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Top Attractions in Miami Beach

Venetian Causeway

The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in south Florida. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the original route of the Collins Bridge, a wooden 2.5 mi long structure built in 1913 by John S. Collins and Carl G. Fisher which opened up the barrier island for unprecedented growth and development. The causeway has one toll plaza on Biscayne Island, the westernmost Venetian Island. The toll for an automobile is $1.75 . The causeway has two bascule bridges. At the Downtown/Western Beginning of the causeway travelers are greeted by two columns vertically saying "VENETIAN WAY" along with a sign indicating that there is a weight limit . At the South Beach/Eastern Terminus, drivers must choose whether to go north onto Dade Boulevard or eastbound onto 17th Street to Ocean Drive, Collins Ave/A1A, Lincoln Road, City Hall, The Convention Center, Jackie Gleason Theater and the beach . The Venetian Causeway was re-dedicated in 1999 after the completion of a $29 million restoration and replacement project. A popular use of the causeway is for exercising, which includes both jogging and bicycling.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a 2.6-acre urban greenspace in Miami Beach, Florida founded in 1962. It was transformed in 2011 with a $1.2 million landscape renovation designed by South Florida landscape architect Raymond Jungles. The new landscape showcases native Florida plants and trees including bromeliads, palms, cycad, orchids and many others. There is a Japanese garden, native garden and bio-swale, and water gardens including ponds, fountains, and a wetland with mangrove and pond apple trees. The renovation also expanded the Great Lawn area for corporate and social events, established a plant nursery and event plaza, and enhanced the night-time lights, entrance gate, and pathways. The Garden offers free admission and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wolfsonian-FIU

The Wolfsonian–Florida International University or The Wolfsonian-FIU, located in the heart of the Art Deco District of Miami Beach, Florida, is a museum, library and research center that uses its collection to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design. For fifteen years, The Wolfsonian has been a division within Florida International University. The Wolfsonians two collections comprise approximately 180,000 pieces from the period 1885 to 1945 — the height of the Industrial Revolution until the end of the Second World War — in a variety of media, including: furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass; ceramics; metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and medals. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affiliations program, sharing affiliation with the Frost Art Museum. The countries most strongly represented are Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. There are also significant holdings from a number of other countries, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Japan, and the former Soviet Union. Among the collection’s strengths are: the British Arts Crafts movement; Dutch and Italian variants of the Art Nouveau style; American industrial design; objects and publications from world’s fairs; propaganda from the First and Second World Wars and the Spanish Civil War; New Deal graphic and decorative arts; avant-garde book design; and publications and design drawings relating to architecture.

Joe's Stone Crab

Joe's Stone Crab, also known as Joe's Stone Crabs, is an American restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida. The restaurant was opened in 1913, by Joe Weiss, who began his Miami Beach career by cooking at Smith's Casino beginning in 1913. Joe's is the top buyer of Florida stone crab claws, and it plays a significant role in the industry, influencing the wholesale price and financing many crabbers. Even though stone crabs are their most famous dish now, fish was served, rather than crabs, after the restaurant's opening. When an ichthyologist asked Weiss why he didn't serve stone crabs, he answered that no one would want to eat them. He turned out to be wrong, as they found out soon after first cooking them. Joe's Stone Crab is often visited by politicians, actors, and athletes. It was featured in the 1985 film The Mean Season before its mid-1980s remodeling. The restaurant is reputedly referenced in Ian Fleming's novel "Goldfinger" as "Bill's on the Beach" in which James Bond ate the best meal he had ever eaten in his life.

Doral Hotel

The Doral-On-The-Ocean opened in 1963 on the famous Millionaire's Row at 4833 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida. Also known as the Doral Beach Hotel, it was named for its founder and his wife, Doris and Alfred Kaskel. It was long considered the most elegant and luxurious hotel in the area. The Doral won several of the coveted Mobil Five Star awards. The hotel hosted the headquarters of George McGovern during the 1972 Democratic National Convention. It was the sister hotel to the Doral Country Club, where the Doral Open was played until 2006. The Doral was home away from home for movie stars and presidents. Several scenes from the 1972 hit film The Heartbreak Kid were shot on location at the hotel. The movie shows extensive footage of the lobby, room 1704, the pool area and beach. There is also a short clip that was shot in the bar adjacent to the Starlight Roof restaurant on the 18th floor of the hotel. In the 1990s the Doral changed hands several times. It was first purchased from the original family in the early 1990s by a French company and renamed the Doral Ocean Beach Resort. The French OBR company then sold it to Interstate Hotels in 1997 and it briefly became a Westin. In September 1998 the hotel was purchased by Wyndham and was operated as The Wyndham Miami Beach Resort. In 2006 the Blackstone Group, a large conglomerate, purchased the Wyndham hotel chain. Some of the Wyndham hotels were merged into LXR, another chain owned by Blackstone. Today, the former Doral is The Miami Beach Resort and Spa, an LXR hotel. The French company OBR retained a portion of the real estate adjacent to the hotel when it was sold to Interstate. Originally, a parking lot, two tennis courts and additional beach access were located on this piece of property. OBR recently built a structure on this adjacent land. The purpose for the new building is not yet public information. However it may be used for a condo/hotel. In addition to the real estate, OBR also retained the rights to the Doral name.

