Miami-Vacations: A 1 to 3 Day Itinerary Overview

Blessed with year-round mild climates and unrivaled ocean access, America’s southernmost resort city is also a sought-after international recreation destination. Miami caters to action-oriented visitors from around the globe with some of the world's top golf, tennis and sporting facilities. Add sparkling waters that are a magnet for boating enthusiasts, fishermen, divers and water sports aficionados to the equation and it is easy to see why Miami is a number one choice for active travelers of all ages and skill levels. But where to start? Miami’s streets are often busy, some of its attractions often attract crowds, and a few days can leave more to choose from than you have time to include, so knowing the active options in advance—and how to manage your time and movements—is essential Miami planning. Making the best use of what time you have by knowing where your points of interest are can help you save more of your energy for the activities this city offers.

In the face of Miami’s ocean vistas and lush landscapes, man-made attractions are hard-pressed to show deference to nature. Even so, the artistry exhibited at these created sites gives beaches and sun worshiping a run for their money. Foremost among them is James Deering’s 1916 winter estate, Vizcaya, which was painstakingly designed to mimic authentic Italian villas. Another icon from the era, Denman Fink’s Venetian Pool, is a fantasy of grottos, waterfalls and Mediterranean architecture constructed around an abandoned rock quarry. Charting more recent history are the Holocaust Memorial, whose enormous bronze hand hints simultaneously at hope and despair, and the Wolfsonian, which tracks the contemporary relationship between design and civilization in terms of culture, commerce and politics. Another tension – that of nature versus human intervention – gets a measure of reconciliation at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, where a rainforest and arboretum highlight gorgeous, warm-weather specimens. In addition, entertaining Parrot Jungle Island delights visitors with its residents’ exotic plumage before surprising them with the birds’ carefully choreographed performances and raucous calls.