Villa Paula was constructed in 1926 to be the first Cuban consulate in Miami.  With its combination…read moreof French neo-classical architectural elements, Moorish arches and Spanish tiles, this picturesque house has a distinctive Havana flair. It is one of a handful of homes in South Florida on the register of historic places. The Villa Paula has miraculously survived the trauma of the devastating hurricane of 1926 and attempts to tear it down.  Now Lovingly restored, it is a place for discovering art treasures -- ranging from Renoir and Picasso to Wilfredo Lam and Miami's homegrown genius, the late Pervis Young. The original bucolic environment of the villa grounds is preserved in the garden with its cascades of bougainvillea and its graceful pergola, perfect for enjoying food, wine, and music. This villa is now up for sale.

What a cool building. This 1926 mansion in a neoclassical design used to be the Cuban Consulate. It…read morewas actually a Cuban building on American soil. Some people believe it is haunted by the ghost of Paula who was the wife of Cuban Consul Domingo Millord and for whom the house was named. Supposedly she died in 1932 after having one leg amputated. There are stories all over the internet claiming that this is the most haunted house in Miami. If you love the idea of owning a haunted house then you are in luck because Villa Paula is for sale for $4.5 million dollars. If you saw the neighborhood in Little Haiti you might be a little skeptical as to the price tag of this property. The house last sold in 2016 for a mere $500,000. It was used as an art gallery managed by Martin Siskind. The house is jointly owned by Martin and his brother Richard. Martin wanted to sell but Richard didn't. The dispute between the brothers has finally been settled and the mansion along with four other properties is now on the market. They are justifying the large price by saying that this is an up and coming neighborhood like Wynwood. The house is a designated historic site so it cannot be changed. It will be interesting to see what is eventually done with it. I am hoping for a museum or something in that vein that honors the history of this property.

Great little museum. It was a nice entertaining and educational visit. It's not busy on weekdays…read moreduring the morning hours so we took out time visiting the museum.

Decided to park here after seeing the giant Botero sculptures outside, unsure if this was a sales…read moregallery or museum. There were two guys painting outside so we asked if we could leave our car there and enter, and they said "absolutely". We were buzzed in and greeted at the front by a lady who was sitting at the front desk. We were unsure if we needed to pay or not but she just told us we could walk around. Inside we were able to see art from different artists from all countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Cuba and Germany! There was a lot of art from Botero and Wilfredo Lam. It was really cool to be able to walk around freely and see all of the sculptures and paintings. We were the only people in there, aside from the employees. A hidden gem!

Standing on the corner of Main Hwy and Charles Avenue in Coconut Grove is a gorgeous Mediterranean…read moreRevival building designed to resemble a Spanish Rocco Palace from the 1920's that has been abandoned. This is the Coconut Grove Playhouse. It was once the epicenter of the Miami theater scene. It opened on January 3, 1927 as part of the Paramount movie theater with a D.W. production of Satan of Sorrows. The 1,130 seat theater was designed by architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott. It was built by Miami local realtors Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Albert Peacock served as the contractor. The building originally had seven stores on the first floor, ten offices, on the second floor, and a third story of apartments. It was the second movie theatre on the east coast of Florida to be air conditioned. It also had the largest Wurlitzer organ in the United States. Although now blue, the original color of the building was sienna. In the 1930's the theater closed due to the Florida land boom bust, an economic downturn caused by two hurricanes and the Great Depression. During WWII the theater found new purpose as a school to train Air Force navigators. After the war the building was again closed until 1955 when George Engle, an oilman spent one million dollars on the theater to remodel it to accommodate the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami's first live theater. The renovated theater reopened on January 3, 1956, with the U.S. premiere of Samuel Beckett's existential play, Waiting for Godot starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell. Financial success eluded Engle in the ensuing years and the theater again closed in 1960. Producer Zev Buffman bought the building in March 1966 for more than $1 million. In 1970, former actor Eddie Bracken and his associates purchased the building. When Bracken's group failed to pay its debts, the Playhouse was sold at auction at the county courthouse. Arthur Cantor and Robert Fishko purchased the theater, and opened it for the 1971-72 winter season. Cantor and Fishko sold their interests in 1977. In 1980 the State of Florida became the owners. In 2004 the title was transferred to the Coconut Grove Playhouse LLC Inc. Through the years many famous people have performed at the theater including Jessica Tandy, Tallulah Bankhead, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Linda Lavin, Bea Arthur, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, and Ethel Merman. On November 22, 1996, the Late Show with David Letterman originated from the theater. In 2005 the Coconut Grove Playhouse was designated historic by the City of Miami's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. Four million dollars in debt, the theater abruptly closed in 2006. It has not been used since. In 2013 The Actors Playhouse in Coral Gables and the University of Miami were able to get inside and rescue many of the items including costumes, playbills, documents, and posters. The items are being stored at the University of Miami. The Playhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It is so sad to see this majestic building with so much history shuttered. A master plan to renovate the theater was approved by Miami's Environmental and Historic Board on April 4, 2017 but it was appealed. Since then nothing has been done as the building is broken into by vagrants and allowed to rot. Miami has so many beautifully preserved historic buildings. I have faith that they will get it together eventually.

What a shame that this iconic historical building has still not been renovated, too much politics…read moregoing on as usual and meanwhile it justs rots away! Such a shame - Here is some history regarding it. The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 3, 1927, as a part of the Paramount chain. The movie house was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott. It was built by local realtors Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Albert Peacock was the contractor. The theater was renowned as the second movie theatre on the east coa It was used for a variety of shows until closing in 2006. It has not been used since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.n the 1950s George Engle, an oilman, bought it and spent over $1 million (equivalent to $47 million in 2017) in renovations having the architect Alfred Browning Parker convert it to a live theatre It reopened on January 3, 1956 with the US premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell. In the fifty years that have followed, the Playhouse has played host to many of theater's most renowned performers, including Maureen Stapleton, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Eve Arden, Tallulah Bankhead, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Linda Lavin, Bea Arthur, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Ethel Merman, and Raúl Esparza.