Saxony Hotel

The Saxony Hotel is a hotel at 3201 Collins Avenue Miami Beach. It was built and owned by George D. Sax. Designed by architect Roy F. France, it was completed in 1948 as one of the first luxury resorts on Miami Beach. Following the success of the Saxony, other hotels emerged on the opulent beach front. Currently it is owned by The Faena Group which is extensively renovating to be part of the New Saxony Hotel & Residences. George Sax was perhaps best known as the president and chairman of Chicago's Exchange International Corporation and Exchange National Bank. He was also president of Sax Enterprises, Inc. Today, Sax is recognized for his contributions to the banking industry, being credited with the innovation of drive-through banking and instant loans. The Saxony was famous for its luxurious rooms, complimentary meals, restaurants and exceptional views of South Beach. It was the first air-conditioned hotel on Miami Beach, and was considered the most expensive and lavish resort of the time. When the hotel first opened, each room was estimated to have cost approximately $21,000, which at the time was thought to be the largest sum of money ever paid for such a project. The rooms featured decks that could accommodate large groups. It was nicknamed the "Ivory Tower" after the nightclub on its top floor. Features of the hotel included decks that could accommodate large groups, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a 600-foot private beach, and two all-weather tennis courts. The Saxony hotel is now known as the Faena Hotel, celebrating its grand opening in December of 2015.

The Shops at Fontainebleau

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach (also known as Fontainebleau Hotel) is one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels in Miami Beach, Florida. Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, it was arguably the most luxurious hotel in Miami Beach, and is thought to be the most significant building of Lapidus's career. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in the American Institute of Architects list of "America's Favorite Architecture". On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter ranked the Fontainebleau first on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach is situated on oceanfront Collins Avenue in the heart of Millionaire's Row and is currently owned by Fontainebleau Resorts. Fronting the Atlantic Ocean, the 1504-room resort features two new towers, 12 restaurants and bars. a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) spa with mineral-rich water therapies and co-ed swimming pools, and oceanfront poolscape featuring a free-form pool shaped as a re-interpretation of Lapidus’ signature bow-tie design.

South Beach

South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States, located due east of Miami city proper between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses all of the barrier islands of Miami Beach south of Indian Creek. This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, thanks to the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, and John S. Collins, the latter whose construction of the Collins Bridge provided the first vital land link between mainland Miami and the beaches. The area has gone through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed much of the area. In 2010, 39,186 people lived in South Beach.

The Forge

The Forge is a famous nightclub / restaurant on Arthur Godfrey Road in the city of Miami Beach, Florida. First opened in the 1920s, it was purchased and remodeled in the late 1960s by Alvin Malnik. It was a well-known hangout for both celebrities and organized crime figures. In 1977, Meyer Lansky's stepson, Richard Schwartz, was charged with the murder of his drinking companion, Craig Teriaca, in the bar at The Forge. The shooting reportedly occurred after the two argued over a $10 bill. Schwartz was killed a few months later in what police assumed to be a revenge killing. A lawsuit by Teriaca's widow against The Forge, alleging that the restaurant had provided inadequate security, ended in a mistrial in 1980. A serious fire closed the restaurant for three months in 1991. The following year, the restaurant's extensive wine collection was severely damaged in Hurricane Andrew; this led to an extended and well-publicized legal battle between the restaurant and its insurers over the value of the collection, eventually settled in 1997 by a $2.75 million payment. Al Malnik's son Shareef Malnik now owns and controls The Forge; it remains a well-known location for Miami night life. The restaurant closed in 2009 for a year-long renovation, and reopened in 2010 with a redesigned interior by Francois Frossard.
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