The Miami Beach Art Deco Museum is on Ocean Drive between 8th & 9th streets, in Lummus Park. We made advance reservations for their art deco tour. A visit to this museum informed us about the 3 historic design styles in Miami Beach; Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, & Miami Modern (MiMo). Scale models of select buildings gave us a closer look at the elements of these structures. The Miami Beach Visual Memoirs project recorded personal stories of those who were a part of Miami Beach's story. The museum includes a resource center, 2 rooms with rotating exhibits, and gift shop. I enjoyed all of the old postcards, photographs, maps, and even furniture from old Art Deco Miami Beach. The gift shop was larger than I remembered & items were reasonably priced. read more

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I've lived in Miami for more than a decade but yet I've never done the official Art Deco tour through the Miami Beach Preservation Society and decided to do it one weekday I was off from work. The tour occurs every weekday at 10:30 AM and is roughly around 90 minutes or so. It covers about 8 blocks or so and you stop along the way. You have to book the tour through TripAdvisor or can purchase tickets the day of in person from the Museum Welcome Center. I arrived 15 minutes early as the booking suggested and I was the first person there, so I explored the Art Deco Museum while I waited on the tour to begin. Your tour includes admission to the museum to explore throughout the day. The museum is two rooms and you can easily cover it in about 15 minutes. They provide you with headsets and are greeted by your volunteer tour guide. Mine for the day was Franzi and she was so nice and knowledgeable about the Art Deco area and was very personable. We started the tour at the the lifeguard stand behind the museum and continued on Ocean Drive and saw a number of buildings from the outside and also went in two hotels and the tour guide spoke about the significance of each of the buildings and interiors. A number of the things you could learn from reading the monuments and images inside of the museum but Franzi also provided a lot of knowledge about the area and brought everything to light. The tour was really good, and I'm glad I could finally take advantage of going on the tour! read more

Art Deco Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

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On Ocean Drive and 10th St the Art Deco Museum offers a short narrative on the art deco architecture of Miami Beach. It gives a short history and a walk down memory lane of Miami Beach's art deco. Definitely worth the short time out of your day to visit. read more

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In 1910 Carl Fisher began to transform Miami Beach into a world class resort destination. In 1916 the Miami Beach Improvement Company, founded by John Collins, platted the Oceanfront Subdivision and named the area Miami Beach. In the 1920's during Florida's land boom years, many hotels and mansions were built. The 1930's and 40's were the height of the art deco design movement inspired by Paris and many of the hotels were built in this style. By the 1970's Miami Beach was run down by neglect and salt water damage. Things were so bad that the movie Scarface used to South Beach to stand in for a drug infested ghetto neighborhood. Barbara Baer Capitman and a group of activists banded together to preserve the Art Deco buildings of South Beach. Capitman founded the Miami Design Preservation League in 1976 with Leonard Horowitz which started a movement to place one square mile of South Beach on the National Register of Historic Places. Their efforts enabled 800 of the historic Art Deco buildings to be saved. In the late 1980's South Beach had a resurgence. Models and the fashion industry moved in. An area that once had people thinking twice about driving through became home to the wealthy. Today it is walking friendly and generally low crime. The South Beach Art Deco Museum was established by the Miami Design Preservation League as public outreach from their preservation efforts. Their mission is to educate the public about the history of the Art Deco architecture through year round exhibits and special events such as lectures, films and workshops. The museum is located in the historic Art Deco Welcome Center which is in the 1954, 10th Street auditorium. The building also houses the Miami Design Preservation Leagues gift shop. Admission to the Art Deco Museum is $7 while students, military, and Miami-Dade residents are free with ID. The museum is small, only two rooms but the Miami Design Preservation League is currently trying to raise $648,000 to enlarge and upgrade the museum. I enjoyed the current exhibit, Henry Hohauser: Designing Paradise on view through October 31st. Henry Hohauser 1895-1963) was one of the most prolific early modernist architects. He designed over 300 buildings in Miami Beach, many of which are protected Art Deco landmarks. Other museum exhibits focus on the three major historic design styles in Miami Beach, Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and Miami Modern also known as MiMo. There are scale models of buildings and information about the development of Miami Beach. There is also information about the development of the City pf Miami Beach and the history of the Miami Design Preservation League. The museum includes a resource center and children's area. You can schedule informative walking tours at the Miami Art Deco Welcome Center. These include walking tours, self-guided tours, and a selection of group private tours, such as a Lincoln Road Tour and MiMo Tour. The Art Deco Museum is open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week except for select holidays. read more

