-Dade County that still stands on its original foundation. This oasis, tucked into the urban landscape, brings you back to the pioneer days of Coconut Grove. Guided tours through the house museum leave Friday – Monday at 10 and 11:30 am and at 1 and 2:30 pm. Visitors can see period furniture and artifacts in the home and listen to a informative talk on Coconut Grove and Miami’s history.
O Cinema, Miami, is a small, independent art house in the trendy Wynwood neighborhood just west of Midtown. O Cinema aims to provide intriguing, entertaining, and superior quality films that audiences would otherwise not see in Miami-Dade County. This cutting edge theater tries to screen films that will be of interest to all demographics in the community.
The largest Miami Beach Park, North Shore Open Space Park offers over 30 acres of public recreation space.
Splash Pads are a huge hit for families and kids, especially in the Miami heat. Splash Parks are becoming increasingly popular, providing kids all over Miami the opportunity to splash and play at these fun parks.
Walk through a panoramic series of outdoor sculptures at the Holocaust Memorial Miami and be moved by this gripping memorial dedicated to the Jewish Holocaust of World War II.
Dogs are welcome at most places in Miami–-restaurants, shops and even churches. But if Fido wants to run and play with other pooches, owners should head to one of the many Miami dog parks.
Fresh fruit juices, spicy empanadas and fresh ceviche make the Jackson Memorial market a unique shopping stop for healthy choices in the shadow of Miami's downtown.
Arts at St. Johns (ASJ) is a nondenominational, community-based program for the performing and visual arts in Miami Beach. It has weekly concerts, hosts plays and dramatic productions, organizes art exhibits and even drumming workshops, all in celebration of the arts.
Bounce Play World is an inflatable indoor world where kids can jump off the walls. Bounce Play World hosts parties and provides open play sessions for kids 10 and under.
Come stroll through Miami Beach and learn about the history of its architectural styles. Miami Beach’s architecture is really a combination of three distinct styles: Mediterranean Revival, Streamline Moderne and Miami Modern (MiMo), all brought together under the umbrella term, Art Deco.
Farmers Markets in Miami are sprouting up all over and offer locally grown, and often organic, produce from September through April.