City Page Type: Destination

Wynwood Walls is a free, public art gallery featuring international street art. It was established in 2009 by visionary Tony Goldman as an outdoor museum. Since it’s opening, Wynwood Walls has featured the work of Swoon, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, Futura, Kenny Scharf, and other renowned street artist and innovators. Since its opening, it has inspired the creation of murals throughout the Wynwood district. In 2010, Wynwood Doors opened featuring 176 feet of roll-up storefront gates. Recently, Wynwood Walls Garden, an open green space featuring five murals, was added as well. Each year, specially selected artists from around the world are invited to share their art with Miami. The art ranges from old school graffiti artists to newer innovators. Tony Goldman passed in 2012. Wynwood Walls celebrated his life and legacy with Art Basel, a series of events all dedicated to his vision and impact.

Previously known as Villa Vizcaya, the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is the former estate of businessman James Deering. The 20th century estate features extensive Italian Renaissance gardens, woodland landscapes, and historic buildings. The landscape and architecture were designed by Paul Chalfin, who was inspired by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance design. Specifically, he used the Mediterranean Revival architecture style with Baroque elements. Miami-Dade County now owns the property and keeps it open to the public. In 1971, three New Yorkers stole around $1.5 million in artwork and silver items from the Villa, including a silver bowl that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte. The New York City Police Department were able to arrest the trio but only recovered $250,000 worth of historically valuable goods, including artwork and silver items. The vast majority of the items were never recovered.

The University of Miami is a private research university with over 17,000 students from around the world. The University has 11 schools and colleges and over 180 majors and programs for both undergraduates and graduate students. The school was established in 1925 during the area’s famous real estate boom. Due to real estate collapse and a major hurricane, the University of Miami almost didn’t survive its first 15 years. The University survived because of the vision and leadership of Dr. Bowman F. Ashe, UM’s first president. He helped UM overcome bankruptcy, a world war, and reorganization so it could one day become the top research institution it is today. As a major research university, UM invests $324 million in research and sponsored program expenditures each year. Research topics at UM include medicine, marine science, engineering, education, and psychology.

Tropical Park is a 275-acre urban park in the Miami Metropolitan area. It opened to the public in 1979 and replaced the former Tropical Park Race Track, which had been in use since the 1930s. It attracts around 15 million visitors each year. Visitors enjoy bicycling, walking, or running on the paved pathways. There is a fitness court and boxing center for visitors looking for a quick workout. It has fields for football, soccer, and softball as well as basketball, volleyball, and racquetball facilities. Located in Miami’s Westchester neighborhood, the sprawling green space has picnic areas and grilling stations open to the public. Your group can enjoy some frisbee throwing and a farmers market on Saturdays. They are open to the public every day from 7 am to 10:30 pm.

The Wolfsonian is named after Mitchell Wolfson Jr., a local native and expert of modern design, architecture, and decorative art. The Wolfsonian is a division within Florida International University. This museum, library, and research center invites students of all ages to explore the persuasive power of art and design. It is located in the Art Deco District of Miami. It was established in 1986 and incorporated as an FIU department in 1997. Their two collections comprise roughly 180,000 pieces from the period of 1885 to 1945, representing the period from the Industrial Revolution until the end of the Second World War. The pieces include media, furniture, industrial-design objects, ceramics, metal, rare books, periodicals, ephemera, textiles, medals, and more. The museum is part of the Smithsonian Affiliations program and shares an affiliation with the Frost Art museum.

The Perez Art Museum Miami, also known as PAMM, exhibits Miami’s diverse community and important geographic location connecting the Americas. PAMM’s mission is to “be a leader in the presentation, study, interpretation, and care of international modern and contemporary art.” They also strive to represent Miami-Dade and showcase the unique viewpoint of its peoples. Visitors can enjoy the many galleries and grab a bite to eat at Verde restaurant, which offers a unique waterfront dining experience. The museum’s gift store has a broad selection of art books, handmade treasures, and decorative furnishings that give visitors the ability to take a piece of the museum home with them. PAMM was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron. PAMM was once called the Miami Art Museum, which grew out of the Center for the Fine Arts.

The Miami Beach Boardwalk begins at Indian Beach Park and continues south to 23rd street, where it becomes a paved road. The paved portion continues through Ocean Drive Promenade and down to 5th street, where it becomes South Pointe Park. This route is sometimes referred to as the South Beach Boardwalk or Beachwalk. It’s a long walkway that spans some of the hottest parts of South Beach. Fortunately, you have the ocean on one side and plenty of restaurants, bars, and cafes to stop and rest along your trek. While no bikes are allowed north of 21st street, it’s a popular place to walk and jog. Both locals and visitors enjoy this scenic walk, as it is known for being a South Florida gem. The Miami Beach Boardwalk is also known for beautiful people and high-end shopping.

Marlins Park was built starting in 2009 and first opening in March of 2012. This relatively modern stadium holds a total capacity of 36,742 and was LEED certified as the greenest MLB park when it opened in 2012. The stadium offers general and premium seating areas, as well as The Club: DEX Imaging, suites, AutoNation Alley, and Clevelander Marlins Park, which is the home of the park’s original South Beach location. The entertainment center how features dancers, body painting, and DJs live from the pool area. Inside the parking, guests have a wide variety of dining options. There’s Familia Faves, which offers ballpark classic and the stadium’s new “$3 o $5” menu. Pincho serves Latin-inspired burgers and bowls. Butterfly y La Pep features Latin-inspired craft sandwiches and extraordinary Mexican street food.

Jungle Island is home to exotic animals from all over the world. They have lovable lemurs from Madagascar, twin orangutans named Peanut and Pumpkin, and the only tame cassowary in the world. They feature spectacular shows and unique animal exhibits. If you’re coming with children, they have a play area designed specifically for the youngsters. If you’re looking for close up animal encounters, this is the place to go. Ever wanted to go skydiving? Jungle Island has an outdoor skydiving experience called SuperFlight that is sure to give you a thrill. For those looking for a mental journey with riddles and challenges, they have Escape Rooms that are sure to give your group the team building they need. They also have a private beach in a lush tropical setting.

Hard Rock Stadium originally opened in August of 1987. The stadium offers live entertainment experiences that are rarely found elsewhere. The stadium seats nearly 65,000 individuals for football games, but is has once hosted a record 80,120 people for the 2013 BCS National Championship game. Hard Rock Stadium also offers a variety of luxury and suite-viewing experiences. One of their more exquisite packages is called The Nine and it is hosted by Aston Martin Residences. It includes 20 tickets, premium all-inclusive food and beverage (including alcohol), a personal in-suite concierge for all event day requests, and a VIP express lane to help your group move in and out of the stadium quickly and easily. The stadium is also home to an amazing street art exhibition that is an ongoing collaboration between the Miami Dolphins & Goldman Global Arts.