When you see Miami on TV, you see glitz and glamour and celebrities and think everything there must be incredibly expensive. But the Miami of the locals, while still filled with waterfront views and sunlight, is much more affordable.
Here are five free or cheap things to do in Miami:
Go to the beach. This is Florida; it’s required. Miami-Dade County’s hundreds of miles of oceanfront beach is almost all open to the public, and there are also beachfront state parks such as Bill Baggs and Oleta River.
See a free outdoor concert. At 8 p.m. on the last Friday of every month, music lovers gather on the plaza outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. Concerts are free and the museum is open by donation. During the fall, winter and spring, you can find a free outdoor concert at least once a week. Find more Miami free concerts.
Street festivals. Viernes Culturales and Big Night in Little Haiti are monthly street festivals that showcase some of what gives Miami its fascinating multicultural identity. Big Night in Little Haiti happens on the third Friday of every month, and there is a suggested donation of $5. On the last Friday of the month, head across town to Little Havana for Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays). Both offer live music, vendors, arts and crafts, food, children’s activities and more. Miami also has a number of other festivals, many of them free.
Free outdoor movies. Winter is the time for free outdoor movies in Miami parks.
The New World Symphony projects its concerts on a 7,000-square-foot outdoor screen, where you can watch the musicians perform at no charge. There is also a movie series that lasts from fall through springs. Find all of Miami’s free and cheap movies.
Free museum visits. Our crown jewel the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is free on the first Thursday and second Saturday of the month and the Miami Children’s Museum is free the third Friday of every month. The FIU Wolfsonian on Miami Beach is free every Friday night. See all the Miami free museum days.
If you’re visiting Miami, find more free and cheap things to do at Miami on the Cheap.
