Things to do in Miami
39 things to do in and around Miami: two national parks within an hour and a half (the Everglades and Biscayne), the art museums and neighbourhoods, days out with kids, the Keys and the coast, and 13 free ones. Prices come from each place's own site, checked 9 November 2026.
Outdoors and on the water
Two national parks are under an hour and a half away: the Everglades to the west and south, Biscayne Bay's reefs to the south. Closer in, Key Biscayne has the beaches and the lighthouse.
Shark Valley tram tour, Everglades National Park
Everglades (Tamiami Trail)
A two-hour narrated tram ride along a 15-mile loop through the sawgrass, with a stop at an observation tower; alligators are close to the road most of the dry season.
Price: $36 adult (13–61) for the tram tour, plus the park entrance fee: $35 per car or $20 per person, valid 7 days (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Shark Valley open daily 8:30am–6pm (no vehicles in after 6pm). Tram departures May 1–Dec 18, 2026: 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00 and 4:00.
Time: half a day (estimate)
Getting there: About 1 hour west of downtown on US 41 (Tamiami Trail); you need a car.
Before you go: The tram operator says that from 1 January 2026 visitors who are not US residents, aged 16 and over, pay an extra $100 each at the park entrance; the National Park Service's own fees page did not show it yet when we checked. Check before you go.
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
Everglades (Homestead entrance)
A flat 0.8-mile loop of path and boardwalk over a sawgrass marsh where alligators, turtles, anhingas and herons gather, best in winter.
Price: park entrance fee: $35 per car or $20 per person, valid 7 days; the trail itself costs nothing extra (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Main entrance open 24 hours; visitor centres generally 8am–5pm in the dry season (November to March).
Time: 1–2 hours on the trail, a full day with the drive (estimate)
Getting there: About 1 hour 15 minutes south-west of downtown by car; the trail starts at Royal Palm, 4 miles past the main entrance near Homestead.
Airboat rides on the Tamiami Trail
Everglades (Tamiami Trail)
Three family-run airboat outfits on US 41 (Coopertown, Gator Park and Everglades Safari Park) take you skimming across the sawgrass; airboats are not allowed at Shark Valley or in the rest of the park.
Price: Gator Park: $35 adult (12+) including the airboat ride and wildlife show, plus an $8 per person park fee collected by the operator (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Gator Park daily 9am–5pm; Coopertown walk-ins daily 9am–5pm.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 45 minutes west of downtown on US 41, 15–20 minutes east of Shark Valley; you need a car.
Before you go: Airboat tours run in the East Everglades area of the national park along the Tamiami Trail (US 41); they are not allowed elsewhere in the park.
Biscayne National Park
Homestead (Convoy Point)
A national park that is 95% water: the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point has exhibits and a bayside walk, and the reefs, keys and Stiltsville are reached by boat.
Price: free: no entrance fee (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Dante Fascell Visitor Center daily 9am–5pm; Convoy Point grounds daily 7am–5:30pm.
Time: 1–2 hours at the visitor centre and shoreline (estimate)
Getting there: About 50 minutes south of downtown by car, at the end of SW 328th Street in Homestead.
Snorkelling and boat trips in Biscayne National Park
Homestead or Coconut Grove
The park's non-profit partner runs boat trips to Boca Chita Key's ornamental lighthouse, snorkel trips over the bay's reefs and wrecks, and paddles through mangroves and past Stiltsville.
Price: from $83 for the Boca Chita Key heritage cruise; snorkel trips from $115 (prices not labelled adult-only) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Time: 3.5–6 hours, depending on the trip (estimate)
Getting there: Trips leave from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead (about 50 minutes south by car) or from Coconut Grove (about 15 minutes from downtown).
Kayaking at Oleta River State Park
North Miami Beach
A big state park, on the bay at the mouth of the Oleta River: paddle the mangrove channels in a rented kayak or bring your own, and ride the mountain-bike trails.