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We visited on our vacay and took the tour. The guide was well informed and interesting. The tour was about 30 minutes too long on an especially hot day. Honestly, if it was available as a driving tour, I would have enjoyed it more. Be careful finding parking. We were almost late for our tour which we purchased online read more

Ladies at the front are very stuck up and snotty and rude especially the uglier one Jeremy is so much nicer. He has such passion for the District and its history And its stupid it's closes at 5 Area doesn't lighten up until 10pm would be nice to have it open then read more

The Art Deco Museum in South Beach, Miami, provided an unexpected but welcome refuge during a sudden thunderstorm. Located conveniently near the beach, it turned out to be a great place to kill time while staying dry and learning something new. Atmosphere: The museum is cozy but on the colder side, so bring a jacket. Inside, you'll find a gift shop and a small museum space dedicated to the history and characteristics of Art Deco. Exhibits: The museum features two main exhibits focusing on the cultural influence and preservation of radio waves and art deco. My favorite was the art deco portion. Those section delves into the defining characteristics of the Art Deco style. It covers how this design aesthetic helped shape Miami's architectural identity. It also showcases the role of Art Deco in revitalizing Miami, including a short film about the transformation of older buildings with vibrant pastel colors to preserve their historic value and to protect them from being destroyed to built new resorts. My favorite part was a video detailing the cultural preservation efforts of Barbara Baer and Leonard Horowitz. Experience: Cost: Admission is $7 for adults and free for students with IDs. Service: The front desk staff were very friendly and welcoming. Many people were in the lobby area to stay dry amidst the rain, and they didn't mind. Overall, while the museum is small, it's packed with detailed descriptions and history. You really need to engage with the exhibits to appreciate them. The educational aspect is strong, but if it hadn't been raining, I might have skipped it. read more

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I took a walking tour today from the museum and it was the highlight of my time in Miami! I do have an interest in architecture, but the tour featured a lot of general history and information and I think would be good for anyone. The tour begins at the museum where you receive headphones and a headset. The guide takes you around the back of the museum to give you some history of the city. Then you begin walking along Ocean Drive in the park, giving the group plenty of room to stand and admire the buildings. It's easy to hear from a decent distance from the tour guide. After leaving Ocean Drive, the tour takes a small loop before ending back at the museum. This portion of the tour is along more crowded streets and it could be possible to get a little behind. There's a couple good stops, though, that allow the group to get back together. The tour is around 2 hours, after which you can walk around the museum. Most of the information in the museum was covered in the tour, but it's nice to get some more visuals to match with the information. The tour was fantastic, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about the history of Miami Beach. read more

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We stopped by this museum to give us something to do in between lunch and meeting friends for dinner on day 2 of our mini vacay. Admission was just $7. It was a small museum, but it was fun to see history and insight into the art deco style. We visited the gift shop in hope that I could find a Miami patch. The gift shop attendant was helpful and fun. Because of my disappointment of not finding a patch, he let us try on these fun and gorgeous sun glasses! Glad we stopped by! read more

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Had a great time doing the Alice in Wonderland scavenger hunt. I wish the questions pertained more to the game than the environment. So I didn't look at the directions here since I was riding with a friend. I thought since it said art deco it would be in wynwood. Unfortunately the hunt is in Miami/south beach strip. Therefore we was hot in our costumes. I would suggest to dress comfortable and definitely wear as less clothes and possible while staying into character. I would do it again just opt for the shorts instead of pants. It probably should be promoted more with flyers in the area prior to event. As well as on Instagram. Alot of patrons stopped be asking why we was dressed up and said they wish they knew because they would have participated. I saw the event on a Facebook ad. I'm not sure where the costume contest entry was even though it stated their would be one. Other than that I wouldn't change anything. read more

