VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS

Take a trip to Italy whilst in Miami by visiting the extravagant Renaissance-style villa that is Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. With antiquities from Europe spanning four centuries filling its opulent interior, the house is the equal of many mansions in Europe.

Built by James Deering of the Deering McCormick International Harvester fortune in the early 20th Century, it is now a museum run the non-profit organisation, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust.

DON’T MISS:

• The 34 decorated rooms of the main house containing Roman sculptures, Renaissance tapestries and neoclassical furniture to name just a few.
• The 10 acres of formal gardens containing 400-year old trees, a 2,000 specimen orchid collection and many endangered plants.
• The M. Welte & Sons organ which can be played manually or automatically from music rolls.
• The swimming pool that emerges from vaulted arches at the lower level of the house.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $18 for 13 years old and over, $6 for children 6-12 and free for under 6s. Seniors over 62 cost $12 and students and wheelchair visitors are $10. US Military personnel with ID are free.
• Open 9:30 to 16:30 Wednesday through Monday. Closed Tuesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. For more details click here.
• If you’d like to book an organised tour, please click here.
• This attraction is on the Go Miami Card and the Miami Explorer Pass.

LITTE HAVANA

No trip to Miami is complete without a visit to Little Havana, with its Calle Ocho strip (including its Latin American Walk of Fame) to great bars and restaurants showcasing the best in Cuban food and entertainment. The whole area is teeming with Cuban influences, artwork and music. including these decorative roosters adorning the pavement!

Photo by Phillip Pessar / CC BY 2.0

DON’T MISS:

• Cuban Memorial Boulevard Park which contains several memorials to important events in Cuban history.
• Checking out a Cuban Cigar Factory.
• Trying some Cuban Food.
• Bay of Pigs Museum.
• The decoratively painted roosters.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Street parking is available on 8th Street, but be sure to have quarters for the meters.

KEY BISCAYNE

Key Biscayne is a small town surrounded by nature. Located on a barrier island it is flanked east/west by water and north/south by parks.

Whether you enjoy the long, sheltered beaches, or explore the tropical forest with its birdlife, butterflies and turtles, or visit the 19th-century lighthouse, there are plenty of reasons to add Key Biscayne to your pre-cruise itinerary.

DON’T MISS:

• Crandon and Bill Baggs Parks.
• The oddly “named” No Name Harbor.
• Cape Florida Lighthouse.
• Spotting some of the varied wildlife.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Admission to Bill Baggs Park is $4 for single-occupant vehicle and $8 per vehicle for 2-8 occupants and $2 per passenger over 8 or for pedestrians/cyclists.
• Parking at Crandon Park is $5 on weekdays and $7 on weekends
• Bill Baggs is Open 8:00 to sunset every day of the year. For more details click here.
• Crandon Park is open sunrise to sunset. For more details click here.

WYNWOOD WALLS

Wynwood Walls is an area of Wynwood set aside for showcasing Urban Graffiti and street art. Originally intended to transform the warehouse district, the walls now attract artists from around the world to showcase their work.

DON’T MISS:

• The amazing artwork!

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• There are no admission charges to the Wynwood Walls.
• Open 10:30 to 20:00 Sunday, 10:30 to 11:30 Monday to Thursday and 10:30 to midnight Friday and Saturday.
• If you’d prefer a guided tour, check out these options.
• For a night in a hotel that includes a guided tour, click here.

MIAMI BEACH

You can’t visit Miami and not at least pop by one of the world’s most famous beaches, can you? With miles of sand facing the Atlantic Ocean and a great climate, this could be the perfect way to chill out before your cruise. If the beach isn’t for you, then the city itself has plenty to offer including an art deco district.

DON’T MISS:

• The famous Miami Beach.
• Art Deco district with its early 20th-century architecture.
• Ride the free Beach Trolleys.
• Shop on Lincoln Road.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• There are no admission charges to Miami Beach.
• If you’d prefer a guided tour, check out these options.

MIAMI SEAQUARIUM

With 38 acres of marine life to explore, Miami Seaquarium has plenty to offer, from killer whale and dolphin shows to education and conservation efforts for manatees and sea turtles.

DON’T MISS:

• Killer Whale Show.
• Sea Trek Reef Encounter – go underwater in a special helmet and see the sea-life up close and personal.
• Dolphin and/or seal encounters.
• The myriad of sea creature to learn about.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $48 for 10 years old and over, $38 for children 3-9 and free for under 3s. Parking costs $10 per vehicle.
• Open 10:00 to 18:00 every day of the year. For more details click here.
• This attraction is on the Go Miami Card and the Miami Explorer Pass.

GOLD COAST RAILROAD MUSEUM

With over three miles of track and over 30 historic engines and railcars, this is sure to appeal to anyone who loves old trains. You can board vintage trains and see how train travel used to be and on certain days even ride in the railway cars, or in the cab of the locomotive.

DON’T MISS:

• The Presidential Car “Ferdinand Magellan”.
• Florida East Coast Loco 153 (pictured).
• The model train layout.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $8 for 12 years old and over, $6 for children 2-11 and free for under 2s.
• Train rides are $6 per person in a railcar, $12 per person in the cab.
• Entry is free on the first Saturday of every month.
• Open 10:00 to 16:00 Weekdays and 11:00 to 16:00 at weekends.

DEERING ESTATE

The Deering Estate preserves the Chicago Industrialist Charles Deering’s Miami Estate as it was when he lived here in the mid-1920’s. Today you can take a tour of the Stone House and Richmond Cottage as well as the grounds as well as learn about Charles Deering’s life as a philanthropist, art collector and environmentalist.

DON’T MISS:

• Stone House.
• Richmond Cottage.
• Exploring some of the 444-acre estate on a nature hike.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $12 for 15 years old and over, $7 for children 4-14 and free for under 4s.
• Open 10:00 to 16:00 every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. For more details click here.

MIAMI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Proving that learning can be fun, the Miami Children’s Museum offers multiple hands-on zones where children can interact with exhibits. From six-foot piggy banks to help with financial literacy, through a two-storey “sand” castle to the perfect prequel to your cruise – an interactive cruise ship!

DON’T MISS:

• Peace Park Playground.
• The Cruise Ship.
• World Music Studio.
• Supermarket and Bank.
• Mt MichiMu Rock Climbing Wall.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $22 for all ages from 1 year old.
• Parking is $1 per hour in the adjacent lot.
• Open 10:00 to 18:00 every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day; closes at 16:00 on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. For more details click here.
• This attraction is on the Go Miami Card.

JUNGLE ISLAND

A zoological theme park on Watson Island, Jungle Island features 1,000 varieties of parrots as other jungle creatures such as a Liger (a cross between a lion and a tiger). It offers educational presentations and animal feedings as well as the opportunity to interact with both domestic and exotic animals.

DON’T MISS:

• The Liger (a cross between a lion and a tiger).
• Flamingo Feeding.
• Everglades Walk.
• Interacting with Kangaroos.
• The size of the giant tortoises.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $47.02 for 11 years old and over, $38.78 for children 3-10 and free for under 3s.
• Parking is $7 per vehicle
• Open 10:00 to 18:00 every day.
• This attraction is on the Go Miami Card and the Miami Explorer Pass.

MAP

The map below shows all the above attractions in Miami in relation to the cruise terminal.