Price: state park entry fee per vehicle or on foot: check floridastateparks.org before you go
Time: 2–4 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 30 minutes north of downtown by car, off NE 163rd Street.
Before you go: Kayak rentals come from the concessioner, BG Oleta River Outdoors; their prices were not checked.
Crandon Park
Key Biscayne
A two-mile county beach on Key Biscayne with calm, shallow water, picnic areas and cabanas, plus a nature centre with a mangrove boardwalk and a vintage carousel.
Price: parking $7 + tax Monday–Thursday, $10 + tax Friday–Sunday (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Visitor and Nature Center daily 9am–4pm; park office 8am–5pm.
Time: half a day (estimate)
Getting there: About 20 minutes from downtown over the Rickenbacker Causeway by car; Miami-Dade bus route 102 also runs to Key Biscayne.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and lighthouse
Key Biscayne
Beach and shady trails at the end of Key Biscayne around the Cape Florida Light, Miami-Dade's oldest standing building, whose 109 steps you can climb on a guided tour.
Price: state park entry fee per vehicle or on foot: check floridastateparks.org before you go
Time: half a day (estimate)
Getting there: About 25 minutes from downtown by car, at the southern tip of Key Biscayne.
Before you go: Lighthouse tours run on some days only: check the park's site for times.
Biscayne Bay sightseeing cruise
Downtown (Bayside Marketplace)
A narrated cruise round the bay past the cruise port, Fisher Island and the waterfront mansions on Star Island, with the downtown skyline behind.
Price: $35 adult (Island Queen Millionaire's Row cruise) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily departures at 10:30, 11:00 and on the hour 12:00–6:00pm.
Time: about 90 minutes on the water (estimate)
Getting there: Leaves from Bayside Marketplace on Biscayne Boulevard; Metromover's Bayfront Park or College/Bayside stations are a short walk.
Venetian Pool
Coral Gables
A 1920s public pool cut from an old coral-rock quarry, fed with spring water, with waterfalls, grottos and Venetian-style loggias.
Price: $23 adult (13+) for non-residents (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10am–4:30pm; closed Mondays.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 20 minutes from downtown by car; the free Coral Gables Trolley gets you close.
Before you go: Children must be at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall. The page gives no season dates; check it for winter closures before you go.
Deering Estate
Palmetto Bay
A 1920s bayfront estate with historic houses, a hardwood hammock and mangroves, run by the county parks department, with nature walks and canoe trips to Chicken Key.
Price: $18 + tax adult (15+) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 10am–5pm, last entry 4pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 35 minutes south of downtown by car, on Old Cutler Road.
Before you go: The Stone House has been closed for restoration since 28 April 2025; the rest of the estate is open.
Museums and neighbourhoods
Contemporary art from Museum Park to the Design District and Allapattah, Art Deco on Miami Beach, and the Cuban and Haitian neighbourhoods that make the city what it is.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Coconut Grove
James Deering's 1916 Italian-style villa on the bay, with furnished rooms and ten acres of formal gardens running down to a stone barge in the water.
Price: $25 adult (cut from $32 while restoration works go on) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily except Tuesdays, 9:30am–4:30pm.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 10 minutes south of downtown; Metrorail to Vizcaya station, then a 5-minute walk.
Before you go: On-site restoration is under way; the site links a page on construction to read before booking.
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
Downtown (Museum Park)
Modern and contemporary art with a focus on the Americas and the Caribbean. Its shaded terraces with hanging gardens look over the bay.
Price: $18 adult; free on Thursdays after 5pm (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Mon 11am–6pm; closed Tue and Wed; Thu 11am–9pm; Fri–Sun 11am–6pm.
Time: 2 hours (estimate)
Getting there: Metromover to Museum Park station, which stops at the door.
The Bass
Miami Beach (Collins Park)
Miami Beach's contemporary art museum, in a 1930s Art Deco library building in Collins Park, a block from the beach.
