The arts in Miami are always in season with theater, dance, art, and music. The cultural scene here continues to grow with the breadth and sophistication of a world-class city.
Theater
The Miami Beach Broadway Series always brings vibrant plays and musicals to the Jackie Gleason Theater. In Coral Gables, the restored Miracle Theatre hosts Actors’ Playhouse. Drama, music, and comedy set the stage for The Coconut Grove Playhouse, plus more theater groups emerge daily in South Florida, among others GableStage, Area Stage Company, New Theatre, and Teatro Avante.
Dance
Miami City Ballet is well known for blending classical ballet with the avant-garde. Other resident dance companies such as Freddick Bratcher & Company, Mary Street Dance Theatre, and Momentum Dance Company reflect cultural diversity with fresh, daring choreography.
Music
The Florida Philharmonic continues its tradition of excellence with Musical Director James Judd, as well as many surprising guest stars. The New World Symphony, under Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas, offers a wide array of musical programs ranging from orchestral and chamber music concerts to special festivals of Mozart and Sibelius.
Recognized for its excellence by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Miami Symphony Orchestra presents high-quality symphonic music. The Concert Association of Florida, the state’s largest presenter of world-renowned classical orchestras, musicians, and dance companies, features a spectacular lineup. Florida Grand Opera presents a wide variety of works with first-class international performers.
Museums & Landmarks
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
101 West Flagler Street, Miami-Dade Cultural Center, downtown Miami, 305-375-1492.
Exhibitions and displays interpreting 10,000 years of South Florida’s fascinating history. The museum also offers historic tours of Miami’s most interesting neighborhoods.
Open 10am-5pm Monday through Saturday, noon-5pm Sunday and 10am-9pm Thursday.
Holocaust Memorial
1933 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, 305-538-1663.
Sculptor Kenneth Triester’s conception of the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. This poignant monument features a photographic mural of the death camps and a Memorial Wall with the names of victims.
Guided group tours available. Open 9am-9pm daily. Free admission.
Lowe Art Museum
1301 Stanford Drive, University of Miami campus, Coral Gables, 305-284-3535.
This museum houses a permanent collection that includes Old Masters, Oriental, American Indian, African, and contemporary art.
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 10am-5pm, Thursday noon-7pm, Sunday noon-5pm.
Miami Art Museum – MAM
101 West Flagler Street, Miami-Dade Cultural Center, downtown Miami, 305-375-3000.
MAM’s exhibitions focus on the art of the Western Hemisphere from 1940 to the present.
Open Tuesday through Friday 10am-9pm, third Thursday 10am-9pm; Saturday and Sunday noon-5pm.
Miami Museum of Science – Planetarium
3280 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, 305-646-4200.
Associated with the Smithsonian Institution, featuring hands-on interactive exhibits. Its Wildlife Center rehabilitates injured birds of prey and reptiles and showcases live and exotic animals. The Planetarium presents daily shows, laser spectacles, and free telescopic viewing of the sky.
Admission includes Planetarium shows and Wildlife Center. Open daily 10am-6pm.
Museum of Contemporary Art – MoCA
Joan Lehman Building, 770 NE 125 Street, North Miami, 305-893-6211.
Collecting art museum focusing on contemporary artists. Offers provocative and innovative exhibitions.
Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm, Sunday noon-5pm. Children under 12 free.
Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida
301 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, 305-672-5044.
This beautifully restored Art Deco building served as a synagogue for Miami Beach’s first congregation and is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The core exhibit is “MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida 1763-present”.
Open 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday. Free on Saturdays. Closed Mondays and Jewish holidays.
The Wolfsonian
1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, 305-531-1001.
A vast collection of European and American art, containing more than 70,000 objects created from 1885 through 1945.
Open Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm; Sunday noon-5pm. Closed Wednesday.
