Whether this is your first date or it’s just a night out with your spouse, since you’re here, I’m pretty sure you want it to be unique and romantic.

Best Date Ideas in Miami, According to Local Experts

What follows are some of the best things you can do in this magical city.

1. Rent a Boat

A boat charter with a local professional captain is an excellent date idea (for a day date, particularly) in Miami! You can cruise to iconic spots like Pace Picnic Island, Star Island, the sandbars, or check out the mansions on Millionaire’s Row. A local captain can show you the best spots and offer a lovely tour, all while you kick back and relax on a boat. There’s an app I always recommend for this, GetMyBoat; they’re the world’s largest boat rental and water experience marketplace. Also, they have a mobile app and are often considered to be the Airbnb of boats.

2. Wynwood

As relationship coach (and Miami local expert) Max Jancar suggests, a great place where you can take your partner is Wynwood. It’s a special place that has something for everyone. For example, if you and your date are into art, you can go to the Urban Graffiti Art Museum. Also, as Max adds, “If you’re into beer drinking, you can get a lot of quality craft beers all around. If you’re a foodie, there’s plenty of beautiful high-end restaurants in the area. In fact, there are also a lot of cheaper restaurants with incredible food (my favorite ones are the Wynwood food trucks and Coyo Taco’s). If partying is more up your alley, I suggest giving these places a shot: Wood Tavern, Gramps, and Racket.” Recommended read: 5 First Date Questions That Will Help You Increase Attraction

3. Ocean Drive

Here’s another suggestion from Max: Ocean Drive. Classic. Everyone in Miami knows about it, you’ve seen it in the movies, you’ve seen in on the posters. And it’s one of the best date ideas in Miami. You have plenty of bars, and restaurants along the left side of the main strip (I suggest you give Clevelander’s Hotel Bar a try), and on the left there’s the Miami beach where you can, most of the time (depending on the weather) go swimming, surfing, or simply lay at the beach, talking with your date.

4. Monty’s Sunset

To change pace a bit, Max recommends a restaurant at the Miami Beach Marina, Monty’s Sunset. “This restaurant is perfect for dates. I had plenty of them there myself. There’s live bands and DJs almost every day and night, there’s a swimming pool in the middle of the restaurant, the menu is big (burgers, shrimps, salads, BBQ, sushi, beers, vine, you name it), the food is tasty for the price they charge, and happy hours have great deals,” says Max. Also, the views from that restaurant are incredible. You are only a few steps away from the ocean so you can literally see a beautiful sunset when you’re there. In other words, the restaurant has a pretty romantic atmosphere in the evening, which is great for dating. Recommended read: 12 Quality Conversation Starters That Make You Instantly Charming

5. Dinner in Little Havana

According to Amber Lee, CEO of Select Date Society, the Little Havana neighborhood is definitely one of the best date ideas. You can start the night having dinner at the iconic Cuban restaurant Versailles. Versailles has an extensive menu including the seafood, and Cuban staples like the Cubansandwich and Cuban expresso (Colada). After dinner, you can take a walk in the neighborhood. You can end your night with a café con leche, a mojito, or a little salsa dancing. Whatever you are in the mood for, you will find it within Little Havana. 

6. Enjoy a Milkshake Together

Are you looking for a fun date in the afternoon? According to Amber, Robert Is Here is one of the best places if you want to enjoy a delicious milkshake. Many people claim that Robert Is Here has the best milkshakes in Florida, so check it out and see for yourself. While you’re there, pick up fresh fruit and local favorites. If you visit on a holiday or weekend, you may get to enjoy live music!

7. Marthas Stop U-Pick

As Finn Cardiff, founder of BeachFix, recommends, one of the best, most unique date ideas in Miami is Marthas Stop U-Pick! This place is not only a mini farmers market full of fresh fruits and vegetables, but it’s also a place where people can pick their own fruits. This is such a fun date idea that gets you out in the sun, and can be a fun competition to see who can pick the most. From guava to strawberries, to peppers and other exotic fruits, you can pick anything you want.

