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Sights & Beaches Overview

Miami-Dade County sprawls over 2,000 square mi along the southeastern tip of Florida. Unless you don't intend to leave your hotel or your immediate neighborhood, you'll need a car to see the sights. Miami is laid out on a grid with four quadrants -- northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest -- centered at Miami Avenue and Flagler Street. Downtown has become the lively hub of the mainland city, now more accessible thanks to the Metromover rail extension.

Many visitors don't know that Miami and Miami Beach are really separate cities. Miami, on the mainland, is South Florida's commercial hub. Miami Beach, on 17 islands in Biscayne Bay, is sometimes considered America's Riviera, luring refugees from winter with its warm sunshine, sandy beaches, shady palms, and tireless nightlife. The natives know well that there's more to Greater Miami than the bustle of South Beach and its Art Deco District. In addition to well-known places such as Coconut Grove and Bayside, the less reported spots, like the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami; the burgeoning Design District in Miami; and the mangrove swamps of Matheson Hammock Park are great insider destinations.