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Bass Museum Of Art
The best art museum in Miami Beach has a playfully futurist facade, a crisp interplay of lines and bright white wall-space, like an Orthodox Church on a space-age Greek Isle. All designed, by the way, in 1930 by Russell Pancoast (grandson of John A Collins, who lent his name to Collins Ave). The collection isn't shabby either: permanent highlights range from 16th-century European religious works to Northern European and Renaissance paintings.
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Bay Of Pigs Museum & Library
This small museum is more of a memorial to the 2506 Brigade, otherwise known as the crew of the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion. Whatever your thoughts on Fidel Castro and Cuban-Americans, pay a visit here to flesh out one side of this contentious story. You'll likely chat with survivors of the Bay of Pigs, who like to hang out here surrounded by pictures of those white, Afro- and Chinese Cuban comrades who never made it back to America. And for God's sake, leave the Che T-shirt at home.
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Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
After two decades in NYC, Steinbaum has moved south, where it's received a grand welcome for its mid-career contemporary artists such as Hung Liu, Kate Moran and Peter Walters.
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Black Heritage Museum
This roving museum presents rotating exhibits in areas of Miami, Chapman and Deering. It's the brainchild of teachers Priscilla S Kruize, Dr Paul Cadby and Dr Earl Wells, who set out in 1987 to establish a center that celebrates the cultures of African Americans, Bahamians, Haitians and other black cultures in Dade County.
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Buick Building
This gallery exhibits some pretty outstanding installation shows, but it's best known as the gateway of the Design District because of its striking mural facade. Done on canvas in bright yellow and black, the images of Latin mythological figures were completed in 2000 by the married artist team of Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt.
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Casa Bacardi
This site is of one of the best Cuban and Cuban-American studies programs in America, but there's no reason to drop in unannounced unless you're really into the Spanish-American war. But call ahead if you'd like to attend the Casa's open informative lectures and seminars (check the website for a calendar).
Movie presentations about Cuba are screened at Monday to Friday, and there's an underwhelming Cuban music pavilion that true son buffs will appreciate.
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Chess Hall Of Fame
You'd think chess fanatics would have orderly minds and be good at scheduling, but this museum was closed both times we visited, despite coming during regular hours. So we can only tell you that the Chess HoF is located in a big white rook-like structure with a sword-in-the-stone out front (seriously), and is apparently filled with paraphernalia such as Bobby Fischer's table and ancient chess accoutrement.
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Cisneros Fontanal Arts Foundation (Cifo)
CIFO is one of the best spots in Miami to catch the work of contemporary Latin American artists, and has a pretty impressive showroom to boot. Even the exterior blends post-industrial rawness with a lurking, natural ambience, offset by the extensive use of Bisazza tiles to create an overarching tropical motif. Similar to the Arsht Center, CIFO was built near the rattier edge of Downtown with the intention of revitalizing this semi-blighted area via fresh arts spaces.
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Coral Gables Museum
Set to open in late 2009, this museum, based on its sample exhibition, should be an excellent, well-plotted introduction to the oddball narrative of the founding and growth of the City Beautiful. The collection will include historical artifacts and mementos of succeeding generations of this tight-knit, eccentric little village.
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Gold Coast Railroad Museum
Trainspotters will undoubtedly choo-choo-choose to put this attraction near the top of their itinerary. Sorry. Ralph Wiggumisms aside, over 30 antique railway cars await here, including the Ferdinand Magellan presidential car, which Harry Truman stood on when he held the newspaper with the erroneous headline 'Dewey Defeats Truman.' Train rides and model train building sessions are also available.
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Haitian Heritage Museum
Miami has the largest community of Ayisens in the world outside Haiti; come here to learn their story. The museum aims to be a comprehensive mosaic of Miami's Haitian community and draws off the collection of the Diaspora Vibe Gallery, which hosts consistently excellent Caribbean and Latin American artists. At the time of our research, you really needed to call ahead to get inside, so make sure you make an appointment before you visit.
