6 Recommended Tours To Take in Miami

Once known for its rusty warehouses and drab, windowless concrete buildings, Wynwood didn’t have a lot to offer when it came to tourist attractions. But, that all began to change when Goldman Properties – an urban development company dedicated to revitalizing forgotten neighborhoods – built the Wynwood Walls. Miami’s biggest collection of urban art, the Wynwood Walls display 80,000 square feet of graffiti murals by some of the world’s best street artists. On this two-hour walking tour of Wynwood’s Art District, you’ll be guided through the iconic Wynwood Walls while learning how art has transformed the neighborhood and the Miami artist community at large. But that’s not all – your Urban Adventures guide will also take you to some of Wynwood’s lesser-known street murals, galleries and craft markets along 2nd Avenue. Finally, you’ll end your walking tour with a well-deserved brew and beer-making session at one of Wynwood’s top breweries.

If the Wynwood Walls art inspires you to try some spray painting of your own, this urban art class should be next on your list. The Little Haiti Grafitti Lesson – a workshop led by a Miami street artist in his Little Haiti studio – will have you spraying your very own graffiti masterpiece to take home as a souvenir. With a beer or glass of wine in hand, the artist will guide you through the basics of spray painting, from how to blend colors to illustrating your own designs using different fonts, lines and letters. This is also the perfect opportunity to get the lowdown on the Wynwood art scene from the perspective of a working Miami street artist, so get your questions ready! Included in the price are the easel, spray paints, a safety mask and a glass to decant your BYO beer.

Did you know that 52% of Miami’s population is of Cuban heritage? In the 1950s and ’60s (when Fidel Castro came to power), hundreds of thousands of Cubans immigrated to Miami. Since then, a strong Cuban community has flourished in the city, most notably in Miami’s Cuban culture hub: Little Havana. On this Cuban Highlights Tour by Travel Curious, you’ll get to explore Little Havana’s rich Cuban heritage through a deep-dive into its food, arts and music scene. Your local guide will walk you through some of the neighborhood’s most iconic sights and attractions, including The Cuban Memorial Boulevard, Agustín Gaínza’s Gallery and Domino Park. Other highlights include smoking cigars at Little Havana’s Cigar Factory, dressing up in traditional Cuban dress at La Casa de los Trucos and sampling some of Miami’s best Cuban sandwiches at your guide’s favorite local restaurant.

Left in ruins and difficult to reach, Stiltsville – a cluster of seven wooden stilt houses built above the turquoise waters of Biscayne National Park – was rarely listed on tour offerings. But, thanks to HistoryMiami Museum’s monthly Stiltsville sunset cruises, it’s now far easier to visit this historic 1940s playground than it once was. The tour is led by HistoryMiami Museum’s resident historian, Dr George. As the boat glides through the shallow waters past the colorful stilt homes, he’ll recount how Stiltsville was the location for some of the most outrageous parties in South Florida, most infamously those hosted by Crawfish Eddies and Bikini Club. Gangsters and bikini parties aside, the sunset views, which take in a gold-hued Cape Florida Lighthouse, Key Biscayne and the Miami skyline, are reason enough to board the ship. Extra bonus: tickets include a complimentary pass to the HistoryMiami Museum.

If you’re up for a challenge, download the Miami Puzzling Adventure app and embark on a two-hour scavenger hunt through Miami. With your smartphone as your guide, you’ll be asked to answer questions and solve brain-teasing puzzles at various locations across the city. While your answers will be timed and evaluated at the end of the challenge, you’re encouraged to take your time at each location to enjoy the sights, taste some of the street food and maybe even grab a beer at one of the breweries along the way. You can go at it alone, or get together a group of up to 12 people (after that, you have to pay for an extra team). Please note you will need a US data plan on your phone to take part in this activity.