MIAMI
A polyglot collection of cultures, Miami is one of the most dynamic, exciting, and trendy world cities, and has managed to keep that status year after year. That's hard to do. Miami is a place that holds onto its heritage -- see the Art Deco District and Little Havana -- but is always reinventing itself.
DAY 1: ARTS & CULTURE
8:00 AM
Start your day by strolling north along Ocean Drive from 5th Street, with South Beach on your right and Miami's Art Deco District on your left. The district, on the National Register of Historic Places, runs to 23rd Street, but stop at the Bass Museum of Art, a part of the Art Deco Tour and (after a post-renovation reopening scheduled for this fall) the home of a collection of Old Masters.
1:00 PM
Take a cab or bus across the Intracoastal via Rt. 195 to NW 2nd Avenue then head south into the hot Wynwood Arts District, home to the Wynwood Walls outdoor art exhibit and more than 70 galleries, as well as antiques stores, and many excellent and trendy bars and restaurants.
9:00 PM
Make your way to Miami's historic Little Havana neighborhood for authentic Cuban cuisine on Calle Ocho.
DAY 2: BEACH DAY
10:00 AM
To South Beach or not to South Beach, that is the question. If you want to take in The Scene, this famous stretch of sand, aka America's Party Beach, is it.
2:00 PM
For a quieter few hours of sand and sun, head north to Bal Harbour or south onto the mainland for a relaxing time at Coral Gables Beach. Though more peaceful, both beaches are as beautiful as South Beach.
8:00 PM
Head off to Joe's Stone Crab, a 100-year-old institution on South Beach that still manages to pull a score of 27 for food from Zagat. After eating your body weight in crustaceans, followed by Joe's famous Key lime pie, call it an early night.
DAY 3: BUY BUY BABY
11:00 AM
Convince your body to forgive you with a morning spa treatment at any one of the dozens of great, high-end spas in Miami. Choose a four- or five-star hotel and you won't go wrong.
2:00 PM
Time to shop until you drop: choices include the Miami Design District, or for the high end, Aventura Mall, Bal Harbour Shops, or the Miracle Mile in Coral Gable, among others.
11:00 PM
Serious nightlife can start later than this, but it's time to experience one of Miami's hot dance clubs, such as LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Bardot, or The Electric Pickle Company in Wynwood, or many, many others.
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This article appears in the April 2016 issue of Successful Meetings.