-
Holocaust Memorial
Holocaust memorials tend to be somber, but this one, dedicated to the six million Jews killed during the shoah , is particularly grim, and doesn't seem to offer any sort of hopeful end note; the theme is one of relentless sadness, betrayal and loss. The memorial was created in 1984 through the efforts of Miami Beach Holocaust survivors and sculptor Kenneth Treister.
-
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).
-
Jungle Island
They call it Jungle Island now, but it'll always be Parrot Jungle to us, a glorious homage to tourism kitsch. Anyways, this is one of those places kids beg to go, so just give up and prepare for some bright-feathered, bird-poopie-scented fun. Actually, the 18-acre waterfront facility, lushly landscaped and using a minimum of pesticides, is pretty impressive, thanks in part to the parrots, macaws, flamingos and cockatoos flying about in outdoor aviaries.
-
Kampong
If you speak Malay or Indonesian, yes, the Kampong is named for the Bahasa word for village. David Fairchild, Indiana Jones of the botanical world and founder of Fairchild Tropical Gardens, came up with the title, undoubtedly after a long Javanese jaunt. This was where the adventurer would rest in between journeys in search of beautiful and economically viable plant life.
-
La Plaza De La Cubanidad
This fountain and monument is a tribute both to the Cuban provinces and the people drowned by Castro's forces while trying to escape from Cuba in 1994 on a ship, ' 13 de Mayo ,' which was sunk just off the coast.
-
Liberty City
Liberty City, northwest of Downtown, is a misnomer. Made infamous by the Liberty City Riots in 1980, the area is poor and crime is higher than in other parts of the city. And, while plans exist to renovate the area by creating a village of cultural and tourist attractions, the prospects of that happening in the near future look doubtful.
-
Lincoln Road
Calling Lincoln Rd a mall is like calling Big Ben a clock; it's technically accurate but misses the point. Yes, you can shop, and shop very well here. But this outdoor pedestrian thoroughfare is really about seeing and being seen, and there are few better places in Greater Miami for both.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
Advertisement
-
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.
-
Lyric Theatre
Hallowed names such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald once walked across the Lyric stage when it was major stop on the 'Chitlin' Circuit,' the black live entertainment trail of pre-integration America. But as years passed both the theater and the neighborhood it served, Overtown, fell into dysfunctional disuse.
-
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
-
Matheson Hammock Park
This 100-acre county park is the city's oldest and one of its most scenic. It offers good swimming for children in a closed tidal pool, lots of hungry raccoons, dense mangrove swamps, and (pretty rare) crocodile spotting. There are leafy walking and biking trails, a nice picnic area and a peaceful path edging Biscayne Bay.
-
Máximo Gómez Park
Little Havana's most evocative reminder of Old Cuba is 'Domino Park,' where the sound of elderly men trash-talking over games of chess is harmonized by the quick clak-clak of slapping dominoes. The jarring backtrack, plus the heavy smell of cigars and a sunrise bright mural of the 1993 Summit of the Americas, combine to make Máximo Gómez one of the most sensory sites in Miami.
-
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.
-
Merrick House
It's fun to imagine this simple homestead, with its little hints of Med-style, as the core of what would eventually become the gaudy Gables. When George Merrick's father purchased this plot, site unseen, for around US$1100 , it was all dirt, rock and guavas. The property is now used for meetings and receptions, and you can tour both the house and its pretty organic garden.
-
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.
-
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
More of a secret garden, this lush 4.5 acres of plantings flies under most people's radar. That's a shame, as the patch of green, operated by the Miami Beach Garden Conservancy, is an oasis of palm trees, flowering hibiscus plants and glassy ponds.
-
Miami Beach Post Office
If you're going to send the family some corny postcards (of which there is no shortage), do so from this 1937 deco gem, the first South Beach renovation project tackled by preservationists in the '70s. This Depression moderne building in the 'stripped classic' style was constructed thanks to President Franklin D Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA), which supported unemployed artists during the Great Depression.
-
Advertisement
-
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.
-
Miami City Cemetery
Fast fact: the first person buried in Miami was black. Depressing addendum: the first recorded burial in Miami was of a white guy. The long narrative of this troubled, diverse city is in its bones, and 'dem bones are concentrated in this eerie, quiet graveyard.
The dichotomy of history and modernity gets a nice visual representation in the form of looming condos shadowing the last abode of the Magic City's late, great ones.
-
Miami Dolphins
American football games are a great place to see the national traits of excess and competitiveness on parade. Also, the game rocks. 'Dol-fans' are respectably crazy about their team, even if a Super Bowl showing has evaded them since 1985. Games are wildly popular and the Dolphins are painfully successful, in that they always raise fans' hopes but never quite fulfill them. Superbowl 44 will be held at Dolphin stadium in 2010.
-
Miami Metrozoo
Miami boasts an excellent zoo, thanks in part to a subtropical climate that allows for large swathes of natural habitat. More than 200 species rep themselves, from elephants to koalas, colobus monkeys, black rhinoceroses, a pair of Komodo dragons and Bengal tigers (including a gorgeous white tiger) prowling an evocative Hindu temple. For a quick overview (because the zoo is so big), hop on the Zoofari Monorail.
-
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.
