This Italianate Palace was actually built at the beginning of the twentieth century even though it looks much, much older!

A really interesting place to visit with its architecture and elaborate detail – and fascinating to try and work out just how they managed to make it look so genuinely 16th century.

The beautifully landscaped gardens compliment the style and offer a nice respite from the bustling city of Miami around.

3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL

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Smallish, but discerning museum. Permanent collection includes one Botticelli/Ghirlandaio altarpiece, some 19th-century tapestries, and - apparently - some Rubens. Also a very interesting room of 18th-century English portraiture. Rotating exhibitions also very interesting; in January 2006 they had a great set of paintings by a Chilean artist.

2121 Park Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets), Miami Beach, Florida 33139; tel: 305 673 7530; fax: 305 673 7062; www.bassmuseum.org/

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More than a museum, more a way of life for Mr Wolfson who travelled the globe collecting artifacts from 1895 to 1945 and then didn't have a place to put them. So he built a museum. Seeing it all together gives real insight into the most interesting 50-year period in the 20th century. Great stuff in the gift shop.

1001 Washington Avenue at the corner of 10th Street, right in the middle of South Beach.
www.wolfsonian.org

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Just a ten-minute walk from the beach, bars and shops you’ll find one of the world’s most impressive Holocaust memorials. I’ve seen many world war two monuments, but the Holocaust Memorial at Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, is truly breathtaking.

Arriving at the Memorial, the bronze arm and hand reaching for the sky immediately strike you. On the arm you’ll see life-sized sculptures depicting the horrified victims of the Holocaust, their terrifyingly realistic expressions causing you to shiver all over.

Opposite the monument one can see a black granite wall on which the history of the Holocaust is narrated through photographs and text. To go from the monument to this impressive wall, you’ll walk through a tunnel made from Jerusalem stone, in which the names of the infamous death camps are written.

Throughout the whole memorial, black walls are engraved with the names of approximately 25,000 Holocaust victims. These names have been put forward by their descendants and the remaining blank walls leave room for more names to be added.

You cannot leave Miami without having seen the Holocaust Memorial.

The Holocaust Memorial, 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue,
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Phone: +1 305 538 1663
www.holocaustmmb.org

Open 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily
Free admission - Donation accepted

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A good place to go if you want a bit of education after too much sunbathing and celeb spotting. Loads of hands on exhibtions for kids. Best of all is the Planetarium, which boasts a star projector that recreates the night sky from any point on Earth. There's also laser shows and an observatory to visit.

3280 South Miami Avenue, Miami; tel: 305 646 4200; www.miamisci.org/index.html

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One of America's early multi-millionaires built it, lived in it, and brought back millions of dollars worth of furniture and art from Europe to decorate it. It's worth the price of admission to see how rich people lived in those days. Sly Stallone used to own the house next door.

3251 South Miami Avenue
Take I-95 all the way to the end where it becomes Route 1 and follow the signs. You can probably book ahead.
www.vizcayamuseum.org

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