20 Must-Visit Attractions in Miami

Once known only for its rusty warehouses and drab, windowless concrete buildings, Wynwood didn’t have much to offer travelers. However, when Goldman Properties built the Wynwood Walls here in 2009, that all began to change. Today, almost half a million visitors come to Wynwood every month to see Miami’s largest collection of street art – an ever-changing display of eye-popping murals by some of the world’s top graffiti artists, including Invader, Kenny Scharf and FUTURA 2000.

The Time Out Market, which opened in May 2019, is one of Miami’s newest attractions – a luxury food hall that brings together some of the city’s best chefs to show off their greatest recipes under one roof. Guests can choose from over 100 different dishes from 17 kitchens, ranging from Jeremy Ford’s Korean food with a Southern twist to Norman Van Aken’s gourmet pizza joint, Beach Pie. Miami’s top mixologists and wine connoisseurs are also on hand to shake up new and bold flavors; think anything from jalapeño-infused mezcal to Don Q Blanco whiskey laced with cinnamon, baked sweet potato and honey.

If you’re in Miami for some retail therapy, Downtown’s Bayside Marketplace is a great place to start. Not only does this two-story shopping complex have a great selection of street, designer and boutique brands, but it also offers a wide range of cocktail bars, fine-dining restaurants and a daily line-up of live-music performances. The uninterrupted marina and Biscayne Bay views are reason enough to spend a couple of hours here.

Monkey Jungle – a wildlife reserve dedicated to squirrel monkeys, howlers and more in South Miami – may sound like your average city zoo. However, having been at the heart of wildlife research in Florida since 1935, it’s a little different from the rest. Here, it’s the humans, not the animals, who are kept in cages. To ensure the monkeys are disturbed as little as possible, visitors walk through the reserve’s purpose-built viewing tunnels, while the animals are free to run wild in their 30-acre (12-hectare) territory. Guided tours with specialist conservation guides are available, but information leaflets and maps also make it easy and fun to explore the park independently.

Built in 1926, the Moorish-style Olympia Theater once served as Florida’s first silent-movie palace. Almost 100 years on, it has been restored to host live jazz, ballet, film and comedy events over lunchtime and in the early evenings. The interior features crushed-red-velvet seats, a ceiling covered in deep blue, golds and candy pinks, and grandiose, heavily embellished balconies. You can find its full event schedule and ticket purchase information online.

Over half of Miami’s population is of Cuban heritage. And while dancing to live salsa, drinking mojitos and savoring a Cuban sandwich are all part of the Miami experience, Cuba’s greatest gift to the city might be this tiny ice cream shop along Calle Ocho. Using only natural and local ingredients, Azucar serves up Miami’s best Cuban scoops, including classics such as café con leche (in this case, coffee and Oreo), plátano maduro (sweet plantain) and dulce de leche (caramel). More adventurous combinations like olive oil, orange zest and chocolate are also on the menu.

Ever fancied scuba diving through an underwater cemetery? At the 40-foot-deep (12-meter) Neptune Memorial Reef, you can swim your way past 16 acres (6.5 hectares) of concrete headstones, carved lions and enormous Roman columns dedicated to some of the world’s greatest diving heroes, some of whose cremated remains are cast into the stone. This Atlantis-inspired metropolis also serves as a haven for some of Florida’s most diverse marine life, making it an exciting deep-sea dive even for the pros. If you have diving gear and a boat, you can visit the memorial for free. If not, the site recommends these dive operators.

Offering a selection of 150 bottles and 20 taps, Boxelder Craft Beer Market is home to Miami’s most exciting beer collection. You’ll find your classic American and Belgian favorites, but you can also get your hands on never-heard-of-before brews from around the world. If you get hungry, there’s usually a local food truck parked by the bar selling burgers or hot wings. Check its website for its full schedule of events, including its much-loved beer and food festivals.