Skip to main content

Get to know Miami Beach

Even if you’ve never been to Miami Beach, you know Miami Beach. It is a vibrant town, sun-kissed and clad in Caribbean pastels and crisp white linen. Set apart from Miami by Biscayne Bay, and set apart from the world by sheer attitude, Miami Beach is a vacation postcard brought to life. People flock here, drawn by the ocean breezes and beautiful beaches, the legendary luxe lifestyle, and the lively streets, clubs, stores, and restaurants. In fact, the city accounts for more than half of all tourist visits to Miami-Dade County. But Miami Beach isn’t solely what you see in celebrity-focused magazines or c.1980s TV. It’s also a place for refined life enjoyed in high-rises and lush enclaves — a heaven-on-earth bound by museums and marinas, food and fashion trends, and groundbreaking art.

Nearby Neighborhoods:

Miami Beach History & Culture

South Beach is the boisterous all-hours party that gives Miami Beach its reputation. That’s been true since the 1950s, even if the area was maybe less stylish then. Led by a few architectural preservationists, the city has protected its iconic Art Deco architecture — particularly the hotels on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue. This celebration of urbanism creates a lively scene full of shops and cafés that spill onto the streets. Museums, galleries, and concert venues are everywhere you turn, and the area becomes a mecca of the art world during Art Basel. You’re bound to see Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis on its narrow streets, but cars are not mandatory to experience the best of Miami Beach. In fact, you’ll have a much better time experiencing this diverse cultural wonder from a pair of flip-flops or some six-inch platform wedges.

Miami Beach Dining & Shopping

In Miami Beach, a fashionable international crowd fills Art Deco buildings that house chic cafés and fashion-forward boutiques. There’s a buzz here unlike anyplace else in the world, and it’s not just because of the fresh coffees and curated cocktail lists. Pedestrian-centered Lincoln Road is a people-watching paradise bustling with restaurants and shops, while Collins and Washington avenues add world-famous stores and galleries to the mix. And though it caters primarily to tourists, Ocean Drive is the Miami Beach experience distilled. South Beach is full of fabulous places to dine, from ultra-chic restaurants and nightclubs to hole-in-the-wall eateries that seem to represent every corner of the culinary world. In the Mid-Beach area, landmark hotels and more refined shopping are the order of the day, while the night plays host to glamorous throngs of people that pack establishments helmed by some of the great chefs in the Western Hemisphere.