People bring up South Beach a lot when thinking about Miami, but there are plenty of Miami spots besides South Beach to experience. I did walk about South Beach one night while in Miami, but had even better experiences at these four Miami spots besides South Beach.
Wynwood Art District
Wynwood Art District features an eclectic and colorful neighborhood of artwork, murals, and independent artists. The neighborhood has some grit to it, but also color and beauty. Independent artists have transformed ordinary storefronts into creative and rich tapestries, communicating a range of messages from positive affirmations to social commentary.
Wynwood Walls specifically exhibits murals and artwork and you’ll find the essence of the art in the district concentrated in an outdoorish museum city block.
There are street vendors, good places to eat, and really good art. Here are some photos of the Art District below.
Construction 
Social Commentary 
Large murals on large buildings
I parked at a lot near the intersection of NW 29th Street and NW 2nd Avenure, which is the main thoroughfare of the Wynwood Art District. There is a PayByPhone App that you can use to remind you of your parking time remaining, but I chose not to enter that personal information into my phone at that time. From what I’ve heard about it from locals, it’s helpful. Parking areas also ask you to enter your license plate, which is a change from machines I’ve encountered.
I went to the art district on a Friday, but if you are in Miami on the second Saturday of every month, the Wynwood Art District has an art walk starting at 6 pm where restaurants, galleries, and businesses are open into the night, and many people show up to frequent all that Wynwood Art District has to offer.
Hollywood Beach
After going through the Wynwood Art District, I went to Hollywood Beach north of Miami. It was an amazing experience with white, soft sand, palm trees, picturesque postcard scenes that are real life, and clear, blue, perfect temperature water that brought a sense of healing to my soul. It was truly good living.
The scenery is totally amazing, and there are fewer people frequenting the beach than the more commonly heard beaches of Miami Beach and South Beach. Check out these photos.
There’s also a “broadwalk” next to the beach that you can walk a long way.
Parking also was easy to find on side streets next to the broadwalk.
Marlins Park Stadium Tour
Growing up, I went to a lot of baseball games, and have been to several of the current Major League Baseball stadiums (16 including taking a tour at Marlins Park). Because I was staying in Miami, I decided to visit Marlins Park and take a tour.
Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins, is quite a sight, inside and out. The stadium has a retractable roof, so the Marlins can play during inclement weather also. The designer of the stadium apparently created intentional art schemes to make the stadium seem like a living creature, which is quite a unique way of considering stadium design.
The tour goes through all the main parts of the stadium. Inside, outside, and even onto the warning track. No walking onto the field, that grass is precious!
Inside the stadium, you’ll find the typical elements of seating, restaurants, a press box and locker rooms, but there are also so many unique elements in Marlins Park.
On game days, you can see an aquarium with live fish directly behind home plate. No worries, fish lovers, the glass is bullet-proof, so even 100+ MPH fastballs won’t impact the glass.
No worries! The glass is bullet-proof!
There’s a pool beyond the left field wall based on the Clevelander Night Club in South Beach. You can also see a skyline of Miami even further beyond the left field wall.
There’s also a bobblehead museum! All sorts of bobbleheads reside in this homage to a common baseball giveaway item. All the MLB teams have representation, and a few other teams outside of MLB have representation, too. The museum even has a built-in shaking device so the bobbleheads bobble every once in a while.
While some stadium tours are free, this one cost $10, so you know ahead of time. But my experience with the tour was excellent and our group’s tour guide, Victor, provided plenty of insights and answered my numerous questions. Thanks, Victor!
Little Havana
So if you want to visit an authentic Cuban-American neighborhood in Miami, you have to go to Little Havana. The neighborhood has many choices of incredibly good Cuban eats, including the Frita, a Cuban burger topped with fries, from El Rey de Las Fritas, and a Cuban burger.
There’s also a very popular Thai place called Lung Yai Thai Tapas. I didn’t get a chance to visit, but I’ve heard excellent things about the food. There is a long line, and make sure you know what to order, because you have one chance to order.
Calle Ocho is active late into the night, and it’s close to many places to visit in Miami.
While in Miami, I actually stayed in Little Havana! My lodging met all my residential I enjoyed being part of an authentic Cuban-American neighborhood for a few days. I was totally fine living where people spoke primarily Spanish while I spoke primarily English. If that sounds good to you, check out El Rinconcito Little Havana Apartment on Airbnb.
Check out more South Florida posts!
So those are four Miami spots besides South Beach. Hope you enjoyed this guide and found it helpful!
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And if you would like to know more about my South Florida trip, check out my CityPASS Tampa post and my Key West post!
Thanks for reading!