Price: $15 adult; free on third Thursdays 6–9pm and on the last Sunday of the month (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday noon–5pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Time: 1–1.5 hours (estimate)
Getting there: On Collins Avenue at 21st Street in Miami Beach; about 20 minutes from downtown by car or bus.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA)
Design District
A free contemporary art museum in the Design District with changing exhibitions and a sculpture garden.
Price: free; advance timed tickets recommended (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday 11am–6pm; closed Monday, Tuesday and major federal holidays (including Veterans Day and Thanksgiving).
Time: 1 hour (estimate)
Getting there: In the Design District, about 10 minutes north of downtown by car or rideshare.
Rubell Museum
Allapattah
One of the largest private contemporary art collections in the US, shown in a converted former food warehouse, with a café and garden.
Price: $18 adult (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Wed–Thu 11:30am–5:30pm; Fri–Sat 11:30am–7:30pm; Sun 11:30am–5:30pm; closed Mon and Tue.
Time: 1.5–2 hours (estimate)
Getting there: In Allapattah, about 10 minutes north-west of downtown by car; Santa Clara Metrorail station is a 10-minute walk.
The Wolfsonian–FIU
Miami Beach (South Beach)
Florida International University's museum of design and propaganda: posters, furniture, industrial design and decorative arts.
Price: $12 adult; free on Fridays 6–9pm (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Wed–Thu 10am–6pm; Fri 10am–9pm; Sat–Sun 10am–6pm; closed Mon, Tue and holidays including Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.
Time: 1–1.5 hours (estimate)
Getting there: On Washington Avenue at 10th Street in South Beach, a block from Ocean Drive.
Museum of Miami (formerly HistoryMiami)
Downtown
South Florida's history museum, from the first peoples and Spanish Florida to the railroad, the boom years and Cuban exile, renamed in May 2026.
Price: $15 adult (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday noon–5pm (no entry after 4:30pm); closed Monday and Tuesday.
Time: 1–1.5 hours (estimate)
Getting there: On West Flagler Street downtown; Metrorail and Metromover Government Center station is across the street.
Wynwood Walls
Wynwood
An outdoor gallery of large murals by street artists from around the world in a district of old warehouses; the streets around it are covered in murals you can see for free.
Price: $12 adult (18+) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 10:30am–6:30pm; doors close 30 minutes earlier.
Time: 1 hour, longer to walk the neighbourhood (estimate)
Getting there: In Wynwood, about 10 minutes north of downtown by car or rideshare.
Art Deco walking tour (Miami Design Preservation League)
Miami Beach (Ocean Drive)
A guided walk through the Art Deco Historic District, run by the group that saved it from demolition in the 1970s and 80s.
Price: $50 adult (18–64) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily; book a start time online. Welcome Center 9am–5pm.
Time: 2 hours (sourced: the tour runs two hours and about 1.5 miles) (estimate)
Getting there: Starts at the Art Deco Welcome Center, 1001 Ocean Drive, South Beach.
Little Havana and Calle Ocho
Little Havana
The heart of Cuban Miami along SW 8th Street: the Walk of Fame stars, older men playing dominoes in Máximo Gómez Park, cigar rollers, Cuban coffee windows and the 1926 Tower Theater.
Price: free to walk around
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 10 minutes west of downtown by car; the free City of Miami trolley (Little Havana route) runs along SW 8th Street.
Little Haiti and the Little Haiti Cultural Complex
Little Haiti
Miami's Haitian neighbourhood, with a city-run cultural complex (gallery, theatre and the Caribbean Marketplace) and the free Sounds of Little Haiti street party on the third Friday of the month.
Price: free to walk around and visit the gallery (no admission listed)
Hours: Cultural Center Mon–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat 9am–5pm, closed Sun; Caribbean Marketplace Mon–Sat 9am–5pm.
Time: 1–2 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 15 minutes north of downtown by car; NE 2nd Avenue is the main street.
Before you go: The city's Sounds of Little Haiti page shows an old (2019) date; check the third-Friday schedule on the complex's Instagram before listing it.
