Art
Deco Historic District Tours
Miami Design Preservation League
Art Deco Welcome Center
1001 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach
(305) 672-2014
Cost: $5-$6
Walking
tours depart the Welcome Center at the Oceanfront
Auditorium 10:30am Saturdays and 6:30pm Thursdays. The
90-minute guided tours cost
$6 per person. Or, you can go at your own pace with the league's self-guided
$5 audio tour, which takes approximately 1
hour.
Private
group tours can be arranged with advance notice.
Deco
Tours of South Beach
420 Lincoln Road, Suite 412
Miami Beach
(305) 531-4465
Cost: $15
This
company offers several different walking and
shopping tours. The most popular is the
Art Deco District tour, officially sanctioned
by the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. The 90-minute
tour departs 10am Monday through Friday.
Saturday and Sunday tours require 24-hour
advance reservations.
The
Art Deco tour, led by Dona Zemo of the Miami Beach
Chamber of Commerce, takes in Ocean Drive,
Washington Avenue, Lincoln Road, Lummus Park,
Espanola Way, and the Art Deco Welcome Center.
The
tour covers the historical, architectural, and
cultural aspects of the area,
as well as deco gossip about the hottest clubs and
restaurants, where supercelebs are being spotted,
and other local tidbits.
Dr.
Paul George Tours
1345 S.W. 14th Street, Miami
(305) 858-6021
Cost: $15
Dr.
George is a history professor at Miami-Dade
Community College and past president
of the Florida Historical Society.
He leads several different walking and
boating tours of Greater Miami, as well as tours via the Metromover
and Metrorail.
Pick from the Miami River Tour, Art Deco
Tour, Miami
Cemetery Tour, or neighborhood tours of Little
Havana and Coconut Grove. The tours start
10am Saturdays and 11am Sundays at different locations, depending
on the tour. Call
for the weekend schedule and to make appointments
for custom tours.
Crimetours
407 Lincoln Road, Suite 12E, Miami Beach
(305) 358-0727
Cost: varies
Developed
originally for the Historical Museum of South
Florida, Crimetours provides customized sightseeing
tours, including an onboard video for the public. This is an offbeat historical bus and walking
tour of exotic Miami locales. Learn the true facts
about many of South Florida's unsolved mysteries,
colorful true history, and notorious crimes while
touring through beautiful neighborhoods like South
Beach and Coconut Grove.
Catch the luxury tour bus at the Dade
Cultural Center (101 W. Flagler Street, Miami).
Large
groups can be picked up at other locations.
Group rates and industry discounts available.
Reservations are a must.
Tropical
Tours
19801 SW 318th Street, Homestead
(305) 248-4181
Experience
the unique Redland Agricultural Area.
Here they grow more than 51
different commodities, from vegetables and tropical
fruits to ornamental nursery crops. Tours leave from Robert is Here Fruit Stand, located at 19200
SW
344th Street. The 2-hour tour departs at 9 am and noon on Fridays and Saturdays
and at noon on Sundays during the season (from
mid-November to mid-March). Custom tours are available.
At
the fruit stand, where the tour begins, you can get
fresh strawberry milkshakes and 40 types of tropical
fruit, including carambola and lychee.
There
are 10 flavors of honey, 100 different types of jams
and jellies, and fresh juices. In
the back is a large pen with iguanas and tortoises.
