Official Guided Walking Tours of the Art Deco District

Tried it, loved it, arrive on time.
Tours are fun, a good value, and a great way to experience SoBe aside from all the rumrunners you’ll be swigging later.
Buy tickets online rather than in person, since their office is small and it’ll be packed.
Enjoy! Take a date or better yet, your momma! She misses you!

Something that you should definitely do if you have an evening to kill in Miami. The lights are pretty and the atmosphere is great. Lots of shops and restaurants to include in your evening as well. I would recommend walking around for sure.

We took this tour on a rather chilly day in Miami beach, and were so pleased we had done so. Our tour guide Martin was extremely knowledgable. He gave us a great historical context to the lovely Art Deco district in South Beach, and answered all of our questions. I would highly recommend this, and I’m glad the weather was uncooperative so we had time to fit this in.

Great way to see Miami and it’s architecture. 2 hours was enough not to get bored and it covered all of the major sites. Family friendly. It would be good to have more in depth historical content.

They have self guided & tour led groups. We did the self guided & it was a great combination of education on the architecture AND history of the USA in relation to the buildings & city. Def a great way to learn about SOBE buildings and its history– highly recommended!

Overall this self led tour was pretty neat. It was hard to locate some of the buildings they were talking about (I think they were under construction), but it was easy to follow, not too strenuous, and you could just go at your own pace. Biggest downside is that you definitely look like a tourist as you’re walking around with your map in one hand and mp3 device in the other. Maybe not quite worth the $ 15, but if you want to learn a little more history about the South Beach area, is one of the best ways to do it!

Wer nach Miami kommt, der sollte sich das Art Deco District nicht entgehen lassen. OK, wer nach Miami Beach geht, der kommt gar nicht um das Art Deco umhin. Aber wenn mann die Häuser so anschaut, findet man vielleicht «ganz nett». Viel wichtiger und spannender ist aber der Hintergrund der einzelnen Häuser und der ganzen Art Deco Bewegung. Das kann man entweder selber irgendwo lesen, oder aber gleich selbst erfahren.
Die Art Deco Walking Tour wird vom Tourismus Büro organisiert und ist die einzige, die auch offiziell ist. Sie startet beim Art Deco Visitors Center und dauert insgesamt 90 Minuten. Wie der Name schon sagt, wird hier gelaufen, also nicht gefahren. Aber die Tour ist sehr moderat, viele Pause und Möglichkeiten abzusitzen machen diese Tour für jeden möglich.
Auf der Tour zieht man quer durch das Art Deco Disctrict. Ebenfalls enthalten ist die Besichtigung von 3 Gebäuden von innen. Diese variieren pro Tour, es sind also nicht immer die gleichen.
Die Tour findet jeden Tag um 10:30 statt. Am Donnerstag gibt es auch eine Abendführung um 18:30. Da sieht man zwar nicht mehr die ganze Umgebung, was könnte aber passender sein als vom schrillen Neon beleuchtet zu werden, durch die das Art Decto District ja auch so bekannt wurde? :)
Während der Tour gibt es auch sehr viele interessante Hintergrundinformationen zu Miami und Miami Beach. Wie das ganze entstand und warum es so gekommen ist. Unsere Führerin war sehr freundlich, hat angenehm gesprochen so dass jeder es verstanden hat und war bestens informiert.
Diese Tour kann ich jedem empfehlen! Und das ganze kostet ja auch nur $ 10 (Studenten $ 5). Also auch bezahlbar.

A great way to learn more about the art deco buildings in South Beach. Some fantastic architecture and interiors with an informative and enthusiastic guide. $ 20 but worth it.

Since Eve C reviewed the tour back in July 2008 and said the headquarters were set up in a temporary location, I called to see where they are currently located. They are indeed still at the temporary location at 12^th & Ocean. The warm woman who answered the phone was a great help in directing me to their location once I got off the bus.
For your $ 15, you get a simple map and an iPod with the tour info. I didn’t find it difficult to use the iPod but felt the tour should really be more like an hour and half, if not more depending on how many pictures you take along the way. The tour states it can be done in an hour, ha! Only if you speed walk and don’t take pictures. I also was scribbling down almost everything that was said as well as marking the locations on the map. I did wish the stops had been labeled on the simplified map.
For instance, the first stop is the Amsterdam Hotel but if the counter woman had not told me it was the Versace Mansion, I probably would have kept going on Ocean until I found it. You are not given street addresses either, just landmarks and approximate street corners. Bringing a compass might be useful.
Still, for the most part, I found every stop tour. As I said, I think it should be updated because one of the stops, the Coral Rock House was being torn down when I walked by.
Once you’re back in the shop, you hand over the equipment and get whatever ID or credit card you left behind to hold it. I suppose they don’t want anyone to run off with their shabby earphones and much abused iPod.
The shop has a lot of knick knacks and the usual assortment of postcards to buy. I thought about buying a pill box but really had no use for it.
After touring the 12 or so stops, I thought I had became an expert on Art Deco! Or at least, actually noticing the colorful buildings and admiring them for an era long gone.

The self-​guided walking tour of the Art Deco district of South Beach is a great way to get acquainted with the wonderful art deco buildings that spot our lovely beach town.
The Miami Design Preservation League sponsors these tours, and you can pick up your iPod and headphones, along with a map, at the Art Deco Welcome Center, at 12^th & Ocean (this is the temporary location while the original 1001 Ocean Dr space is being renovated). The cost is $ 15 per person, and the tour lasts about 90 minutes, depending on how fast you walk, and whether you want to stop somewhere along the way.
I’m a fan of the self-​guided tour because you can go at your own pace, and if something just doesn’t interest you, you can skip it. The iPod contains descriptions of about 15 stops along the tour, and provides quality information about the origins of the Art Deco movement, as well as certain common Art Deco features that you will no doubt be pointing out for years to come!
The tour is great for tourists and locals alike. I’d been living down here over 3 years before I finally went on the tour, and now I recommend it to everyone who even expresses the faintest interest!
At the end of the tour, a book containing several other walking tours is described, yet it always seems to be sold out of the gift shop!