Things to Do in Miami under $30, Miami, Florida (B)

Whenever I see big red tour buses sitting in traffic in Miami, I wonder, “What the hell do tourists do here?” As someone who grew up in Miami, I had done very little “tourist” things there until I moved away. Now when I return to visit, I try to check out as many of the museums, parks, and other sights that I neglected my whole life. For the cost of a meal in town, you can visit any of these Miami tourist destinations.

One of the things you tend to take for granted living in Miami is the tropical climate. But a fun treat for visitors from colder parts of the world is to check out the exotic flowers and trees of South Florida. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden features all the palm trees you can imagine, a Flowering Tree Arboretum, and the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House, where you’ll find flowers you’ve probably never heard of, some hailing from South Florida, others as far as Africa. It’s an attraction full of butterflies and ripe fruit.

Vizcaya is the former villa turned museum of industrial businessman James Deering. Vizcaya is one of South Florida’s most beautiful attractions loved even by locals as a site for event photography. The property features Italian Renaissance architecture and elaborate gardens. This guy basically took everything you would otherwise be impressed with in Europe and imported it to Miami. The main house has original furniture and art in the villa’s reception rooms, library, and dining room along with rotating art exhibits. The gardens sitting against Biscayne Bay will make you feel like you’re in Venice without ever leaving the US. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).