Coral Castle
Homestead
A garden of huge carved coral-rock blocks that one man, Edward Leedskalnin, cut and moved alone, and nobody is quite sure how.
Price: $25 adult, including a short film and a guided tour (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Time: 1–1.5 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 45 minutes south of downtown by car on US 1 (South Dixie Highway); pairs well with the Everglades or the Keys.
Before you go: The official site lists two sets of daily hours (9am–7pm and 9am–8pm) without saying when each applies, so hours are left out.
With kids
A big open-air zoo, a tropical garden, a science museum with an aquarium and planetarium, and play museums on Watson Island.
Zoo Miami
South Miami-Dade
A big open-plan zoo laid out by region, with animals in moated habitats rather than cages; the walk is long, so the tram and bike rentals help.
Price: $30 adult (13+), tax included (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 10am–5pm (last ticket 4pm); Thanksgiving 10am–3pm; closes at 4pm on night-event dates including 27–28 November.
Time: 4–5 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 35 minutes south-west of downtown by car, off the Florida Turnpike at SW 152nd Street.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Coral Gables
Acres of tropical plants, palms and lakes, with a butterfly conservatory and a tram tour, next to Matheson Hammock Park.
Price: $24.95 adult online on weekdays, $27.95 online at weekends; $5 more at the gate (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 10am–5pm.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: About 25 minutes south of downtown by car, on Old Cutler Road.
Jungle Island
Watson Island
A small wildlife park, which began as Parrot Jungle, with birds, primates and animal shows, plus paid extras such as encounters and a zip line.
Price: general admission from $22.95 (adult price not shown separately) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 9:30am–5pm, last admission 4pm.
Time: 3–4 hours (estimate)
Getting there: On Watson Island off the MacArthur Causeway, about 5 minutes from downtown by car.
Frost Science and the Frost Planetarium
Downtown (Museum Park)
A science museum with a three-level aquarium you can look up into from below, hands-on galleries and a domed planetarium; one show is included with the ticket.
Price: adult Explorer ticket from $29.95 (varies by date), including one planetarium show (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Usually daily 10am–5pm; hours vary week by week, so check the date.
Time: 3–4 hours (estimate)
Getting there: Metromover to Museum Park station, next door to PAMM.
Before you go: Planetarium seats are booked on site, first come, first served.
Miami Children's Museum
Watson Island
Play-based galleries for younger children: a pretend supermarket, a cruise ship, a fire station and water play.
Price: $26 general admission (adults and children) (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 10am–6pm.
Time: 2–3 hours (estimate)
Getting there: On the MacArthur Causeway at Watson Island, across from Jungle Island.
Before you go: Adults must come with a child, and children with an adult.
Robert Is Here fruit stand
Homestead
A farm stand open since 1959 selling tropical fruit and thick fruit milkshakes, with a free petting zoo out back.
Price: free to visit; you pay for fruit and shakes (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Daily 9am–6pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Time: 30–60 minutes (estimate)
Getting there: About 1 hour south of downtown by car, on the way to the Everglades main entrance.
Day trips
South down the Overseas Highway to the Keys, or north up the coast to Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.
Key Largo and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Florida Keys (Upper Keys)
The first of the Keys, with the US's first undersea park: snorkel boats from Pennekamp go out to the coral reef, and there are glass-bottom boat trips and mangrove paddles too.
Price: snorkel trip $49.95 adult at Pennekamp (gear extra) (official site, checked 2026-11-09); check before publishing)
Time: a full day (estimate)
Getting there: About an hour south of Miami by car on US 1, the start of the Overseas Highway.
Before you go: Pennekamp snorkel departures listed at 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 1:30 and 3:00, subject to seasonal change.
Islamorada
Florida Keys (Upper Keys)
A village of six islands that calls itself the sport-fishing capital of the world: fishing charters, snorkelling, mangrove paddles and waterfront seafood.
