Free & Affordable Miami

Historic Homestead Town Hall Museum preserves Homestead, Florida's original town hall building, constructed in 1917 and operated as the headquarters for the city's Council Chambers and police and fire departments until 1975. Since 1994, the building has been operated as a regional cultural museum, and since 1997, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Exhibits detail the city's social and cultural history, including a display of over 125 historic photographs with captions recording their cultural significance. A 1924 American LaFrance fire truck used by the city's fire department is also on display, restored to its original quality by a volunteer team of Tampa Bay residents. The free-admission museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays during the afternoon hours and also serves as an area visitor center, offering brochures and maps of local attractions.

Historic Homestead Town Hall Museum, 41 North Krome Avenue, Homestead, FL 33030, Phone: 305-242-4463

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami is dedicated to providing the Miami public with a showcase of experimental, cutting-edge contemporary artwork, offering free admission at its public facility within the Miami Design District. The ICA was opened to the public in 1996 as the Museum of Contemporary Art and moved to its present location in 2017, with a facility still maintained at its original North Miami location as well.

Rotating temporary exhibitions are curated to highlight the unique talents of regional and national contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums, with a focus on exhibits that foster dialogue between artists and the community and recognizes underrepresented artistic voices. Though admission is free, visitors may reserve ticket slots for admission online to guarantee admission at select times.

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, 61 NE 41st St, Miami, FL 33137, Phone: 305-901-5272

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum was founded in 1977 under the name The Art Museum at Florida International University, showcasing important collections of Latin American art and 20th-century contemporary artworks. Since 2003, it has operated under its current name, located at FIU's Modesto A. Maidique campus.

The American Alliance of Museums-accredited museum has been named as Miami's best art museum several times by both the Miami New Times and the South Florida Times, open to the public for free Tuesdays through Sundays during the afternoon hours. A permanent collection of more than 6,000 items is displayed throughout exhibits in the museum, with a focus on Haitian paintings, modern sculptures, American printmaking, and Pre-Columbian artifacts.

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St, Miami, FL 33199, Phone: 305-348-2890

The Wolfsonian-FIU is a museum and library research center within Miami's Art Deco District, operated as a division of Florida International University for more than 15 years. The museum is centered around the idea of art and design as persuasive mediums, showcasing more than 180,000 international artworks and artifacts crafted from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution through the end of World War II.

Collections from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the United States detail the rise of industrialism and globalization throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, showcasing items such as World War propaganda, New Deal graphic design materials, and pieces from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. The Smithsonian-affiliated museum is open to the public for free each Friday evening between 6:00pm and 9:00pm, with free permanent collection and special exhibition tours available.

The Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139, Phone: 305-531-1001

HistoryMiami is Florida's largest history museum, originally founded in 1940 as the Historical Museum of South Florida. The downtown Miami museum is South Florida's second-oldest cultural institution and is a Smithsonian-affiliated facility, showcasing four permanent exhibit galleries and space for up to three rotating exhibits at any given time. More than one million historic images related to the history of Miami are on display at the museum, along with 30,000 artifacts chronicling the city's civic, economic, and social development.

Major artifacts on display include a 1920s-era city trolley car and artifacts preserved from 17th and 18th-century shipwrecks in the Miami Beach area. The museum is open to the public for free on the second Saturday of every month as part of the Family Fun Days initiative, encouraging visitors of all ages to learn about the city's vibrant past, present, and future.

HistoryMiami, 101 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130, Phone: 305-375-1492

Bayside Marketplace is a downtown Miami open-air shopping center, located along beautiful Biscayne Bay and the City of Miami's marina. As Miami's most-visited tourist attraction, the two-story shopping center is home to a vast array of retail, dining, and nightlife spots, noted for its open-container policy and daily live music performances.

More than 140 retail spaces host nationally-known retailers such as GAP, Victoria's Secret, and the Disney Store, with dining ranging from chain favorites such as Hard Rock Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to lively local options such as Hamburguesa and the Bavaria Haus Beerhall. Visitors can drink by the beachside and embark on chartered bay cruises from the center's waterfront, including water taxis to Miami Beach and tours of celebrity houses on nearby Star Island. Visitors should note that while the marketplace is free to enter, many attractions require a purchase or ticketed upcharge.

Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132, Phone: 305-577-3344

Hobie Beach at Key Biscayne, also referred to as Windsurfer Beach, is Miami's top spot for windsurfing, open to the public for free daily from dawn to dusk. The beach is located near the Rickenbacker Causeway near downtown Miami and Key Biscane, offering beautiful views of the city's skyline and Atlantic Ocean coastline. Visitors can learn to windsurf through two-hour and all-day group lessons, hosted by area professionals.

Hobie cat rentals are also offered, along with kayaking and paddleboard rentals for exploring further out on the beach's waters. The beach is one of Miami's prime dog-friendly beachfront spots, with ample areas of shallow water for dogs to play in safety without fear of strong ocean currents. Free parking is offered at the beach for all visitors.

Hobie Beach at Key Biscayne, Old Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, Phone: 305-361-2833

Wynwood Art Walk is a free art walk event held the second Saturday of each month throughout Miami's Wynwood cultural district, known as the city's largest regular block party. The event starts each second Saturday at 6:00pm, offering a unique chance to explore the graffiti, street art, and eclectic galleries and businesses of one of Miami's hippest neighborhoods.

Exhibit openings are hosted at many of the neighborhood's galleries, with food and drink specials offered at many of the district's James Beard Award-nominated restaurants and trendy food trucks. Live music performances are showcased by top regional DJs spinning EDM, hip-hop, rock, and pop hits. An artisan market is also offered, along with mixology demonstrations and street games such as giant Jenga. A walking tour map of the region's street art, the highest concentration of public street art in the nation, is available for exploration of the neighborhood's outdoor art attractions during events or at any time throughout the year.

Wynwood Art Walk, 2219 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127, Phone: 305-814-9290

Crandon Park is a massive 808-acre urban park located within the northern region of Key Biscayne on land formerly belonging to the United States' largest coconut plantation. Following the donation of the plantation's lands to the city in 1940, the land was developed into an urban oasis, featuring family-friendly amusements and activities located along a two-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean beachfront. Sections of the park are preserved as the designated Bear Cut Preserve Environment Study Area, with environmental exhibits offered at Biscayne Nature Center. Other attractions include a family amusement center, a marina, an 18-hole golf course, a tennis center, and day-use picnic areas.

Crandon Park , 6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149, Phone: 305-361-5421