Is Miami your next destination? So don't miss visiting the Art Deco district in Miami Beach, an emblematic location of this city that is open to the world!
Popularized and made famous by the TV show "Miami Vice" or "Two cops in Miami" in French, the Art Deco district in Miami Beach should be your first visit to the flamboyant Miami ! Mainly located on the Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue, South Beach, the southern Miami Beach district is the only place in the world that gathers so many Art Deco buildings, also known as Tropical Art Deco for its Floridian specificities! This is the most trendy and luxurious neighborhood in the city, so don’t hesitate to put your most beautiful surroundings on the tour.
To help you organize your discovery, we have prepared a mini-guide with all the important information. You will then be ready to visit the Art Deco area in Miami Beach!
The history of the Art Deco district in Miami Beach
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons – Reinhard Jahn
The neighborhood Art Deco was built at the turn of the 1930s on the beach of Miami Beach. In 1926, a fire ravaged the neighbourhood that quickly rebuilt in the art deco style. At the same time coincides the arrival of the first tourists on the golden sand of the famous Miami Beach! Afterwards, the real estate developers will have fun, and with the money that affludes at the same time as the tourists, the architects will leave their imagination unlimited free!
Unfortunately, at the end of the 1960s, the new generations left these buildings, built between the 1930s and 40. Demolition projects are even envisaged! Fortunately, Miami Preservation League created in 1976 and is intended to raise funds to renovate and restore the magnificent architectural heritage of the beautiful Miami! Initiated in Paris in 1925, the Art Deco style is futuristic and adapts to local culture and specificities. In Miami, the renovations will then give this particular Floridian style, known as Tropical Art Deco, characterized by its multitude of pastel tones.
This Art Deco style, which has become Tropical Art Deco thanks to the Floridian influences, becomes a true richness of Miami, its personal and unique touch in the eyes of the world that will be widely relayed by the television series "Miami Vice", known as "Two Flics in Miami" in France! This series forges the legend of Miami and attracts a younger and ever more trendy tourist clientele. Today, with more than 800 Art Deco buildings, Miami is the city with the most buildings of this particular style in the world.
What to see and do in the Art Deco district?
Photo credit: Flickr – Maciek Lulko
The Art Deco district is above all this identity in the eponymous style of the place. Walls, facades, terraces and buildings all bear this particular mark of one of the symbols of Miami. From places frequented to more residential areas, the "Mediterranean Revival" style crosses the "MiMo" and the Modern Miami through the 200 buildings of the neighborhood between vintage motels, luxury hotels, residences, cafes, restaurants and shops.
So where do you start? What are the essentials of this famous neighborhood? There is not really a “mandatory” route, except those offered by guided tours. So to give you some ideas, here are some places not to be missed during your walk (preferably on foot or by bike as tradition wants) in the neighborhood.
- Ocean Drive
- Art Deco reception centre – The Carlyle and The Leslie Hotels – Celino South Beach - Winterhaven Hotel - Colony Hotel - Winterhaven Hotel - Majestic Hotel - Cardozo Hotel - Avalon Hotel
- Collins Avenue
- Raleigh Hotel - Delano Hotel – Dream South Beach - Essex House Hotel - Hotel – Jerry’s Famous Deli
- Washington Avenue
- Post Office – Florida Jewish Museum – Wolfsonian/International University of Florida - Licoln Road Mall
- Lincoln Road
Lincoln Theater - Sterling - Colony Theater – Shops
How to visit the Art Deco area in Miami Beach?
First of all, it is known that the Art Deco district in Miami Beach extends from the Lincoln Road until 5th Street. Most of the buildings are located in the South Beach area, which it is possible to visit with or without a guide. However, to learn more about the history of the neighborhood, about this surprising and emblematic style of Miami, as well as to sometimes discover the interior of the buildings, we recommend you book a guided tour of the Art Deco district.
For many are guided tours to be led by historians or architects who will reveal the secrets of the Art Deco district of Miami Beach. The Miami Design Preservation League organizes tours of 1h30 for $25 per person. They take place once a day, at 10:30, with an additional session at 18:30 on Thursday.
For more information, you can go to Visitors Center in Miami Beach . It is even possible to get an audioguide or audio guide MP3, in French or in English, with a plan of the neighborhood to discover the buildings by yourself. Note that most guided tours are limited to hotels, shops and restaurants. The residential area is not included in the guided tour.
To deepen your visit to the Art Deco district in Miami Beach, we recommend you take a tour of this residential part of South Beach in addition to your guided or audioguided tour. You can admire the magnificent Art Deco houses and buildings, away from traditional tourist trails!
How to get to the Art Deco district in Miami Beach?
To visit the Art Deco area in Miami Beach, visit the Lincoln Street at the Visitors Center. This tourist office is the perfect starting point to uncover this famous district. To get to the Lincoln Road, you can come:
- By bus : stop at station 17 St ' Meridian Avenue on lines 113 and 119.
- Trolley : stop at Washington Ave ' Lincoln Road on MB-MID and MB-SBL lines.
- By taxi : to access the Visitors Center, indicate the following address 530 17th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States.
- By car : The nearest paid parking lot is at 640 17th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States. Count $2 per hour and a maximum of $20 per day.
To plan your itinerary, you can go to the site of public transport in Miami and consult the detailed map of the different lines. You can also use Google Maps to get your itinerary directly. The application integrates all the lines and times of public transport of the city of Floridienne.
After your visit to the Art Deco district
Photo credit: Flickr – Ines Hegedus-Garcia
After discovering the beautiful architectural heritage of Miami Beach, iconic in Miami, you can enjoy the charms of the neighborhood. For example, we recommend you go to the beach South Pointe Beach to enjoy the bright sun of Miami, then at South Pointe Park and its pier, which starts right in the Atlantic. A superb view of the Miami Beach and the buildings that border it await you! You can also admire the luxurious residences of the Fisher Island , ranked by Bloomberg as the mailing address with the highest revenue average in the United States.
Before you reach the City Center or your accommodation in Miami, also enjoy the superb Art Deco buildings and dinner in one of the excellent Cuban restaurants in the area!
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