When I visited Miami Beach last year, I had the great experience of taking the audio tour from Miami Design Preservation League. Did you know they offer it in 4 different languages?!? I only speak English, but I still thought that was really cool.
Comments (0) Best Value on Ocean Drive - 2011
Art Deco Audio Tour
Ocean Drive has two very distinct personalities. On one hand, she's a noisy tourist trap, filled with giant mojitos, food that tastes cheap yet costs $100, and too many bodies trying to navigate teeny-tiny sidewalks. But look up and you'll find some of the most intriguing architecture in the world, dating back to a time in the not-so-distant past filled with flappers in fringe and men in top hats and tails. The Art Deco Welcome Center provides daily iPod-led audio tours of these architectural gems. For a mere $15 (the price of one cocktail), you can spend the entire day exploring these pastel wonders (though the tour itself runs about an hour and a half). For added enjoyment, grab a beverage and some friends and imagine what the Miami Beach of the jazz age must have been like.
5 comments
The Miami Design Preservation League preserves, promotes, and protects the Art Deco Historic District. All MDPL's tours are fantastic, plus you know you are getting the real facts and true stories. MDPL focuses on educating the community and promoting the district. And best of all -- your money goes back to preserve and protect the Art Deco Historic District.
Has anyone in Miami Times taken this tour compared to others? There are much better Art Deco Walking tours that are entertaining and informative that offer great value. The last time I took the audio tour it was outdated by several years.
MDPL actually offers Art Deco and MiMo Tour Guide Academy in which many of the other Art Deco tours companies get certified through. MDPL makes it a mission to train and educate tour guides throughout the city as well as local residents and visitors. They are the main hub for the best Art Deco information. They also offer a lot of other great tours like the MiMo Tour.
