South Beach Miami

Lifeguard Stands on SoBe

World famous South Beach - called SoBe by locals - is known for its spectacular nightlife, fine dining, Art Deco area, trend-setting design influence, annual hosting of MTV award shows and -- of course -- its beautiful beach. As its name suggests, South Beach is the section of Miami Beach that defines the lower part of the peninsula. With hundreds of nightclubs, restaurants and oceanfront hotels, today's South Beach is considered to be one of the most popular hotspots in the U.S.

Visitors immediately taste its international flavor as sidewalks echo not only English, but also Spanish and German languages. As it becomes a favorite European tourist destination, South Beach has become tolerant of the European custom of topless sunbathing, particularly at Lummus Beach. Despite the occasional topless sunbather, most of South Beach's sand is open to the public.

The Art Deco architecture in South Beach represents rebirth in the 1930's after the tragic hurricane of 1926. Art Deco is an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism characterized by geometric and jumbled shapes. Nautical accents like railings and porthole windows are sometimes added. Aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer and inlaid wood are some of the materials used in Art Deco architecture.

Art Deco architecture can be appreciated in many of the hotels that line Ocean Drive. The Clevelander, the Congress Hotel, the Colony Hotel, the Hotel Victor, along with many other buildings that dot the South Beach skyline, are built in the Art Deco style. Although some of the earlier buildings such as the New Yorker Hotel were lost to developers before 1980, many others were preserved thanks to the efforts of a group of activists. The activists persevered to add South Beach to the National Register of Historic Places as a complete unit. To this day South Beach boasts the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world.

Places to Stay in South Beach

South Beach is one of the best places in Florida to stay for the scenery alone and I'm talking about the hotels as well as the beach. Known for it's Art Deco area some of the hotels there are a walk in a past age. Some popular Deco hotels are the Colony, the Clinton Hotel and Spa South Beach and the National and Cadet Hotels. The Loews Miami Beach Hotel is right on the beach in the Art Deco area. Collins Ave. and Ocean Ave are considered to be the heart of the area and are lined with many hotels and resorts such as the Catalina and Blue Moon Hotels. If you feel like a little pampering stay at the Chesterfield Suites and Day Spa or the Royal Palm South Beach Resort. Some more Deco hotels are the Starlite Hotel, Hotel Shelley, the Palms South Beach and the Claridge hotel all located near the shopping, clubs, restaurants and sandy beach that make South Beach an international destination and hot spot.
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Great Dining In SoBe.

With beautiful weather all year round and colorful people to watch everywhere, sidewalk dining is all the rage in South Beach. World-renowned chefs flock to the South Beach area to serve diners an eclectic mix of international fare. Taking a stroll down the beach brings you within arm's reach of alluring cuisine set out for display. During off-peak months, restaurants compete with happy hour specials; it's possible to find not only two- for-one drinks but two-for-one dinners as well.

The restaurant scene has a rich history in South Beach. In 1913, Hungarian Joe Wiess relocated to South Beach from New York for health reasons. He opened a small lunch counter called Joe's Stone Crab and began to make his own history serving Al Capone and his friends. Today Joe's is known not only for its stone crab, but also for fresh fish, potato dishes, special cole slaw and world famous Key Lime Pie. Some other excellent venues for seafood are Nemo and Grillfish Restaurant. If you're looking for French or Italian cuisine, try Spiga, Cafe Prima Pasta, Tuscan Steak, or La Sandwicherie (also a good vegetarian restaurant). You can have a Latin culinary experience at Puerto Sagua or El Rancho Grande. For informal dining, try Rascal House deli. South Beach sushi reigns at Sushi Samba Dromo. No matter where you dine, South Beach offers adventurous cuisine and romantic atmosphere.

The party in SoBe never ends; clubs in this area stay open way past the wee hours. Just two streets off the beach, Washington Avenue is packed with some of the world's largest and most popular nightclubs, including Crobar and The Mansion.

Chill and relax at the SoBe Sandbar.

For a taste of Rio on the beach, try Mango's Tropical Cafe on Ocean Drive. A Latin or Reggae band plays at Mango's most nights of the week.

The party at Mac's Club Deuce on 14th Street started in 1926 and is still going strong. Score and Funktion are two more places to check out when you head up to the Lincoln Road area. So go ahead, venture out! You'll find lots of places to dance and party until dawn.

Amidst the usual shops for t-shirts, mugs and beach towels you'll find familiar names like Benetton, Guess and Polo Sport Ralph Lauren. You can also shop at Richie Swimwear for beachwear or Club Monaco for trendy threads to hit the town. Kenneth Cole has fabulous handbags and you can complete your look with makeup, facial creams, perfume, bath salts and sunscreen at Sephora.

If you want to make a day of it, check out Lincoln Road. Running east and west between 16th Street and 17th Street, Lincoln Road is considered South Beach's premiere shopping area. Lincoln Road is a popular open-air pedestrian mall lined with boutiques, shops, retail outlets, sidewalk cafes and bars. It's also a cultural center, with a new state-of-the-art multiplex cinema, a concert hall for the New World Symphony Orchestra, the Art Center South Florida (a collection of studio and gallery space for emerging artists), and the newly restored Colony Theater performing arts center.

To accommodate shoppers, Lincoln Road is now closed to automobile traffic between Washington Avenue and Lenox Avenue. This renovated area has a trendy new appeal; both the latest fashions and a steady stream of street performers entertain shoppers. Not surprisingly, Lincoln Road is now one of the most popular destinations for visitors to South Miami Beach.

Henry and Charles Lum bought South Beach in 1870 to start a coconut farm; they built the first house here in 1886. In 1894 the Lum brothers left the area and control of their plantation to John Collins. Collins, along with Carl G. Fisher and the Lummus Brothers, started developing the area in the 1910's. Their vision was an oceanfront city of modest single family homes. On March 26, 1915 the three partners incorporated the town of Miami Beach. Three years later the MacArthur Causeway was completed, making Miami Beach even more assessable from the mainland.

In 1920 South Beach's main streets, 5th Street, Alton Road, Collins Avenue, Washington Avenue, and Ocean Drive were all ready for automobile traffic. Thus began the Miami Beach Land boom. Interest in Miami Beach soared, with Harvey Firestone and J.C. Penney choosing to call Miami Beach home, and President Warren G. Harding frequenting the Flamingo Hotel.

The hurricane of 1926 destroyed much of the area but it didn't take long for rebuilding to start. The distinctive architecture chosen in the 1930's would give South Beach its signature: Art Deco. By 1940, South Beach's population had grown to 28,000.

In a move that shocked the industry, Jackie Gleason brought his weekly variety show to South Beach in 1966. This brought even more notoriety to the area. During the late 70's through the 80's, South Beach became more of a retirement community as most of its oceanfront hotels and apartment buildings filled with seniors living on fixed incomes.

Drug culture also expanded in Florida during this time, along with poverty and crime. But when the popular 80's show Miami Vice began shooting in South Beach, SoBe began to turn around. By the late 80's the fashion industry had moved in, and SoBe became one the wealthiest commercial areas on the beach. It's been estimated that approximately 1,500 models live on South Beach today. It's no wonder -- the area's raw and unique visual beauty makes SoBe a great place for a photo shoot.

Today South Beach is very alive indeed -- pulsing with the beat of not only young America but of young Europe as well.