After travelling all the way from New York through the East Coast, the Deep South and Florida, Miami was our finish line. Sunshine, palm trees and South Florida marked the end of one of our biggest road trips.
Miami was the finish line of our huge New York-to-South-Florida journey, but our final stretch wasn't exactly a quiet one. We explored Miami after our Everglades tour, which made for one of the biggest contrasts of the entire road trip.
We went from the wetlands and alligators of the Everglades into the colour and energy of Miami, driving through the Cuban area, seeing the city's murals and wall art, and getting a completely different feel for South Florida.
We also visited Star Island, famous for its extraordinary waterfront mansions and celebrity connections. Our tour pointed out homes associated with some very familiar names, including David Beckham โ a fun glimpse at the glamorous side of Miami after a morning spent in the wilds of the Everglades.
A look at Miami's luxury waterfront side and the celebrity homes pointed out during our tour.
Our guide pointed out properties associated with famous names, including David Beckham.
We drove into the Cuban area and saw another side of the city beyond the beaches and skyscrapers.
The colour and street art were among the things that really stood out as we travelled through Miami.
One of the parts we particularly remember was driving through Miami's Cuban area. It added another layer to the city and made the tour feel much more varied than simply seeing beaches and expensive homes.
We also saw plenty of murals and wall art along the way. That burst of colour suited Miami perfectly and was a striking change again from the natural landscape we'd been exploring in the Everglades only hours earlier.
Star Island gave us the other Miami altogether: huge waterfront properties, palm trees, boats and some seriously impressive real estate. During our tour, we were shown houses linked with well-known celebrities, including David Beckham.
For us, the fun wasn't really about ticking off celebrity names โ it was seeing just how different this side of Miami looked from the Cuban neighbourhoods, the street art and, of course, the Everglades earlier in the day.
Want to get a feel for the city before you go โ or revisit the final stop of our journey afterwards? Explore Miami virtually with our friends at Drive From Home, then jump straight into the virtual drive.
Our own photos from Miami, Florida.
If you'd like to combine Miami neighbourhoods, sightseeing, boat trips or the Everglades, compare current tours and activities for your dates below.
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The final part of the journey gave us three very different Florida experiences. Kennedy Space Center brought the history and scale of America's space programme. Then came the Everglades, followed by our Miami sightseeing tour later that day โ from wildlife and wetlands to Cuban neighbourhoods, murals and Star Island before the road trip finally came to an end.
Miami closes the city-by-city section of our Deep South journey. If you're planning something similar, our main road-trip guide brings the whole route together in one place.