Price: free to visit
Time: a full day (estimate)
Getting there: About 1.5 hours south of Miami by car on US 1; the visitor centre is at mile marker 87.
Key West by road
Florida Keys (Lower Keys)
The end of the road: Hemingway's house, the Southernmost Point marker, Duval Street and the sunset crowd at Mallory Square.
Price: free to visit (the road has no tolls past the mainland)
Time: a long day, better overnight (estimate)
Getting there: About 160 miles and 3.5–4 hours each way by car on the Overseas Highway (US 1) across 42 bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge (estimate).
Before you go: Drive time and distance are our estimate; the official page gives only the highway's 113 miles and 42 bridges from the mainland.
Fort Lauderdale
Broward County
A beach town with a promenade along the sand, Las Olas Boulevard just over a mile inland, and canals you can see on a boat tour.
Price: free to visit
Time: half a day to a day (estimate)
Getting there: About 45 minutes north of downtown Miami by car on I-95 (estimate), or by Brightline or Tri-Rail train.
Palm Beach and the Flagler Museum
Palm Beach County
The old-money island: shopping on Worth Avenue, the Lake Trail along the water, and Whitehall, Henry Flagler's 1902 mansion, now the Flagler Museum.
Price: Flagler Museum $28 adult (13+); walking around Palm Beach is free (official site, checked 2026-11-09)
Hours: Flagler Museum Tue–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm; closed Mondays and Thanksgiving.
Time: a full day (estimate)
Getting there: About 1.5 hours north of Miami by car on I-95 (estimate), or by Brightline train to West Palm Beach and across the bridge.
Free things to do
The beach, the parks at either end of South Beach, Lincoln Road, the free Metromover and the new park under the Metrorail.
South Pointe Park
Miami Beach (South of Fifth)
A park at the southern tip of Miami Beach with a pier, a beach and lawns where you can watch cruise ships sail out of Government Cut at sunset.
Price: free (parking is paid)
Hours: Daily, sunrise to sunset.
Time: 1–2 hours (estimate)
Getting there: At the southern tip of Miami Beach; the free South Beach Trolley stops nearby.
South Beach and Lummus Park
Miami Beach (Ocean Drive)
The beach strip in front of Ocean Drive's Art Deco hotels, with lifeguard towers, a paved beachfront path, volleyball courts and an outdoor gym.
Price: free
Hours: Daily, sunrise to midnight.
Time: as long as you like (estimate)
Getting there: Along Ocean Drive between about 5th and 15th Streets, South Beach.
Lincoln Road
Miami Beach
A pedestrian street of shops, sidewalk cafés and galleries redesigned by Morris Lapidus in the 1960s, with a free art walk on the third Thursday of each month.
Price: free
Time: 1–2 hours (estimate)
Getting there: In South Beach between Washington and Alton, about 20 minutes from downtown by car or bus.
Before you go: A $29.4 million street rebuild (Phase II) has been under way since September 2025; city pages show work at Meridian Avenue still due to finish before the end of 2026, so expect some construction.
Metromover
Downtown and Brickell
Free driverless elevated cars on three loops through downtown and Brickell: a cheap way to see the skyline and to reach PAMM, Frost Science and Bayside.
Price: free
Hours: Daily 5:30am–10pm.
Time: 30–60 minutes for a loop (estimate)
Getting there: Board at any of its 21 stations downtown, in Brickell or in the Omni area; Government Center connects with Metrorail.
The Underline
Brickell to Coconut Grove
A linear park being built under the Metrorail tracks from Brickell to Dadeland, with paths, playgrounds, an outdoor gym and gardens; about five continuous miles were open by May 2026.
Price: free
Time: 1–2 hours on foot or by bike (estimate)
Getting there: Starts in Brickell under the Metrorail line, next to Brickell station; follow it south.
Before you go: The full route is 10 miles; some parts are still under construction.
Times to allow are our estimates. Hours and prices change: check each place before you go. Closed and left out: Miami Seaquarium, Deering Estate Stone House.