We’re counting down our picks for the top attractions in Miami. We’re looking at the most unique and exciting attractions and activities in Miami. Check out Top-rated tourist attractions in Miami Florida.
Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace located near Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. It is the perfect place to indulge your Shopaholic side but because of its setting and design, the marketplace is more than just a mall. It is an attraction in its own right in fact according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. It’s the single most visited attraction in the entire city. So what makes Bayside Marketplace so special exactly it is a two-story open-air shopping center.
That feels like a community entertainment space. In addition to the retail spaces in kiosks, there’s ample sitting room beneath the palm trees. That line the spacious walkways and there is usually music and dancing going on as well built around the existing marina. Bayside market also benefits from a stellar waterfront location that offers a view of the boats. Of course, fans of the Miami Vice TV series are sure to recognize it as a recurring location from the show.
Wolfsonian FIU
Right in the very heart of the city’s much-beloved Art Deco historic district the Wolfsonian FIU Florida. International University is a Research Center Library and Museum sitting on the corner of Washington Avenue and 10th Street. The building was completed in 1927 for the Washington Storage Company. And is an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture. The structure is eye-catching and undeniably beautiful but there’s, even more, to appreciate. Inside dedicated to art and design specifically the powers of persuasion.
That both hold the museum and library are home to an estimated 200,000 works dating from between 1850 and 1950. Its essentially one giant cabinet of curiosities in the evening it also plays host to various art. fashion and design events throughout the year. So who knows if you time it right and do your homework you could even find yourself rubbing elbows with local artists musicians and influencers.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Miami is a beautiful city but also often a busy one even on the beaches. Sometimes you just want a little space to stretch your legs and enough relative quiet. To be able to hear yourself think, nature, enthusiasts, and lovers of all things. Green is sure to enjoy a trip to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden which occupies 83 acres and Coral Gables. Now Coral Gables is technically its own city but due to its extreme proximity to Miami proper much like Miami Beach.
It tends to get treated as part of the Greater Miami area. The garden was built in 1936 and opened to the public two years later. Today it counts 45,000 members and has helped to keep running by some 1200 volunteers. With its focus on preservation and education. Fairchild has become one of the most respected institutions in the world. And it boasts a staggering collection of rare exotic plants. Whether you consider yourself an amateur botanist or not it makes for an educational and inspiring visit.
Coral Castle
This attraction is just so delightfully unique a true testament to what one person can accomplish with time, patience, dedication and passion. Coral Castle is a limestone home and surrounding sculpture garden. That was painstakingly carved and erected over a 28-year period by owner and creator Edward Leedskalnin as local legend has it. He started building this castle as a symbol of his love for the young woman who stole his heart. But who left him at the altar back in his home country of Latvia. The majority of the work took place between 1920 and 1940. There’s also no documentation as to how Edward Leedskalnin known to most simply as Edie built his castle. And that only adds to the sense of wonder and mystery surrounding this attraction a modern-day Stonehenge. Coral Castle continues to enchant and mystify visitors to this day even many decades after Ed’s passing.
Freedom Tower
Not to be confused with the One World Trade Center in New York City which also goes by the name Freedom Tower. This structure on Biscayne Boulevard actually dates back to 1925. Miami’s Freedom Tower was designed by Shelton Weber and like the wolf Sounion FIU building. It’s an example of the Mediterranean Revival architectural style rich in history. The structure originally housed the Miami News in 1957. The newspaper moved to a new location. And the early 60s saw the building serves as a place to process and provide medical treatment to newly arrived refugees fleeing Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1979.
It was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. Nowadays it’s used as office space for the Miami-Dade College and appropriately houses a Cuban American Museum. As well as other exhibits an iconic structure of both architectural and historical importance it is a must-visit.
Wynwood Walls
To put it quite simply the Wynwood Walls are the beating heart of the Miami street art scene and it’s truly amazing. Just how important they’ve become considering the project only began in 2009. The Wynwood Walls are the brainchild of art lovers and community and real estate developer Ron Goldman. Over the years Goldman has played a crucial role in revitalizing such noble areas. Soho in New York City, Philadelphia’s 13th Street and Miami’s own South Beach in Wynwood.
The concept was simple but brilliant. Use the giant warehouse walls in this neglected area as canvases for a permanent collection of street art. Not only has it become a major attraction and helped drive foot traffic to the area. Thus encouraging business but the artwork itself is stunning showcasing artists from around the globe.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami is a city rich in beauty both natural and architectural and a whole lot of culture at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. One finds all of the above in a single attraction a National Historic Landmark this property. In Coconut Grove occupies 28 acres of land previously owned by James Dearing. A businessman, socialite and antique dealer for all Dearing did in his lifetime. The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens known as villa Vestroia is arguably the most enduring part of his legacy part of what makes a visit to the estates. So fascinating is that the objects on display in the museum are Dearing’s original antiques and furnishings between its contents. The architecture of the villa itself and the magnificence of the surrounding gardens. Vizcaya should definitely be on your itinerary.
