Things to Do in Miami

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.

Miami's South Beach neighborhood features 10 miles (16 km) of beaches with a buzzing, carnival-like atmosphere. With a trendy Caribbean-chic cafe culture and an impossibly hip and sexy nightlife scene, the area is a non-stop people-watching mecca, especially on Ocean Drive, where you'll find the popular stretch of sand at Lummus Park Beach. Another main highlight is the set of pastel-hued structures on Collins Avenue in the Art Deco District, home to the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world. Head to lovely Lincoln Road to shop, or wander the beach promenade between Fifth and Fifteenth streets.

Miami boasts an excellent zoo, thanks in part to a subtropical climate that allows for large swathes of natural habitat. Inside Zoo Miami (formerly Miami Metrozoo), more than 200 species roam the cageless surrounds; don’t worry, the animals are kept at bay by cleverly designed moats.

Residents at Zoo Miami include elephants, koalas, colobus monkeys, and black rhinoceroses. You’ll also see a pair of Komodo dragons and Bengal tigers, including a gorgeous white tiger. Over at the Tropical America exhibit, you can see anacondas, giant river otters, jaguars, and sting ray touch tanks. You can even feed giraffes at The Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station. Younger kids, especially, will find much to enjoy at Zoo Miami. There’s a first-class petting zoo and play area, and the zoo offers several programs designed to entertain and educate. For an overview of the park, hop on the Zoofari Monorail.

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.

Miami is often called the Magic City, and if it truly is, this opulent Italian Renaissance-style villa, the housing equivalent to a Fabergé egg, is its most fairy-tale residence. Built for industrialist James Deering in 1916, Vizcaya Palace brims with 15th to 19th century furniture, tapestries, paintings and decorative arts.

The poetic seaside grounds, which front Biscayne Bay, are full of splendid gardens (including a secret garden), beautiful fountains, sculptures, elegant pools, a charming Florentine gazebo, canals running everywhere and lots of trails. The landscape and architecture were influenced by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance models and designed in the Mediterranean Revival architecture style.

Nearly 200,000 people visit Vizcaya each year including some of the world's leading dignitaries such as President Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth of England and King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain. In 1994, the historic Summit of the Americas was held at Vizcaya with President Clinton and the 34 leaders of the Western Hemisphere.

For those wondering where to go in Miami, head to Washington Avenue. One of the main avenues of South Beach, it’s lined with shops, parks, nightclubs, restaurants, bars,  designer labels, hotels and interesting architecture.

Start your exploration of Washington Avenue at the Temple Emanu-El, a synagogue noted for its marble design and Byzantine and Moorish architecture. Continue taking in beauty at South Pointe Park, one of Miami Beach’s most scenic stretches. The park features 17 acres (6.9 hectares) of waterfront green space, a paved jogging path, and views of Downtown Miami, Fisher Island, Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

No stroll down Washington Avenue would be complete without some retail therapy, especially as it’s here as well as the parallel Collins Avenue where you’ll find designer brands like Armani, Barneys New York, True Religion, Diesel and Dash. Washington Avenue is also home to Lincoln Road Mall, a pedestrian-only promenade with attractions and stores. Some other noteworthy shops to check out along Washington Avenue in Miami include Belinda's Designs Courture, which sells whimsical dresses reminiscent of classic bygone eras; Boutique 12, known for its high-fashion clothing; and Luna Designs, selling globally-inspired attire.

For those who like to party, Washington Avenue is where you’ll find Miami’s hottest nightclubs, some of which include Cameo, Mansion and Love Hate. These venues are where people go to see and be seen, with DJs spinning energetic beats all night. If you want a fun night out void of pretension, Automatic Slims offers cheap drinks, dance music and a more relaxed vibe than most of South Beach’s trendy establishments. Don’t leave Washington Avenue without grabbing a bite to eat, as it’s lined with restaurants serving all types of cuisine, like French at Otentic; Peruvian at Chalan On the Beach; Mexican at Oh! Mexico; and Italian at Escopazzo.