A walking route from Brickell to the Arsht Center: what to see along the way

Downtown Miami and Brickell are easier to understand on foot than from a car. In my walking tour video, I start on the Brickell Riverwalk and head north to the Arsht Center. Here is the route, with the stops worth your time.

Brickell: start by the river

Begin on the Brickell Riverwalk, near the mouth of the Miami River. Panorama Tower, at 85 stories, is still Miami’s tallest finished building. Mary Brickell Village and Brickell City Centre are a few blocks inland for food and shopping.

Brickell Key sits just offshore, linked by a short bridge. Its loop around the island is a favorite walk, but the public baywalk is still closed while the former Mandarin Oriental site is rebuilt as new residences. That project targets 2030.

Before you cross the river, look for the Underline. Its first section, the Brickell Backyard, runs under the Metrorail tracks with paths, gardens and signs about Miami history. It connects to Metrorail and a Publix.

Cross into Downtown

The Brickell Avenue drawbridge can open for boats, so leave a few extra minutes. On the Downtown side, the gated Riverfront complex has condo towers such as Ivy, Mint and Wind along the water. Faena’s new two-tower project is planned there too.

Keep heading toward Biscayne Boulevard. Flagler Street has the historic Olympia Theater and local restaurants. Bayfront Park is my favorite stop. It hosts donation-based yoga on Monday and Thursday evenings, and its amphitheater holds concerts. Bayside Marketplace is next door, and you will see the Waldorf Astoria tower rising across the boulevard.

Miami Worldcenter and the Kaseya Center

Walk past the Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat, into Miami Worldcenter. The 27-acre district has about 300,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, including Downtown’s first Apple Store, its developers say. Brightline’s MiamiCentral station sits next door. New towers are still rising around it.

Museum Park and the Arsht Center

Back on Biscayne Boulevard, head north to Maurice A. Ferré Park. The Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Frost Museum of Science sit right on the bay. Across the street is One Thousand Museum, Zaha Hadid’s 62-story tower with 83 homes and a rooftop helipad.

Past the MacArthur Causeway and the I-395 bridge work, you reach the Arts & Entertainment District. The Adrienne Arsht Center opened in 2006 and turned a quiet stretch into a cultural hub. Its café and busy calendar make it a good place to finish.

Tips for the walk

Go early or late; midday sun is tough. Wear real shoes and carry water. The free Metromover runs along much of this route, so you can hop on if you get tired.

Buying or selling in Brickell or Downtown Miami? The Miami Lookout is founded by Joe Biscaha, a Miami realtor with Joe Sells Miami.