8. Artechouse

This is another great and original date idea. Artechouse is the nation’s first innovative art space dedicated to digital andexperiential art. It stimulates interest in the limitless possibilities of creative innovation and pushes the boundaries of what is possible. With its current exhibit, Renewal 2121 – visitors are transported 100 years into the future where nature’s resilience takes center stage amongst an overdeveloped metropolis reminiscent of Tokyo. If you take your date here, you’re definitely going to impress them.

9. Swizzle Rum Bar and Drinkery

Just a few minutes away from Artechouse, Swizzle Rum Bar and Drinkery is an intimate New York-meets-Miami speakeasy and craft cocktail bar in the basement of the Stiles Hotel. With a selection of more than 150 rums, Swizzle offers guests drinks that appeal to both the casual consumer and cocktail connoisseur, along with bar bites. The menu includes a versatile cocktail list, focusing on classic and contemporary drinks and a mix of spirit-forward cocktails and refreshing tropical drinks. Swizzle has 24 seats inside the intimate space and 30 seats in the adjacent lounge. There is additional seating in the expansive outdoor patio area by the pool.

10.  New World Symphony Wallcast Concerts

As Amanda Rose, founder and CEO of Prestige Connections, suggests, a unique and fun date night idea is going to a New World Symphony Wallcast concert. If you decide to take your date there, you will enjoy a night under the stars and have a picnic, all while listening to a live classical music performance. Talk about romantic! 

11. Lagniappe

According to Brittany Mendez, CMO of Florida Panhandle, this is definitely one of the best date ideas in Miami. Lagniappe is a wine garden bar off of NE 2nd Avenue that offers truly an incredible and intimate atmosphere for those couples wanting to enjoy a date night. There’s live music every night, with artists ranging from jazz trios to Latin American folklore. Miami New Times and Best Of Miami New Times have both given this wine bar the title of Best Wine Selection, making this the go-to spot for beer and wine lovers. Lagniappe is also equipped with bites like freshly caught fish and sauteed veggies for those wanting to fill up on their night out.

12. No. 3 Social Rooftop Bar

As Barbie from Trip101 suggests, a great date idea is chilling and sharing a toast at the No. 3 Social Rooftop Bar. This bar is furnished with romantic lighting and minimalist interiors. It also offers delicious food, drinks, and live entertainment, perfect for an intimate date night.

13. The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

As Fernweh Foreigner suggests, one of the best places where you can take your partner is definitely the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. It is such a beautiful place and a popular spot for weddings so it really has a romantic feel. The home and gardens sit right along Biscayne Bay so besides touring the house and wandering the grounds, it also has some beautiful ocean views. Compared to the rest of Miami, Vizcaya just has such a quiet and calm atmosphere and it feels like you can breathe better with all of the beautiful plants and trees surrounding it. The home was built and opened in 1916 but it feels like you are visiting an old Italian Renaissance Villa.

14. Going to an Inter Miami Game

Here’s another recommendation from Fernweh Foreigner’s owner. For those that love sports, going to an Inter Miami game is a great date idea. Technically they are currently playing out of their stadium in Fort Lauderdale which is about 40 minutes north of downtown Miami. Because of the huge mix of cultures in and around Miami, going to a game doesn’t really feel like you’re in the US. The team doesn’t have the best record but it’s a lot of fun to cheer them on with the rest of the crowd. The stadium is also really nice and clean and there is a good range of ticket prices from around $30 to the $200s.

15. The Salty Miami Sailing Tour

Another great recommendation from Fernweh Foreigner’s owner is the Salty Miami Sailing Tour. There are tons of tours available in Miami but a lot of them are quite touristy and not so much about the experience but rather the money they can make. One of the highest rated and most unique experiences in Miami is the Salty Miami sailing tour. The tour takes place on a Hobie Catamaran Sailboat that is entirely powered by the wind. It lasts 3 to 4 hours and takes you by Biscayne Bay National Park, islets, sandbars, mangroves and Stiltsville, and you can also try the trapeze that lets you hang out overthe water. Photo by Kian Lem on Unsplash