Now a national landmark, Vizcaya is a living museum not just to the early days of Miami’s rise as a destination for both tourists and snowbirds but to old-school European design. Among the home’s many treasures: more than 2,500 antique art objects and furnishings; 10 acres of immaculately landscaped gardens, including 2,000 orchids; and 25 acres of endangered forest lands.

Though the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAAM) has long been one of the city’s most popular modern art museums, it's become an even bigger player on the Miami art scene since its relocation to the Biscayne Bayfront in 2013. As if the Herzog & de Meuron-designed building weren’t impressive enough, inside the massive 200,000-square-foot museum is everything from kinetic sculptures to replica boats and an outdoor sculpture garden that has become a magnet for Instagrammers.

Just steps from the beach is the The Wolfsonian-FIU, a grand Art Deco building that’s now home to a Florida International University–affiliated museum, library, and research center dedicated to the importance of art and design throughout history. The Wolfsonian collection pays attention to the entire modern age of design, with much to show from the Industrial Revolution to the end of World War II.

The Bass is a contemporary art museum just across the street from the beach that's completely reinvented itself after two-plus-year, $12 million renovation by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The exhibition space is now twice as large—and they've added a café—without actually physically expanding the building itself. It’s a perfect rainy day activity.

Miami tends to attract art lovers as residents—and they're more than willing to put their collections on display. The Rubell Family Collection is one truly stellar example, showcasing the eclectic tastes of Mera and Don Rubell in a 45,000-square-foot warehouse in Wynwood.