Long a vibrant city, Miami is booming like never before.
Young coaches are arriving, the arts are thriving, its food scene is among the best in the United States and you can even see Lionel Messi playing for the local team.
AWESOME ART
Join the crowds at Super-blue, a vast “interactive art” gallery, in the diverse district of Allapattah, where strange digital worlds seem as if you’ve entered a parallel universe. You can glimpse your own heartbeat glowing with 3,000 lights (you have to be there to see how it works).
How to do it: Admission £26 (superblue.com).
Miami is booming like never before. Young coaches are arriving, the arts are thriving, its food scene is among the best in the United States and you can even see Lionel Messi playing for the local team.
Delve into the life of Lionel Messi (pictured) in a new interactive experience
SUPERSTAR FOOTBALL
Opening Thursday, the Messi Experience is located in a warehouse-like building that offers interactive virtual games and the “opportunity to train and shoot” like World Cup-winning soccer legend Lionel Messi.
Learn about his upbringing in Argentina, his glory days at FC Barcelona and why they call him the ‘Goat’, the greatest of all time.
How to do it: Admission £29 (themessiexperience.com).
£350 STEAKS
Lucky Cat is the latest outpost of Gordon Ramsay’s food empire offering Japanese wagyu ribeye steaks for up to £357.
If you can’t stretch to that, try the sushi, oysters, sea bream or silky lamb meatballs served with Thai basil and Szechuan pepper. The best cocktails.
How to do it: Two courses from £48 (gordonramsayrestaurants.com).
FANTASTIC DINING ROOM
The word is Yum: Julia & Henry’s foodhall has 25 restaurants and three bars
Julia & Henry’s is a new eatery in a downtown Art Deco building where Al Capone is said to have run a speakeasy during Prohibition.
Named after two 19th-century Miami developers (Julia Tuttle and Henry Flagler), it is home to 25 restaurants and three bars.
At Shimuja, try spicy Yucatan ramen, featuring tender pork belly and a spicy miso paste.
How to do it: Free entry, two courses from £25 (juliaandhenrys.menu).
VERSACE VIBE
At Gianni’s restaurant (pictured) diners “come as much to take selfies as to eat”
Doubles at Acqualina, half an hour up the coast, cost around £900
Capture the intoxicating energy of Miami at Gianni’s, a rowdy OTT restaurant in Gianni Versace’s former mansion, where the designer hosted everyone from Elton John to Princess Diana.
Diners come to take selfies as much as to eat. Insist on a mosaic-covered poolside table.
How to do it: Two course lunch menu £31 (vmmiamibeach.com).
Where to stay: Acqualina is a great choice, half an hour from the coast. The 51-story complex has almost 100 rooms. There’s a giant spa, plus two restaurants and a private beach. Doubles from around £900 (acqualinaresort.com). BA flies to Miami from Heathrow from £476 (BA.com).