10 Best Museums and Galleries in Miami

The Institute of Contemporary Art was created to promote contemporary works from artists all over the world as well as to foster creativity and showcase emerging and local artists. The stunning contemporary art museum is located in the Miami Design District, 20 minutes from the heart of city centre Miami. The museum’s permanent collection is focused on new talent and prominent artists, such as William Copley, Jose Antonio Hernandez Diez, Jim Hodges, and Gabriel Orozco. It also offers workshops and programming for artists, dance and theatre performances, and rotating exhibitions.

The Perez Art Museum Miami is a contemporary art museum that contains important works from the Americas, Western Europe, and Africa. In total, the museum has nearly 2,000 works spanning the 20th and 21st centuries. Some of the notable artists featured in the Perez Art Museum include Purvis Young, Joseph Cornell, Kiki Smith, and Joaquin Torres-Garcia. The museum also has an extensive collection of Cuban art from private collections, including works from Hernan Bas and Ruben Torres Llorca. Recently, the museum added works to the “Black Power Art Gallery” to celebrate black artists. The museum is just 2 miles from the centre of city centre.

The Bass is a fascinating contemporary art museum that focuses on international works that celebrate the character of Miami Beach. The museum has fine arts, such as paintings and sculpture, as well as other disciplines in contemporary art, like fashion, design, and architecture. The Bass has both permanent and rotating exhibitions. The permanent collection has European paintings and sculptures from the 15th century to the present, centuries-old textiles and tapestries, religious iconography, and art from the 20th and 21st centuries from North America, Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. The Bass is just about 6 miles from the centre of city centre Miami.

The Haitian Heritage Museum is a museum of art, culture, and heritage that focuses on Haitian life. The intent of the museum is to provide a cultural hub for Haitian people to see historic artefacts and artwork and listen to music to promote a sense of community. Some of the exhibition highlights include "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America," "Digital Media of the Caribbean," and "Rites of Passage." The museum also hosts rotating exhibitions that focus on topical issues or milestones, such as the 19th Amendment, the #MeToo movement, and special features for Black History Month. The museum is about 6.5 miles from the heart of city centre.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a historic 20th-century villa and estate that you can explore to see historic outbuildings and architectural details from the Italian Renaissance and the Mediterranean Revival. The estate belonged to James Deering of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester farm equipment enterprise. On the estate, you’ll also see native woodland, expansive formal gardens, and period furnishings like European decorative art from the 19th century and antique ceramics. The estate is just under 2 miles from the heart of Miami and also has outdoor sculpture gardens.

HistoryMiami chronicles Miami’s past in its collection of historical images and over 30,000 artefacts, including gold and silver from shipwrecks, rafts that carried refugees, and a 1920s trolley car. Several exhibitions focus on the history of the region and important milestones, such as the Native American settlements, World War II, and the Cuban exodus. You’ll see many incredible artefacts, such as historic photos, personal letters, and significant archaeological material from Miami-Dade county. Take S Miami Avenue about 1.3 miles from city centre to reach the museum.

Wolfsonian-FIU is a museum and research centre focusing on art and design and housing a massive collection of art and design artefacts spanning the Industrial Revolution to World War II. The museum is found within Miami’s incredible Art Deco District, about 20 minutes from city centre Miami via MacArthur Causeway. You’ll see a range of artefacts, including media, furniture, industrial design pieces, glassworks, ceramics, rare books, ephemera, documents, paintings, and textiles from the UK, Germany, the United States, and Italy. Some of the important highlights are artefacts related to world’s fairs, New Deal decorative arts, and architectural design drafts.

The Jewish Museum of Florida celebrates Jewish life in Florida and is housed within restored former synagogues featuring art deco architectural details, an ornate copper dome, and stunning stained-glass windows. Inside, you’ll find a permanent collection that chronicles Jewish life in Florida. The collection includes over 100,000 artefacts, objects, documents, religious iconography, and photos depicting Jewish people in the state since 1763. Each year, the museum hosts travelling exhibitions and rotating exhibits according to themes or historic milestones. The Jewish Museum of Florida is about 18 minutes from city centre Miami via MacArthur Causeway.

The Gold Coast Railway Museum houses over 30 historic trains with classic railway cars and parts, such as the Florida East Coast engine and the Western Pacific “Silver Crescent.” The unique museum also houses artefacts and films to educate about railway history, as well as interactive exhibits. You can take train rides at the museum in vintage trains to appreciate the railroad’s past and experience the feel of being in the locomotive. The narrow gauge Edwin Link Children’s Railway is available for rides for the family. The museum is about 18 miles southwest of city centre Miami.

Wings Over Miami Air Museum houses important historic aircraft spanning important moments in aviation history, including vintage aircraft and aircraft from World War II and the Cold War. Some of the notable displays include the Douglas C-117D, the Ryan PT-22, the North American SNJ-6, the Yakovlev Yak-52, the Ikarus Aero 3-A, and the Brown B-1 Racer. One of the unique aspects of Wings Over Miami Air Museum is that the founders insisted that all the exhibit aircraft must be in flying condition. You'll find the museum about 19 miles southwest of the heart of city centre Miami.