Your Miami / Miami Beach CME conference.

Miami after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Miami time. Three outings suit the rest of the day: a walk through the Art Deco district in Miami Beach, a stroll along Calle Ocho in Little Havana, or an afternoon at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Vizcaya is closed on Tuesdays, so check its schedule and ticket options on its website before you commit.

Travel, accommodation and attraction admission are all arranged separately by you. The city is the setting you pick for your study days; nothing about it is bundled with the conference.

Art Deco and the Miami Beach waterfront

The Art Deco Historic District in Miami Beach lies between 5th and 23rd Streets, along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and has more than 800 preserved historic buildings. The tourism board singles out Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets as the stretch to know.

The Miami Design Preservation League runs the Art Deco Welcome Center at 1001 Ocean Drive, with a museum and a guided walking tour. The league notes that Miami Beach also has Mediterranean Revival and MiMo buildings, so you can tell the styles apart as you walk. The center is closed on some major holidays, so confirm tour times against your 2:00 PM finish.

Little Havana and Wynwood

Little Havana is described as a lively, culturally important neighborhood, and Calle Ocho as the center of the action. Places for coffee and pastries line Calle Ocho, and the page mentions murals and large painted roosters. At Máximo Gómez Park, better known as Domino Park, locals play dominoes; games are usually for members, but visitors can watch from the benches. Viernes Culturales, a monthly street festival, has run here since 2000, so check its date if you want to plan around it.

The Wynwood district’s own site covers the Wynwood Walls mural museum, street art, retail, restaurants and events, and it has a separate mural notification page, so check what is on before you go. Treat Wynwood and Little Havana as two separate afternoons rather than one long one.

Gardens, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables

Vizcaya is at 3251 South Miami Avenue. Its Main House can be visited and toured, the formal gardens blend Italian design with South Florida’s tropical climate, and the East Terrace overlooks Biscayne Bay. Behind-the-scenes tours are listed and the page says space is limited, so reserve early.

Nearby neighborhoods suit a slower afternoon. The tourism board calls Coconut Grove the city’s oldest neighborhood, with a bayside setting and a bohemian feel. Coral Gables is known for Mediterranean-style architecture, banyan-shaded streets, Miracle Mile shopping and the Venetian Pool.

Quieter stretches north of South Beach

The tourism board describes North Beach as a quieter part of Miami Beach, with a boardwalk, historic hotels, MiMo architecture and restaurants. Farther north, Surfside is called a quiet oceanfront community with a beach path, shops and parks, and Bal Harbour Village is described as a tranquil enclave of shops and white sand beaches. Sunny Isles Beach is known for its hotels, dining and a fishing pier. Choose one of these if you want a calmer base than Ocean Drive, and check the map for how far it sits from your check-in area.

A day toward the Everglades

Everglades National Park offers paddling, hiking and ranger-led programs, and the park’s visit-planning page says to come prepared for heat and mosquitoes. The park’s entrances and visitor centers are listed on its website; check which one you are heading to before you set out.

The park sits in one of the most active hurricane areas in the country, and all or part of it may close before, during or after severe weather. Check current conditions with the park on the day.

When to visit Miami

The National Park Service describes a winter dry season from about December to mid-May, with low humidity, and a summer wet season from about mid-May to November, with temperatures into the low 90s Fahrenheit and frequent thunderstorms. At Royal Palm in Everglades National Park, average highs range from 78 degrees in January to 92 in August, and the wet season gets the majority of the year’s rainfall. Miami’s tourism board says to expect light showers almost daily in summer, usually lasting about ten minutes, and that beach sandals get some use even in midwinter. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Getting to Miami and your study setting

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the arrival point shown in this guide. The tourism board lists an airport area and Doral as places to stay, alongside Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and downtown. Choose your accommodation and ground transport with your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.