From high-octane party hubs to upcoming art areas and exclusive costal enclaves, there are dozens of cool and colourful districts to explore while on a Miami yacht charter.
Miami is well-known for its blazing nightlife and sun-drenched beaches, but the city has a lot more to offer. As each neighbourhood has its own unique character, there is something for everybody, no matter whether your interests lie in shopping, eating or art and design.
Read on to find out discover seven of the coolest neighbourhoods worth stepping ashore for while visiting the so-called Magic City by superyacht.
Venturing ashore, your first port of call is likely to be South Beach. Occupying less than two square miles on the tip of Miami Beach, SoBe – as it’s also known – fulfils many preconceptions of what makes Miami, Miami: miles of dazzling white sand, beautiful bronzed people and unbridled nightlife.
Life unfolds here, on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, 24 hours a day. High-energy partying goes hand-in-hand with ultra-relaxing afternoons on the beach and then there is the passionately preserved pastel-hued Art Deco architecture, which embodies every permeation of the movement.
North of downtown, Wynwood was once an industrial hub and working-class community, but its flourishing arts scene and burgeoning textile businesses has transformed this neighbourhood in just a matter of years into the most happening hangout in Miami.
The area’s crowing feature is the Instagrammable Wynwood Walls, an outdoor graffiti park with murals from a roster of top street artists. Aside from an eclectic mix of galleries, Wynwood is home to a plethora of hip bars and cafes, as well as a crop of restaurants serving up cutting-edge cuisine.
The Design District is currently in the midst of a revival. Taking a cue from its northern neighbour Wynwood, the formerly downtrodden area is now a hotbed for luxurious retail stores, high-end fashion boutiques, acclaimed restaurants and art galleries.
In fact, despite only filling a grid of a mere five streets (NE 36th to NE 41st), the district has a huge influence on the arts and design scene. A major player during Art Basel, it also hosts an Art & Design Night every second Saturday and is now home to the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Miami.
Just west of Downtown lies Miami’s epicentre of Latin culture, Little Havana. Settled en masse by Cubans in the early 1960s, this zealously colourful neighbourhood is almost exclusively Hispanic with domino-playing locals, hand-rolled cigar factories and delicious smelling coffee.
The pride of the district is the famed Calle Oche strip. Placards and paintings honour Cuba’s past, cafes sell guava pastries and sandwiches known as mixtos, botanicas brim with candles and giant hand-painted roosters nod to their real-life counterparts that roam the streets here.
Cruise across Biscayne Bay and drop anchor in Key Biscayne for a white-sand refuge. To the south of Miami Beach, the barrier island is within easy reach of the city but, due to its tranquil pace and air of exclusivity, feels like a world away.
The community is sandwiched between two national parks – Crandon Park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to the south – while windsurfers, kayakers and paddle-boarders take to the azure waters. There’s also a yacht-friendly golf course.
Dubbed ‘The City Beautiful’, Coral Gables was brought to life in the early 1920s by George Merrick, who set out to create one of Florida’s most attractive cities. Southwest of Downtown, the area, with its Mediterranean influences, tree-lined boulevards and ivy-covered mansions, is still highly sought-after.
Historic features such as the iconic Biltmore Hotel and Venetian Pool add to the city’s charm, as do the jewellery merchants, bridal stores, live theatres and chic art galleries of Miracle Mile and Merrick Park’s designer boutiques and gourmet eateries.
The manicured enclave north of Miami Beach goes by the name of Bal Harbour. Luxury is evident everywhere in this upscale neighbourhood, from its perfectly groomed private beaches to the opulent high-rises, and those with the most expensive tastes are sure to be lured ashore.
Bal Harbour Shops, a beautifully landscaped alfresco shopping hub, is lined with designer boutiques, such as Chanel, Prada and Gucci, while fine dining is always on order.
For help planning a Miami yacht charter, speak to your preferred charter broker.
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