Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South Florida - a land of escaped slaves, guerilla Native Americans, gangsters, land grab-
bers, pirates, tourists, drug dealers and alligators - has a special history, and it takes a spe-
cial kind of museum to capture that narrative. This place, located in the
Miami-Dade Cul-
tural Center
, does just that, weaving together the stories of the region's successive waves
of population, from Native Americans to Nicaraguans. Get off the Metromover at the
Government Center stop.
Brickell Avenue Bridge & Brickell Key
ISLAND
Crossing the Miami River, the lovely Brickell Avenue Bridge between SE 4th St and SE
5th St was made wider and higher several years ago, which was convenient for the
speedboat-driving drug runners being chased by Drug Enforcement Administration agents
on the day of the bridge's grand reopening! Note the 17ft bronze statue by Cuban-born
sculptor Manuel Carbonell of a Tequesta warrior and his family, which sits atop the tower-
ing Pillar of History column. Walking here is the best way to get a sense of the sculptures
and will allow you to avoid one of the most confusing traffic patterns in Miami. Brickell
Key looks more like a floating porcupine, with glass towers for quills, than an island. To
live the life of Miami glitterati, come here, pretend you belong, and head into a patrician
hangout like the Mandarin Oriental Miami hotel, where the lobby and intimate lounges af-
ford sweeping views of Biscayne Bay.
Pérez Art Museum Miami
MUSEUM
seniors & students;
h
10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9pm Thu)
The Pérez can claim fine rotating exhibits that concentrate on post-WWII international art,
but just as impressive are its location and exterior. This art institution inaugurated Museum
Park, a patch of land that overseas the broad blue swath of Biscyane Bay. Swiss architects
Herzog & de Meuron designed the structure, which integrates tropical foliage, glass and
metal - a melding of tropical vitality and fresh modernism that is a nice architectural ana-
logy for Miami itself.
Gusman Center for the Performing Arts
BUILDING
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
