The Official Art Deco Walking Tour by The Miami Design Preservation League
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Miami, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get to know the Art Deco history of Miami Beach with a guided walking tour. Learn about local architecture and heritage from a Miami Design Preservation League guide. See a wide range of Art Deco architecture in Miami Beach and hear stories about the history and preservation of this protected district. Tours include admission to the Art Deco Museum and Gift Shop.
- See Miami Beach’s famous Art Deco architecture with a guide
- Maximize time in the Miami Beach Art Deco Historic District
- Learn about the architecture and preservation from an expert
- Admission to the Art Deco Museum is included with the tour
What's Included
- Admission to the Art Deco Museum and Gift Shop
- Guide
- Headsets are given for the duration of the tour
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Art Deco Welcome Center1001 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA
ARRIVE 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO TOUR DEPARTURE FOR CHECK- IN
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.10:30 am
Itinerary
1
The Official Art Deco Gift Shop
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Some buildings may have limited wheel chair accessibility.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,720 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
AkilSerdar_K, Jul 2026
Excellent tour. Miami Beach is like open air museum and our guide Howard was excellent showing us around and answering all our questions. Ticket also includes visit to art deco museum in the park which includes really cool informations about development of Miami beach and art deco over time. And they have great gift shop you can find a lot of cool stuff
Justin_M, Jun 2026
While the tour itself is very interesting and well researched, we were disappointed by our tour guide Missy. She was very long winded, rambling, and not an engaging storyteller. While it’s listed as 90-120 minutes, ours was 145. I appreciate that she got us in shade or air conditioning as much as possible but we barely covered a 3 block radius which was underwhelming when there’s so much to see in South Beach. Also there’s a $10 up charge on Viator vs directly booking with the tour company.
Ana_B, May 2026
Julie was outstanding, so knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend this tour. If you are interested in Art Deco and historical context surrounding that architectural style this tour is very insightful.
Ellen_B, May 2026
Julie is a walking encyclopedia of Miami Beach history. She is very feisty! I highly recommend her. You get much more than you pay for.
Chris_P, May 2026
Very knowledgeable and interesting tour guide. Learned a lot about the Miami Beach area and preservation efforts. Art Deco museum was also quite interesting.
Maddie_M, May 2026
The tour guide (Jonathan? Or a similar name) was very informative, but tended to go on long stream of consciousness and you would get lost in his words. He spent almost too much time talking and for it being labeled a "walking tour" we maybe only went down two blocks. He only pointed out 4-5 buildings and would point to them from afar and talk about the details instead of stopping right in front of the building. His information was interesting, but not all of it was relevant or beneficial for us because he made it about himself and his travels or interests. Sadly, I wish I didn't spend the $40 and just walked it myself because I would have seen a lot more of the strip.
Debby_R, Apr 2026
Well informed guide with great pacing and just the right mix of architecture and history. Enjoyable experience
James_S, Apr 2026
What an interesting tour. Lots of architectural information and history of South Beach. This area is so unique, you truly feel you are in a singular place in the US. Thanks for the informative tour!
Charlene_W, Apr 2026
Very insightful. We learned a lot about the time period and art deco. Guide was friendly and knowledgeable
Leslie_S, Apr 2026
Excellent tour! Comprehensive and interesting information about the Art Deco era & buildings over the years. Highly recommend.
Marie_D, Mar 2026
Our Guide (I think her name was Misty) was excellent! She was so knowledgeable about the area, the history, and the buildings. It was clear to see she loves Art Deco architecture and her enthusiasm was infectious.
Mark_C, Mar 2026
An outstanding tour in every way. Full of information and history about Miami Beach. The guide brought a lot of personal detail and passioninto her stories. No criticisms, and one hopefully constructive comment: please move during the discussions, standing in one spot can be very tiring.
Josh_C, Mar 2026
This was one of the best walking tours we have ever been on . Star of the show , other than the fascinating buildings which we saw, was undoubtedly our guide Rick . He was so enthusiastic , informative and entertaining - a real showman who kept us interested throughout the 2 1/2 hours which seemed to fly by .Brilliant !
Paula_I, Mar 2026
This is an amazing tour. Our tour guide Barbara was very knowledgeable not only about the architecture but the history of South Beach as well. I highly recommend this tour. The Miami Design Preservation League tour is the way to go for sure.
AllenC_M, Mar 2026
Howard Brayer is an excellent tour guide. His knowledge of the history of South Beach and its architecture is outstanding. During the tour, we would stop at a shady spot and he would provide more information with photos of the area.