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Historical Museum of Southern Florida
It takes a special kind of history to create the idiosyncratic character of a place like South Florida, and it takes a special kind of museum to capture that narrative. This place, located in the Miami-Dade Cultural Center, does just that, weaving together the stories of the region's successive waves of population, from Native Americans to Nicaraguans. It's particularly interesting for kids.
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Jewish Museum Of Florida
Housed in a 1936 Orthodox synagogue that served Miami's first congregation, this small museum chronicles the rather big contribution Jews have made to the state of Florida, especially this corner. After all, while Cubans made Miami, Jews made Miami Beach, both physically (in a developer's sense) and culturally (in an 'anyone is welcome' attitude).
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Little Havana Art District
OK, it's not Wynwood. In fact, it's more 'Art Block' than district. But this little strip of galleries and studios does house one of the best concentrations of Latin American art (particularly from Cuba) in Miami. Any one of the studios is worth a stop and a browse.
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Living Room
Just to remind you you're entering the Design District is a big honking sculpture of, yep, a living room, just the sort of thing you're supposed to shop for while you're here. Well, actually this Living Room is an 'urban intervention' meant to be a criticism of the disappearance of public space, but hey, we all add our own interpretations.
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Locust Projects
Look for the squat black building emblazoned with the slogan 'I [Heart] New Art' and you'll have found Locust, widely regarded as one of the edgier art spaces in the district (which can be a compliment or insult depending on your tastes).
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Lowe Art Museum
Your love of the Lowe depends on your taste in art. If you're into modern and contemporary works, it's good. If you're into the art and archaeology of cultures from Asia, Africa and the South Pacific, it's great. And if you're into pre-Columbian and Mesoamerican art, it's simply fantastic; the artifacts are stunning and thoughtfully strung out along an easy-to-follow narrative thread.
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Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
This excellent nature center, the namesake of a beloved environmental crusader, is a perfect little introduction and exploration of the continental USA's own little subtropical ecosystem: South Florida. There are weekend hikes and nature lessons (including programs for tots) that let kids wade into the water with nets and catch sea horses, sponges and other marine life (released after a short lesson).
Read more about Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
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Melin Building
This small art and design 'mall,' for lack of a better word, houses Imelda Marcos' most lurid fantasy: a shoe the size of a small house. Created by Antoni Miralda, Gondola Shoe is one story high and crafted to fit the Statue of Liberty's feet.
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Miami Art Museum
Also within the Miami-Dade Cultural Center, this museum is ensconced in spectacular Philip Johnson-designed digs. Without a permanent collection, its fine rotating exhibits concentrate on post-WWII international art. In 2010, MAM will be moving to a new waterfront location at Bicentennial Park; the future of the current location is up in the air, but both the library and historical society have expressed interest in moving into the space.
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Miami Children's Museum
It's 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. There are also educational displays about subjects ranging from Miami architecture to Brazilian culture. Be forewarned: this place is a zoo on rainy days.
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Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium
This recommended museum has great hands-on exhibits: from turbulent weather phenomena and the mysterious universe to creepy crawlers and coral reef exhibits. Kids will love the outdoor Wildlife Center, which features dangerous animals of South Florida and birds of prey. Also attached is a popular planetarium.
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Miami-Dade Community College
Though the college itself isn't very exciting, there are two art galleries with rotating exhibitions at the Wolfson Campus of the Miami-Dade Community College. Both the 3rd-floor Centre Gallery and 5th-floor Frances Wolfson Gallery often have photography shows.
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Moca At Goldman Warehouse
Thank God the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) expanded into this Wynwood satellite; the main exhibit, while worth the drive, is a ways away. In the meantime, the MoCA at Goldman has dibs on this space through 2009; pay a visit, as it's a good, Downtown-adjacent spot to see some of the highlights of the MoCA's excellent collection.
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Moore Space
The second floor of this huge space consistently shows some of the most cutting-edge exhibitions around. Conceived in response to the first Art Basel Miami Beach, you should definitely check out what's going on here when you're in town; it's usually interesting but can be hit or miss - when we stopped in, one of the pieces was a looped video of a French guy crushing a coke can with his foot. Deep, man.
