A Look at 6 of the Best Museums in Miami
Miami is a bustling metropolis known for its warm weather, bright lights, vibrant nightlife scene, and iconic beaches. It's much more than just a party city, however. The South Florida destination is home to an abundance of world-class arts and culture institutions, including museums highlighting the city's rich cultural heritage.
Below are six must-visit museums to check out the next time you’re in Miami.
Institute of Contemporary Art
A pillar of the Miami art scene, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is an excellent place to visit to get a sense of Miami's artistic flair, as many exhibits were created by local, Cuban-born and Latin American artists. The ICA highlights the work of emerging artists and regularly changes its exhibits. There are also works by renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, and Yves Klein.
The building itself, designed by Spanish architect firm Aranguren + Gallegos Arquitectos, is itself a modern work of art with its striking metallic façade. The atmosphere inside is quiet and intimate, and admission is free.
Coral Castle Museum
The Coral Castle Museum in Homestead, roughly 40 minutes from downtown Miami, has a unique story shrouded in mystery. You won't find any ancient artifacts here or learn about the cultural history of Miami, but the story behind the limestone structure and outdoor garden is enough reason to visit alone.
Edward Leedskalnin, a native of Latvia, is believed to have constructed the "castle" by sculpting more than 1,100 tons of sedimentary rock between 1923-51. He created slab walls, tables and chairs, a water fountain, and even a sundial. Leedskalnin embarked upon the endeavor as a tribute to his fiancée Agnes Scuffs, who left him one day before their wedding ceremony. He was reportedly just over 5 feet tall and about 100 pounds, so how he was able to move and sculpt large blocks with only hand tools remains a mystery. He apparently even spent three years moving structures 10 miles from Florida City to Homestead.
There are no surviving witnesses who saw Leedskalnin create the architectural marvel nor any records of his work—only five pamphlets that he wrote on various subjects. Scientists and engineers remain unsure as to how he created the impressive structure, and some even compare his feat of construction to the great pyramids and Stonehenge.
Pérez Art Museum Miami
Overlooking Biscayne Bay in Maurice A. Ferré Park, the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is a beautiful building designed by Herzog & de Meuron with an inviting outdoor space that includes a sculpture garden and a hanging-garden facade. One of Florida's preeminent modern art institutions, it houses a permanent collection of more than 3,000 works of 20th and 21st century art from all over the world, divided into eight galleries.
The 120,000-square-foot museum also displays exhibits based on current focal points in society as well as collections that explore the Latin American experience and the African diaspora, among other cultures.
HistoryMiami Museum
An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, HistoryMiami has in excess of 37,000 historical artifacts in exhibitions on the city's history in diverse areas, including transportation and sports. The permanent exhibition, "Tropical Dreams: A People’s History of South Florida," offers educational insight on more than 10,000 years of history in the region. The downtown museum is among the largest privately-owned regional history institutions in the southeast US. It also boasts one of the country's most comprehensive Pan American Airways memorabilia collections.
Museum guests should also check out the Visitor's Research Center to explore Miami's history through more than 1 million photos, drawings, and documents.
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Adjacent to PAMM in downtown Miami's Maurice A. Ferré Park, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is a 250,000-square-foot campus with an aquarium, state-of-the-art planetarium, and interactive educational exhibits on subjects such as the solar system, aviation, and human biology. The three-story GulfStream Aquarium features a 500,000-gallon rooftop tank with stingrays, hammerhead sharks, and mahi-mahi.
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is one of only a handful of science museums in the world with both an aquarium and planetarium, the latter of which has 250 seats and displays outer space and mesmerizing laser light shows via 16-million-color 8K projection on a 67-foot domed screen. Surround sound completes the immersive, 360-degree experience.
Miami Children's Museum
The Miami Children's Museum on Watson Island, between Miami Beach and downtown Miami, is one of the largest kids' museums in the US. The nearly 57,000-square-foot, two-story facility has 17 interactive galleries with fun exhibits that teach children about art and culture while prompting them to express their imagination and creativity. It also has an auditorium that often hosts special events, a children's art gallery, music studio, virtual aquarium, multi-sensory room, outdoor playground, cruise ship exhibit, and a construction zone dedicated to the Port of Miami. The two-story sandcastle of dreams is another highlight.