No wait at all on a Friday morning, and student admission is just $14 (with ID), an absolute steal…read morefor what's inside. The museum is spacious and laid out entirely on one level, with dedicated rooms devoted to major artists. My friend and I loved wandering through the spaces for Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, and Basquiat. We had been wanting to see the Yoshitomo Nara collection for a while, and it did not disappoint. It was beautifully and thoughtfully curated, easily a highlight of the visit. A fun surprise was the interactive scavenger hunt through the galleries, which ends with a sticker prize. Such a cute touch, and a nice way to engage more with the art, especially if you're going with a friend or family. One small downside is that the museum shop is pretty small and on the pricier side, though the merchandise quality is solid if you want a nice keepsake. Overall a fantastic morning out. Easy to recommend, especially for anyone into contemporary art or looking for a low-key, uncrowded weekday activity.

Very interesting budget priced museum. Very clearly signed rooms and frankly wonderful range of art…read morework supposedly from Rubell family collection. Some really good items and something for every taste of modernism. There is an independent pizza style restaurant next door which is well worth a visit as a five star museum cafe.

Absolutely the best way to spend an hour or more in this area. I'm so glad we visited. Bridgette is…read moreincredibly fun and welcoming. She made our visit that much more fun. She deserves a raise and a vacation! A really great variety of trees, orchids and wildlife. Beautiful view of Biscayne Bay. Highly recommended. Buying in advance is probably a good idea, as parking is limited, and I think it helps them accommodate everyone.

Bridgette is the absolute best!!!! Oh yeah great site to visit too! Blown away by guest services…read moreand the sideways baobab tree

Wow, this little museum blew me away…read more CBS4 recently interviewed a member of the 2506 Brigade and after viewing the segment I knew I had to visit. It is free and you can plan to spend 1-2 hours there. I parked in the lot next to the museum which apparently is not theirs but the docent gave me a parking pass, otherwise there is street parking. The building was purchased by one of the brigade members in the 80's when the property foreclosed. They will be closing in December 2023 for a major renovation and upgrade. Currently there are only 2 rooms to the museum, a large library area as you enter and the room that houses all the artifacts. There are walls of pictures, in the center those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the conflict and on the side walls, those who have passed since. The docent, Julio, as well as another employee spent a lot of time with me individually telling me about the museum, some of the veterans as well as the chronology of the conflict. I learned more during my visit than I had in school. There were 2 of the veterans at the museum during my visit. They show a 20 minute excerpt of the documentary 'Veritas' which shows interviews with brigade members. I recommend visiting the Bay of Pigs museum, and I look forward to visiting once the renovations and upgrades are complete.

This is a place that will stay with you forever. A small place close to Little Havana has many…read morepictures and the names of our soldiers involved in the Bay Of Pigs Invasion. It's a free museum that wants its guests to learn what really happened to the American soldiers that were there in 1961. If one walks in, they could glance around and leave in a few minutes without being impressed. However, we received a guided tour, and we were almost late for our next tour because we were so interested in what we were learning that we could have stayed longer. My oldest son is a freshman in college, and my twin sons are juniors in high school. Along with my wife and I learned so much in an hour and a half, it was incredible. The tour took us around the back room using the numerous pictures to fill in the stories that were being shared. The day we were there, there were three gentlemen at the museum who participated in the invasion. We heard their first hand accounts of what they encountered leading up to the invasion what happened when they were captured by Castro (plus their feelings on why they thought they were captured) and what happened in captivity plus their life afterwards. We even saw some of their pictures of these men while they were prisoners. This museum is a place to learn history that isn't taught anywhere by people who were there. It is a free couple of hours that I will remember for probably the rest of my life. Anyone in Miami with an interest in our military or history needs to go here for an hour or two. There is free parking on the side of the museum in an open grass lot. Next time my family is in Miami, we will go here again just to thank these guys for their service to our country another time. More people need to know about this place!!!!

Phenomenal experience Re-visiting one of the first museums I went to when I was a kid! I still…read moreremember that elementary school field trip & the magic it brought me! I think Museum Miami was where I fell in love with South Florida!!! It showed me soooo much beauty that was & IS in my own backyard! Going back decades later & I can still feel the same magic & joy!!!! Can't wait to return!

The Museum of Miami, formerly History Miami Museum is a special place for visitors…read more The museum displays great special exhibits and events as well as permanent collections, with 40,000 artifacts. The museum was one of eight in the United States selected to showcase the Freedom Plane National Tour of historic documents including a draft of the Constitution, the Treaty of Paris and the Articles of Association. The exhibit is on through July 5, 2026 in celebration of the nation's 250th birthday. Parking in the cultural center garage is validated for a reduced rate of five dollars.

I went to the museum February 21st as a date. It was such a great experience and all exhibits were…read moreamazing. Staff was friendly and willing to assist if you needed your photo taken. There is parking on the side of building but it gets full quickly. The parking lot across the street is convenient but pretty expensive.

We had a great time here! Each stop was interactive in some way and lots of photo moments to take!…read moreWe had a great time. I would recommend going with a group as sometimes if you want a picture together, it may be difficult to find someone right away, but usually an employee came by at some point to help with photos. We did do the additional "zero gravity" for $2. It was less zero gravity and more just turning your phone while you walk, but still fun. Overall a great time was had by two 30 something adults.