Best Things to Do in Miami

The sands that most likely lured you to Miami are the ones in South Beach, a two-ish-mile stretch of Miami Beach full of Instagram models, bodybuilders and people from all over the world. You’ll likely find the biggest party around Eighth St., where people wander over from Wet Willie’s with frozen drinks. For the LQBTQ crowd, you’ll find rainbow flags and plenty of buffed bodies around 12th St.

To enjoy the turquoise waters and white sands of South Beach with considerably fewer crowds, head south of Fifth St., where Europeans and residents enjoy the sun. Then head over to South Pointe Park for some of the best views—and sunsets—in Miami.

To get a sense of the palmetto-and-mangrove paradise that was Miami of yesteryear, hit the beaches at Bill Baggs State Park. Here, you can hike through preserved forests and lay out next to an historic lighthouse, with views that feel like a remote Caribbean island.

For swaying palm trees and powdery white sand, no beach in Miami tops Crandon Park. You’ll find the calmest waters of any beach in the area, with barbecues and paddleboards aplenty.

If you’re feeling a little…adventurous, take the trip up to Miami’s nude beach. While the crowd’s not quite as statuesque as you’ll find further south, it’s the one place you can lay out and guarantee yourself no tan lines.

At no place in Miami will you find a more classical Cuban experience than Versailles, the mirror-and-glass palace of Cuban food that’s an unofficial hub for the local exile community. Here, old men sip cafecitos and talk politics while white-coated waiters serve you heaping plates of ropa vieja and arroz con pollo.

With Hemingway on the wall and fresh-caught seafood on the table, Sala’o is the perfect spot to enjoy Cuban food and people-watching at the same time. Its tables are set up along the sidewalk at Calle Ocho, and with a live musician playing out front it often becomes an impromptu dance party…with a gin and tonic cart that comes to your table.

This Cuban landmark was started by the Garcia brothers back in Cuba, who would fry up their daily catch of snapper, throw it on a Cuban roll and sell it on the street. They brought their pan con minuta sandwich to this cash-only spot in Little Havana, as well as loads of fresh seafood options the family still catches themselves.

If a Cuban sandwich is your goal, stop into this little sandwich shop in Midtown. The menu’s small, but it’s generally regarded as having the best Cubano in the city.

An offshoot of the acclaimed Brooklyn barbecue spot, Hometown is some of the best barbecue in Miami and beyond. The much-talked-about giant beef ribs are a standout on the menu, but you won’t go wrong with any of it. Bonus: If the pandemic isn’t keeping everyone home, they have live music on the weekends from 4-6.

—Chris M. Walsh

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Inside Hometown Bar-B-Que Miami with owner Billy Durney

The best brisket you’ll find outside the state of Texas is at Society BBQ at the Citadel Food Hall in Little Haiti. You also won’t miss with a pulled chicken or pulled pork sandwich, and some of the most reasonable prices in the city.

Many of the ingredients at this modern Indian spot come from the chef’s nearby farm. That’s why the menu changes almost every time you go, depending on the harvest, and the tasting menu gives you a chance to taste it all.

Looking for a place to enjoy fresh ceviche, right on the water, with backdrop views of the Miami skyline? This Peruvian classic has you covered, where you’ll find not only the city’s best ceviche but also a massive Peruvian menu and an epic Sunday brunch.

The once-industrial wasteland of Wynwood has transformed into a venerable outdoor museum, with murals covering warehouse walls for blocks on end. The Wynwood Walls park has the highest concentration, though they now charge admission. But you can stroll around and pose in front of the rest for free.

The sounds of salsa music and the musky smoke of hand-rolled cigars fill the air along Calle Ocho, the main drag through Little Havana. You can grab a cafecito at any number of coffee windows, or a mojito at Ball & Chain. Then spend an afternoon enjoying the music and the people that transport you to the islands.

Even if you’re not into day drinking and fruity cocktails the side of your torso, South Beach is a truly only-in-Miami experience. The largest concentration of art deco buildings in the world fill the streets of Miami Beach, and with sidewalk cafes along the newly closed-to-traffic Ocean Drive, it’s an ideal place to spend a day enjoying the sunshine.

The magical landscape of the Everglades is best experienced hiking through Everglades National Park. What it lacks in elevation it makes up for in alligators and majestic swampland, and you can find some fairly simple walks at Shark Valley and the Anhinga Trail.

Slightly closer to the city, the Big Cypress Preserve sits along US-41, where you’ll spot herons soaring through the canopy of cypress trees covering the road. The drive also brings you through the Miccosukee Indian Village, where you can take an airboat ride through mangrove caves.

Hidden in a bleak industrial stretch of Little Haiti you’ll find Jaguar Sun at Lot 6, an outdoor home of downtown’s most celebrated cocktail bar. Here you’ll enjoy carefully created drinks under a giant banyan tree in a tropical courtyard, where those in the know bask in boozy backlot.

For drinks with a view, nowhere in Miami beats this Asian garden on the 40th floor of the East Hotel. You can enjoy Asian-inspired bites and cocktails with views that stretch from the Everglades to South Beach, all the way south to Coconut Grove and north almost to Ft. Lauderdale.

Miami’s most celebrated mixologist, Julio Cabrera, set up this Cuban revival bar on Calle Ocho, where he and his team of bow-tied bartenders shake the most creative drinks in the city. You’ll often find a live Cuban band playing in front of a Havana streetscape façade or in the ’80s-themed bar in the back.

Calling the Freehand a youth hostel would be a bit misleading, as the rooms here are for the most part solo and have all the amenities you’d want in a full-service hotel. It’s also home to the Broken Shaker, one of Miami Beach’s most celebrated cocktail bars, and the funky, eclectic 27 Restaurant.

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Freehand Miami

This restored Miami Modern gem is the lone boutique property in the city’s neon forest of the MiMo district. The classic motel has a lush, palm-filled pool area, complete with a cocktail bar. The rooms are done up in retro white and teal, invoking a cool escape from bustling Biscayne Blvd.

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Vagabond Hotel

Miami’s most historic bar was once the site of live shows from the likes of Tommy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald after they finished their shows in Miami Beach. Now it’s got a big, pineapple-shaped bandshell in the back, where local Latin musicians and occasional national acts play nearly every night of the week.

A spot that gained its fame for craft cocktails, monstrous pizza slices and drag queen bingo has also made its mark as Wynwood’s best spot for live music. Touring national acts often play the outdoor courtyard, where music combines with a warm, tropical breeze.