Free things I love doing in Miami

People think Miami is all yachts and designer price tags. Some of it is. But my favorite things to do here cost nothing at all, and I’ve been doing most of them since I was a kid growing up in Miami Gardens, a city in the north of Miami-Dade County.

Here’s my list for the days when the budget says “stay home” and the weather says “go outside”.

Watch the sunrise on Miami Beach

Miami Beach faces east over the Atlantic, so sunrise is the main event there. Get to the sand about 20 minutes before the sun comes up, when the sky goes from navy to peach. The beach is quiet, the water is calm, and it’s just you, the joggers and the pelicans.

Then walk the Beachwalk, the paved path that runs behind the dunes for miles, starting at South Pointe Park, at the southern tip of Miami Beach, and heading north. Walking, running and biking on it are all free.

Take an Art Deco walk

South Beach has one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world, most of them from the 1930s and 1940s. Walk Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue and look for the details: rounded corners, neon signs, porthole windows, little concrete “eyebrows” over the windows for shade, and those famous pastel colors.

It’s best early in the morning, before the crowds, or at dusk, when the neon comes on. Guided tours exist, but a self-guided walk is free, and you can stop whenever something catches your eye.

Ride the Metromover

The Metromover is Miami’s free elevated train, looping through downtown and Brickell, Miami’s downtown financial district. Sit at the front of the car and it becomes the best free skyline tour in the city. I take visiting friends on it before anything else, so they understand how the city fits together.

See the murals outside the Wynwood Walls

Wynwood, Miami’s street-art neighborhood, is famous for the Wynwood Walls, which are ticketed. But the streets around them are covered in murals you can see for free, on warehouse doors, parking garages and side walls. Go in the late afternoon for the best light. I wrote a whole guide to spending an afternoon in Wynwood if you want my route.

Window-shop in the Design District

The Miami Design District, just north of Wynwood, is full of luxury fashion houses, design showrooms and public art. You don’t have to buy anything to enjoy it. I go to study window displays, store architecture and color, which is basically homework for my label.

Look out for the public art, like the Fly’s Eye Dome, a geodesic dome based on a design by Buckminster Fuller. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, known as ICA Miami, has long offered free admission with a timed reservation, so check its website and book before you go.

Watch the dominoes in Little Havana

Little Havana, the neighborhood just west of downtown, has been the heart of Miami’s Cuban community since the 1960s. There, Máximo Gómez Park is better known as Domino Park. Older men have been playing dominoes at its tables for decades, and the click of the tiles is part of the soundtrack of Calle Ocho, the neighborhood’s main street.

Watch quietly from the edge, and ask before you take photos. Then walk along Calle Ocho to find the Walk of Fame stars on the sidewalk, honoring Latin music and film legends.

Walk The Underline

The Underline is a park being built under the Metrorail tracks, starting at the Miami River in Brickell. It has paths for walking and biking, outdoor gym equipment and sports courts. It’s where I go for an evening walk when I need to clear my head after a long day of client calls.

Bike or walk the Venetian Causeway

The Venetian Causeway connects the mainland to Miami Beach across a chain of small islands. Cars pay a toll, but walking and biking across are free, and the views of the bay and the skyline are beautiful. It’s flat, so it’s an easy ride, but bring water: there’s not much shade.

Spend a day at a public beach

This one’s obvious, but it’s worth saying: Miami’s public beaches are free. On weekends, go early for an easy spot. Bring your own shade, water and snacks, and from late spring to early fall, keep an eye on the sky in the afternoon, when thunderstorms can roll in fast.

My free-day checklist

• A refillable water bottle (the heat is real all year)
• Sunscreen and sunglasses
• Comfortable shoes
• A light layer for air-conditioned museums
• A small snack, so hunger doesn’t spend your money for you

If you’re planning a trip and want to see what a full day here looks like for me, take a look at A Day in Miami. And if you try any of these, tell me about it in the chat. I’m always collecting new free favorites.