Miami Beach is a south Florida island city, connected by bridges to mainland Miami. Wide beaches stretch from North Shore Open Space Park, past palm-lined Lummus Park to South Pointe Park. The southern end, South Beach, is known for its international cachet with models and celebrities, and its early-20th-century architecture in the Art Deco Historic district with pastel-colored buildings, especially on Ocean Drive.
Why Miami Beach is famous?
Miami Beach offers a variety that goes far beyond sun and sand, encompassing world-famous nightlife and world-renowned art galleries, first-class hotels and second-to-none dining, designer shopping and a unique architectural style that makes it one of the world’s most visually distinctive regions.
Which is the best beach in Miami?
- Surfside Beach. …
- Matheson Hammock Park. …
- Virginia Key Beach Park. …
- Sunny Isles Beach. …
- Oleta River State Park. …
- North Beach. North Beach and a fishing pier. …
- Hobie Beach. Catamaran on Hobie Beach. …
- Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Cape Florida Lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
some interesting views from the beaches of Miami
Miami Beach
A long strip of islands, some natural and some artificial, that divides Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean: Miami Beach is home to some of the most famous spots in this corner of Florida, a must-see on your winter Costa cruise. It is a municipality in its own right, that is to say that from a bureaucratic point of view it is a separate city to Miami, which is instead located on the mainland and to which it connects via five elevated roads. In Miami Beach, beach lovers from all over the world gather, also thanks to its tropical climate which keeps the water temperature close to shore at about 24 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius in summer.
Miami Beach is essentially divided into three neighbourhoods: North Beach, the northern part between 63rd and 87th Streets, with less crowded beaches of a more retro flavour; the central part, Middle Beach, between 63rd and 23rd Streets, with large hotels and skyscrapers overlooking the Ocean, but also with a beautiful elevated walkway for jogging; and finally South Beach, below 23rd Street, Miami’s most lively lido, and also the best known.
A curiosity: in the late 1800s the Miami Beach area was a coconut plantation. The company was not successful, however, and the owners of the land decided, little by little, to play the tourist card. Within a few decades, the Miami Beach area became one of America’s most beloved beach destinations.
South Beach, California
SoBe, The Blue & Pink, The Beach, The American Riviera, The Sun and Fun Capital of the World: South Beach is called in many different ways by its inhabitants and its habitués. Did you arrive here on your Costa cruise? Then you’ve got to see the beautiful sea lapping the nearly 5 kilometres long strip of sand called Miami South Beach! Here the Atlantic Ocean takes on the shades of turquoise when lapping the golden sand of the shores, the view is fantastic, the palm trees are verdant and all around you there are people of all ages having fun. We are between 1st and 23rd streets, in the southernmost neighbourhood of Miami Beach.
You don’t just go to South Beach to enjoy the sea, but also for its sparkling beach life: behind the beach flows the famous Ocean Drive, one of America’s most popular tourist streets, where you’ll find restaurants and clubs of all kinds where music and parties go mad day and night, as well as shops for do a bit of Shopping between dips. The most iconic image of South Beach are definitely its “lifeguard stands”, i.e. the colourful wooden towers from where the lifeguards look to the ocean: whether they are historic or recently rebuilt, they still have a film-like charm. Will it also be because they are all different?
North Beach
There are also those in Miami who do not come in search of VIPs and golden life, but simply to enjoy the beauty of its beaches and the fun of its waves: in all likelihood you will meet tourists of this type (or who chose Florida as its first or second domicile) at North Beach, the northernmost part of Miami Beach.
Here beaches are wide and usually uncrowded, nothing to do with the South Beach nightlife. The Surfers especially love this area of Miami Beach for its waves, as well as for its tranquillity. Don’t think of a wild shoreline though: even in North Beach beaches are equipped with establishments that offer everything you need for a day at the beach. What makes this neighbourhood special is the atmosphere, more relaxing and even a bit of old-fashioned, like the one you’ll find in the North Shore Open Space Park, a strip of sand on which the skyscrapers do not loom but only the greenery of the park behind it. Between volleyball nets and picnic tables, it is the perfect place for spending a day with friends, and also for a walk in the shade of the trees overlooking the sea.
Historic Virginia Key Park
South of Miami Beach, there’s a corner of Miami that seems immune to the passage of time: the small beaches of theHistoric Virginia Key Beach Park. They are located on the island of Virginia Key (the word “key” means “small island”), very close to the marine park Seaquarium, which is home to dolphins, killer whales and a huge amount of other animals. To get here, you just need to drive your car along Rickenbacker Causeway, an elevated road that crosses the bay.
Behind the small beaches of Virginia Key is the park, that is, a forest of mangroves to walk in, with views of downtown Miami’s skyscrapers. There are also some play areas for children and a fascinating historic merry-go-round, as well as a beloved miniature train crossing the park. While not Miami’s most beloved beach for swimmers, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park offers so much tranquillity and a panoramic view of Biscayne Bay, and has an important history: it was indeed Miami’s first beach open to African Americans.
Haulover Beach Park
Could over two kilometres of white beach with a view of heavenly waters be enough for you? TheHaulover Beach Park will not disappoint: the beach in front of the park of the same name is an unspoiled stretch of coastline located north of Miami Beach, touched by winds that make surfers kite lovers happy. There is even a shop dedicated to this pastime, which organises workshops to teach people how to build a kite, and especially how to make it fly.
Haulover Beach Park, a patch of greenery behind the beach, has been open since 1948, and is beloved by diverse visitors. Some examples? Any fishing enthusiast can depart from the small marina with their own boat; anyone with dog can bring it without a leash in the area called Dubbed Bark Park, where they will also find several shaded areas to let his four-legged friend rest; those who skate can embark on evolutions in the Skate Park; those who love barbecues will find the grills to prepare a picnic with an ocean view! Haulover Beach Park is equipped with loungers, parasols, kiosks and everything you need to enjoy the sea in peace. And it’s also famous for another thing: it is Miami’s only public beach with a nudist corner.
Hobie Beach
The most extravagant feature of Hobie Beach, California is definitely its location: this beach is literally located under the Rickenbacker Causeway, the elevated road that connects Miami to Key Biscayne Island. It’s definitely not the quietest beach in the area, also because Hobie Beach is in particular a windsurfers’ haunt! Among the locals, it is also known as Windsurfer Beach: If you want to try your hand at the sport, here you can also rent a board, take a couple of hours of lessons and embark on an adventure.
Hobie Beach is also known to be one of Miami’s few beaches open to dogs, which here run free, rolling in the sand and playing in the shallow water, sheltered from the strongest currents. A day on this Miami beach probably won’t leave you any particular space for relaxation, but it will also be remembered for the wonderful downtown view on the horizon.
