Miami Beach: A Sunny Stroll through its History and Architecture

Miami Beach hasn’t always been the glamorous tourist destination it is today. Less than 150 years ago, it barely existed at all.

This walking tour starts at the Miami Beach sign and follows the beachfront before turning onto Ocean Drive. Along the way, you’ll hear all kinds of stories, including how Julia Tuttle persuaded Henry Flagler to extend his railroad south, helping spark the development of Miami and Miami Beach.

From Ocean Drive, you’ll head inland through Collins Avenue, home to Miami’s oldest bar, Mac’s Club Deuce, and Washington Avenue, where you’ll see the Old Clay Hotel. As you walk, you’ll see how Miami Beach has repeatedly reinvented itself – from a 1920s holiday playground, to a World War II military base, to a fading retirement spot, and eventually into the neon-lit destination it’s known as today. The tour ends on Española Way.

On this 60 minute walk, you’ll have a chance to:

• Take a look at the Colony Hotel’s steel corner windows and neon marquee, a design that helped define the Streamline Moderne look on Ocean Drive
• Stand outside the Versace Mansion, where Gianni Versace was shot on the front steps in 1997
• Hear how Ocean Drive’s Art Deco hotels were once repurposed as military barracks during World War II
• Stop by the 13th Street Lifeguard Tower, one of the most photographed on the beach
• Visit Mac’s Club Deuce, Miami Beach’s oldest bar, which has changed very little since 1964
• Learn how Al Capone ran gambling operations from what is now Esmé Miami Beach

Few cities have reinvented themselves as dramatically as Miami Beach. This tour shows you exactly how it happened.