Miami River

Downtown Miami


For a taste of old Florida, take a stroll along the Miami River. A shoreline promenade leads past a mix of glittering high-rise condos and battered warehouses tinged with graffiti, with a few small tugboats putting along the glassy surface. Fisherfolk float in with their daily catch – en route to places like Casablanca – while fancy yachts make their way in and out of the bay.

There are some photogenic vantage points over the river from the bridges – particularly the Brickell Ave bridge at dusk, when the city lights glow against the darkening night sky.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Downtown Miami attractions

1. Miami-Dade Public Library

0.38 MILES

To learn more about Florida (especially South Florida), take a browse through the extensive Florida Collection, or ask about the Romer Photograph…

2. HistoryMiami

0.44 MILES

South Florida – a land of escaped slaves, guerrilla Native Americans, gangsters, land grabbers, pirates, tourists, drug dealers and alligators – has a…

3. Miami-Dade County Courthouse

0.48 MILES

If you end up on trial here, at least you’ll get a free tour of one of the most imposing courthouses in the USA. Built between 1925 and 1929, this a very…

4. Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater

0.54 MILES

Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald once walked across the stage of the Lyric, a major stop on the ‘Chitlin’ Circuit’ – the black live-entertainment trail…

5. Void Projects

0.67 MILES

If you'd like to meet local artists and see how life is lived on a smaller, more modest scale in Miami's creative pockets, visit this arts collective –…

7. Brickell City Centre

0.88 MILES

One of Miami's favourite shopping centers, this massive billion-dollar complex spreads across three city blocks, encompassing glittering residential…

8. Museum of Art and Design at MDC

0.89 MILES

Miami-Dade College operates a small but well-curated art museum in Downtown; the permanent collection includes works by Matisse, Picasso and Chagall and…