Attractions of the Art Deco District & South Beach Florida
If you're looking for the best attractions in South Beach, Florida, The Loft Hotel is the perfect home base for either a whirlwind getaway or a long and leisurely vacation. The choice is yours. Take a stroll through South Beach's Art Deco District and explore Lincoln Road--lined with boutiques, large stores, cafes and antiques stores. Or discover Ocean Drive's sidewalk cafes, bars and colorful hotels. South Beach is also home to wonderful museums, and The Loft Hotel is near both, the Bass Museum of Art and the Wolfsonian Museum.
The Art Deco District in SoBe is marked by the pastel-hued buildings that line South Beach and Miami Beach. If you look carefully, you will see the intricacies and impressive craftsmanship of the skilled artists and artisans who built these impressive structures during the booming Art Deco period of the 1920s to the1940s. Today, hundreds of new establishments--hotels, restaurants and nightclubs--have renovated these older, historical buildings--giving a glowing permanence to South Beach's prominence as Miami's cultural and nightlife scene leader.
Tour the Art Deco District
If you're touring this unique neighborhood on your own, start at the Miami Design Preservation League's Art Deco Welcome Center. The center gives away lots of informational material, including maps and pamphlets, and runs guided tours about the neighborhood. Art Deco books--including The Art Deco Guide, an informative compendium of all the buildings here--as well as,T-shirts, postcards, mugs, and other paraphernalia at the Gift store
A two-hour bike tour of the Art Deco District leaves from the Miami Beach Bicycle Center at 10:30 AM on the third Sunday of each month. This tour costs $20 with a rental bike and $10 with your own bike. Call ahead to confirm.
Other South Beach Points of Interest
Bass Museum of Art offers an overview of major European paintings, sculptures and textiles. The collection includes European art and decorative arts, as well as American, Asian and contemporary art. Temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art from throughout the world are also presented.
Haulover Beach Park is a white sand beach nestled between the Intercoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Peppered with lifeguards, this beach offers visitors a fun and safe place to surf, swim, or just tan on the sand. Bring a lunch and picnic at one of the many shaded picnic areas or grab a snack at the concession stands or nearby restaurants.
The Holocaust Memorial is heart-wrenching and a "must see." The powerful centerpiece, Kenneth Triester's Sculpture of Love & Anguish, depicts victims of the concentration camps crawling up a giant, yearning hand, stretching up to the sky, marked with an Auschwitz number tattoo. Along the reflecting pool is the story of the Holocaust, told in cut marble slabs.
Take a trip through this jungle safari as hundreds of exotic monkeys swing from trees. This South Beach attraction includes rare Amazon parrots, the Cameroon Jungle, and the Lemurs of Madagascar.
Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum presents a fascinating look at religion and culture through films, lectures and exhibits such as "Passages: An Immigrant's Journey," featuring memorabilia, photos and documents tracing the immigration to the United States of 24 families of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. The museum is housed in a former synagogue.
Wolfsonian Museum is the collection of Mitchell Wolfson Jr., containing propaganda and advertising art. More than 70,000 of his items are on display--including unusual World's Fair findings. Thrown into the eclectic mix are eccentric works from great modernists such as Charles Eames and Marcel Duchamp.
See all the attractions South Beach has to offer.Book your reservation at The Loft Hotel--affordable, chic accommodations in South Beach, Miami.
