Miami's art scene is exploding beyond Art Basel. Wynwood is sprinkled with indoor and outdoor galleries from local and international artists. The Design District is the place to go to find the latest fancy furnishings for your home. Perez Art Museum showcases changing contemporary exhibits, and South Beach proudly boasts Art Deco architecture from the 1920s and 30s. With all of these options, it is easy to overlook one of the most classic art museums of the city: the Bass Museum.
Clean, quiet, and peaceful, the Bass Museum is a great escape from the highly energetic Miami Beach crowd. The exhibits change often, so members and locals never get bored. Artifacts from ancient Egypt are presented alongside international modern art pieces.
Admission to the Bass Museum
Depending on your membership and/or age status, the admission can range anywhere from $0-$10.
Must See/Do at the Bass Museum
The first Friday of every month, the museum presents "Beats After Sunset," a DJ-accompanied Happy Hour that allows access to the latest exhibit for a flat fee.
Parking and Transportation at the Bass Museum
There is a metered parking lot across the street, as well as metered street parking surrounding. The 120 bus and South Beach Local stops are directly across the street. Taxis are plentiful, as the W Hotel is caddy corner to the museum.
Other Places to Visit at the Bass Museum
Close to the museum are restaurants and some boutique shopping options. Next door is Miami City Ballet. One block away is the beach, outlined by a lovely promenade on which you can stroll after your museum visit.
Insider Tip for Visitors to the Bass Museum
At present, the times advertised on the door are incorrect. The museum is open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Author's bio: Bethany Platanella is a freelance writer, yoga instructor and obsessive traveler based in Miami Beach. Follow her stories at www.bethanyplatanella.com.
South Florida was once home to one of the largest grouping of Holocaust survivors -- 20,000-25,000 -- in the United States. The proposed address for the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue, matches exactly the years of the Nazi Regime. These are two of the reasons the Miami Beach Planning Board and the City Commission both approved plans for the Memorial. Architect Kenneth Treister's design of an arm, four stories high, thrusting skyward with emaciated figures clinging to it and each other, was controversial. It took three years for the design to be approved and another four years for the sculpture to be cast in bronze. The Memorial, with additional elements including pink Jerusalem stone that late advocate Abe Resnick would personally guard against thieves at night, was finally dedicated in February, 1990, with Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel as keynote speaker.
How to get to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Coin-metered parking is available. Across 17th Street, at Lincoln Road, large lots with municipal parking, with modern credit card-reading machines, are also available. If you prefer public transportation, take the Metrobus Route 123- South Beach Local.
Best and worst times to go to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
The best times to go to the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach are in the morning around 10 or 11 a.m. before it gets too hot, or in late afternoon when the sun is on its way toward the horizon. The sun can really beat down in the early afternoon, making the journey around the site physically unpleasant. Plus, food and drink are not allowed (with the exception of babies), so you can easily become dehydrated. Some of the space is enclosed and other parts are open, but either way, cooler is better. Also, if you hope to encounter a Holocaust survivor, your chances are better in the morning hours before these elderly men and women who volunteer their time need to rest.
Admission to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Admission to the Memorial is free and the site is open every single day of the year. Hours range according to the sun: It opens around 9:30 a.m. and closes at sunset, so plan to leave around dusk. Make sure to figure Daylight Savings times into your calculations. The last time of admission on the website says 10 p.m., but daylight never really lasts that long in Miami even in the summer. If you wait that long, chances are the site will be closed.
Must see/do at Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Don't just take a glance at the main sculpture, as arresting as it is, and call it a day. There are dozens of smaller sculptures, just as intense, that can't be seen from the road. You need to circulate through the Garden of Meditation, dedicated to the six million lives lost, to see them and feel the enormous emotional affect. Continue on to The Dome of Contemplation, where an eternal light burns and a patch of yellow light shines through from the "Jude" star. The tour continues on what is called the "Lonely Path" with a series of powerful sculpture vignettes, and ends with the black granite Memorial Wall, which like the Vietnam Memorial is engraved with lists of names of those who were lost, and is constantly updated with submissions. A self-guided tour -– a brochure is available for a $2 donation –- generally takes about 60-90 minutes.
Other places to visit near Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach is located next to the Miami Beach Convention Center, where there are often antique, car or boat shows, and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, where visitors are free to explore the grounds during daylight hours. Just a few blocks away, the The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater hosts a concert nearly every evening, and the renowned walking mall Lincoln Road Mall, filled with shops and outdoor cafes, is across 17th Street. At the far eastern end of Lincoln Road, the beach beckons, along with the famous Ocean Drive, where the restored Art Deco hotels await.
Insider tips for visitors at Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
The Holocaust Memorial isn't a religious site to the point where visitors need to wear yarmulkes or other head coverings, but respect is in order. Leave Segways, skateboards, scooters and bicycles outside the memorial, and wear clothing over bathing suits. As often as possible, Holocaust survivors circulate among guests, telling their stories. These survivors are by now extremely elderly, and should also be treated with the utmost courtesy, as all their work is volunteer and in the name of education. Keep cells phones on mute and try not to use them unless you're taking pictures with them, which is allowed. Don't bring pets unless they are service animals. Don't use profanity.
Author's bio: Jen Karetnick has been writing about Miami since she moved there in 1992. The author of 12 books, most recently the poetry book Brie Season (White Violet Press), she formerly lived in Miami Beach only three blocks away from the Holocaust Memorial.