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After passing by a whole mess of art deco buildings on Miami Beach, it seemed only logical that we should check out the Art Deco Museum. (It didn't hurt that admission is only five bucks. When we later attempted to go to the Erotic Museum and found out it was $30, we quickly hightailed it out of there.) The museum itself is very small and doesn't have a ton of exhibits, and the emphasis is oddly on the evolution of radio. However, I very much enjoyed the 20 or so minutes we spent there, as there are plenty of interesting facts to be gleaned from the various info boards. The staff was super helpful and friendly, too. read more

Good little museum that gives great context and meaning to a stay in Miami Beach. Monique at the desk was most helpful and really went out of her way for us. We took the walking tour the next day with Franzi and would heartily recommend both her and the tour. Probably the highlight of our stay. We visited in early December, 2024 and they had just take down a special exhibit on the connections between art deco Miami and art deco Havana. So sorry to miss it. Would love to see it made permanent. The Miami - Havana connections are fascinating. read more

While it is smaller than I expected, they pack a lot of history into the exhibits. We all know about Miami Beach and the party scene, but the history about the art deco style architecture and Carl Fisher's world famous beachfront resorts are worth a visit! Also, it is a great air conditioned break from all that's happening at the bars and restaurants across the street. It is across from The Clevelander and was $10 to tour the museum. They also have a cute gift shop with nostalgic treasures and art. read more

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Mainly a reading museum, this space still wonderfully tells the story of "how did art deco get to Miami?" which is what I had on my mind prior to this trip to Miami Beach. I learned a lot here - from the advent of the radio to the Mediterranean architectural revival to the Industrial Revolution and streamlining to art deco and MIMO (so cool, I see MiMO everywhere in The San Fernando Valley--it's quite amazing to find out this stuff traces its roots back to the Miami Modern design of the 60s-70s!!) The space itself is cool and airy, I nice respite from the heat and the energy of south beach. Come and rest a spell for $5 - worth it! read more

So worth it to see these architectural gems with a docent! Loved every minute of the 10:30 am walking tour. I'd have loved to have been able to tip my guide using something other than than cash. read more

I will say the four stars on this is largely in appreciation of the museum's mission and in recognition of the kind staff and volunteers. The art deco structures in the beach area are under threat with various legislation that will limit protections and the society running this museum is on the front lines of fighting to preserve these beautiful, iconic structures. Truthfully, as a museum, it's not the greatest museum - lots of text that's a bit of an eyesore and hard to read. I do really like though the permanent exhibit that explains the differences between the various architectural styles. But bottom line, for just $5, it's worth stopping in for some AC , support s good cause, and learn some new things. read more

Great gift shoppe and excellent place to start your Art Deco exploration of Miami Beach. read more

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Came here during a trip to Miami in Apr 2022. There was an LGBT exhibit in the front, before the Art Deco part, and that was lovely. It detailed the stories of about a dozen LGBT couples that got married in FL. The Art Deco part was very informative, even though it was just one room. It was a fun start to exploring the nearby streets. read more

So for $5, there was a lot to see here. Definitely a lot of history on Art Deco style, how Miami Beach was transformed, and other things. But it's the other things that gets a little off. They did talk a lot about Miami area history and the suffragette movement but I feel like it didn't quite mix in with the art deco theme. It was just sort of there. Maybe they were just trying to fill up space with a temporary exhibit? That's a mystery to me but I would say it was worth a visit. It was something to do and it was nice in the air conditioning on a very hot day. read more

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We took the art deco tour and museum was free. The radio exhibit was cool. Great vintage radios and interesting history. The other room was the regular art deco exhibit: lots of photos and alot of small print to read. Worth a visit if in the area. read more