Candice_F, Mar 2026
Super knowledgeable guide! He was great! Lots of interesting information. Had a great time! Weather was also great so added to the fun experience
Mary_K, Mar 2026
Very interesting and informative tour. Missy, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I highly recommend!
Allison_W, Feb 2026
Really informative, learned tons about the history and architecture of Miami Beach! Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the subject. Not an overwhelming amount of walking with plenty of stops :)
Danielle_Y, Feb 2026
Gina was fabulous! Funny very knowledgeable. Museum employees were very friendly! The ear phones really helped with hearing.
Jessica_B, Feb 2026
Rick was great !! The staff accommodated me a day early!
I really enjoyed the dining recommendations- would have enjoyed more about how locals navigate going to the beach, having a meal , who works in town, how locals feel about tourists
Katelyn_K, Feb 2026
To be fair, I’m an architectural historian so I knew a fair amount about Art Deco before the tour. However, I was really disappointed with the amount of exposure we got to Art Deco buildings through this experience. On the walk to the visitor center, we walked by rows and rows of amazing Art Deco architecture - I was excited for the tour and wanted to learn more about Miami’s unique relationship to this style! But then the tour started and after 45 minutes we had been standing in front of the same 3 buildings. Our tour guide randomly crossed the street multiple times in traffic and encouraged attendees to do the same, never once warning people to watch or asking them to get out of the road. Some people almost collided with bicyclists and our group caused multiple traffic jams. Finally we ended up crossing paths with another tour group that had started earlier, and my boyfriend and I both jumped ship to join the other group. The second tour guide was much more knowledgeable and considerate about the logistics of walking with a group. In just the 30 or so minutes we were with the second group, we saw a lot more and even re-visited some of the same sites we went to with the first group.. and learned a LOT more! So ultimately, I think the takeaway was that your guide makes a big difference on this tour. Our second tour guide was Howard, and he was a gem!
amy_W, Feb 2026
Paula was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable, with lots of interesting stories and facts. I learned a lot about the history of Art Deco architecture, saw some wonderful examples and enjoyed a beautiful morning doing so.
Shoshana_H, Feb 2026
Barbara was a fantastic tour guide. She had a fascinating background and was extremely knowledgeable. Tour made me like Miami Beach more.
Brenda_P, Feb 2026
This was a great tour that gave insights into art deco and how it influenced, and was influenced by social trends. Barbara gave a great tour and was very knowledgeable about the architecture, but also grew up in Miami Beach and could talk about the evolution to the area from a personal perspective. We loved being able to go inside some of the hotels! Highly recommended!
Evalyn_A, Feb 2026
Fabulous tour. Was an easy walk and got to see both outside of buildings and inside some as well. Was worth the price to get the history of art deco in south beach and to learn about the evolution of the area.
Kaley_B, Jan 2026
Julie led an informative and detailed tour on the history of Miami Beach as we know it. She was funny, knowledgeable, and overall just an excellent guide in terms of decade-by-decade Miami Beach history. She shared a ton about architecture and design details and where Miami stands in the world of art deco. She showed specific examples of the different types of buildings (modeled after New York, LA, etc) and how they have changed in the last century. She referenced owners, where they came from, and local preservation laws. I learned so much and loved it, even though it rained for almost the entire three hours. She tried to keep us dry and part of that was showing us the lobby of the Wolfsonian, which I went to afterwards and also recommend. She shared local businesses with us and encouraged us to frequent them. She seems embedded in the community and really cares about the buildings. It wore off on her audience!
Aidan_B, Jan 2026
Julie was an extremely engaging, passionate, and knowledgeable tour guide. We learned so much about Miami Beach and art deco that will change the way we look at cities! Plus a great gift shop. Definitely recommend. Only comment is that it ran about 30 mins longer than stated, so plan accordingly.
cristianomolha, Jan 2026
The tour was interesting and factual. Definitely worth the money!
Our tour guide was very passionate about art deco and Miami.
Roberta_S, Jan 2026
Our volunteer, Howard, was excellent! He had a wealth of knowledge. He spoke loudly and clearly and repeated everybody's questions before he answered. Fortunately, the weather held out for a walk to various art deco sites, including the gorgeous interior lobby of a particular art deco hotel. This tour is a must in South Beach!
Diana_J, Jan 2026
Not a long walk if you're concerned about that. But quite a bit of standing. The guide was very knowledgeable about the history and the styles of architecture and much of the things that I was very interested in hearing about.
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