bocacpa

We live about a half hour from South Beach, but, other than lunch at Joe's ten years ago, we haven't been there.

We have friends coming in from out of town, and among other things, they want to "see" South Beach.

Need recommendations for a day trip . lunch, walking tour, and place for drinks to see the passing crowd. We'll have dinner elsewhere.

Look forward to some ideas. Thanks in advance.
Steve

mclaurie

To see South Beach just park the car either at the very south end or around 15th st. at the north end and walk Collins Ave. and Ocean Drive-up one and down the other depending on where you park. I happen to love Vizcaya and thinks it's worth a visit on the same trip. http://www.vizcayans.org/ The Venetian Pool and the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables are also possible to visit. I've done this all in one day.

bocacpa

Mclaurie: My wife had mentioned Vizcaya and the Biltmore. I'm glad it looks like we can do all in one day. Thanks. Any lunch recommendations for South Beach?

mclaurie

I haven't been recently enough to know what's good now. When I've done this in a day, we did Vizcaya, the Venetian pool and then either went to the Biltmore hotel and had lunch around their pool or had lunch in Coral Gables and then went to South Beach in the afternoon. I've also done lunch on Key Biscayne in a casual Cuban place. The News Cafe is the popular breakfast place in South Beach and they also serve lunch. Some of the restaurants along Ocean Drive have valet parking if you're thinking of eating there.

Ackislander

If you decide to eat in South Beach, you really don't have to decide until you are there. There are many, many restaurants on and off Ocean Drive, and the lines are not long at lunch/brunch.

I also think Vizcaya and Coral Gables are a good idea. Very charming.

Jaya

Vizcaya is cool. Also, a lot of fashion photo shots are done there. You'll see why after you visit.

As for places to eat, avoid the ones that try to grab you off the sidewalk with meal deals (common with some places on Ocean Blvd. and Lincoln Drive). The food portions in the "specials" are so small that you end of having to order off the regular menu anyhow.

garyt22

The action is on Ocean and Lincoln Dr. ... I would drive the length of Ocean for a overview and park closer to Lincoln... You can then wander through the shopping area back towards Ocean, stopping along the way... The Delano has a neat pool, the Loews is beautiful and theres a beach walk along the ocean... when you get back to Ocean dr.... cross the street and wander past the Deco Hotels and select your Menu favorites... after lunch, work off the meal by wandering back to the car... have fun!

Jaya

Gary is right, Ocean Blvd. and Lincoln Drive are where we spend most of our time.

I just remembered this, but if you can drive about 10 minutes north on Ocean Blvd. to the Bal Harbor Shops, there's a tremendously popular and very good Italian restaurant there called "Carpaccio" (hope I spelled it right). It's great for both lunch and dinner, but allow time to wait for a table.

mclaurie

The Bal Harbor mall is gorgeous but if you're visiting South Beach area, I'm not sure it makes sense to go up there to eat, especially if you want to do more wandering after lunch.

bocacpa

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Will let you know if anything at the edges of the 'bell shaped curve" happen - either v. good or v. bad.

Steve

travfirst

bookmarking

TC

I did the Art Deco walking tour of South Beach and it was fascinating. Not at all commercial, the tour is given by local volunteers. You will walk through some of the stunning old hotels and get the history of the buildings and the area. It isn't a very long tour, so still plenty of time for lunch after. Well worth the investment.

http://www.artdecotours.com/

TC

Sorry....the above web site is a private tour operator. I took the one below done by the Art Deco Historical Society.

Art Deco District Tours
Ninety minute guided walking tours of the Art Deco Historic District are offered every Wednesday thru Sunday. Conducted by local historians and architects to provide an introduction to Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and the Miami Beach Architectural Historic Distric
Location: MDPL Art Deco Welcome Center 1001 Ocean Dr. Miami Beach Art Deco District/South Beach - Corner of 10th and Ocean Drive

Website: www.mdpl.org

TravellingDaniel

Definitely do Vizcaya as you can't go wrong. It's a lovely property with beautiful gardens, and a lot of history. As for South Beach, I would definitely recommend the Lincoln Road Mall. It's a gorgeous outdoor mall with numerous shops, cafes, eateries, etc... overall a great place to see the typical South beach residents and locals.

Ocean drive is good to walk down as all the boutique hotels and restaurants are located there, and you are right off the beach so you can walk along the paths or water if you prefer. www.colorfulplaces.com has an easy to navigate Miami section under Travel Guides for a lot more info if you want to better plan. Once you drive drive down to Miami Beach though, tour the small island in car and decide once down there what area you want to stay in.