city guides: miami

One of the country’s largest historically designated areas, the Art Deco district on the southern tip of Miami Beach is an amazingly preserved architectural wonder. Hundreds of 1930s-era hotels in shades straight out of an Easter basket line the wide boulevards, which are fringed with equal numbers of palm trees and beach umbrellas. Dozens of restaurants and bars beckon strollers-by, as does the wide, sandy beach across the street. For a guidebook or tour, visit the Art Deco Welcome Center (1001 Ocean Drive, 305-531-3484).

Though not commonly considered a repository for great art, Miami is, in fact, home to some of the most diverse and respected contemporary pieces in the world. Collectors Mera and Don Rubell opened their outstanding collection of Warhol, Basquiat, Damian Hurst and other cutting-edge artists to viewers at their family compound, a former Drug Enforcement Agency warehouse (95 NW 29th Street, 305-573-6090).

Other galleries and museums worth visiting include the Wolfsonian-FIU on Miami Beach (1001 Washington Avenue, 305-531-1001), which contains a vast assortment of international decorative arts and propaganda dating from 1885 to 1945; and the Bass Museum of Art (2121 Park Avenue, 305-673-7530), an eclectic home to art through the ages.