The area is famed for its Art Deco hotels and Ocean Drive is the cream of the city’s Art Deco District, which is home to about 800 preserved buildings.When sunrise hits the Art Deco historic district, those lucky enough to remain awake after a night of club hopping experience a moment when everything seems new again on Ocean Drive. Sunsets may be better in Key West, but Miami Beach owns the dawn with pastel colored hotels that sparkle in the sun. After years of neglect during the 1970s and early 80s, Ocean Drive came roaring back on the scene when a few brave restaurateurs opened cafes and patiently waited for the buzz to energize an area that had gained a reputation for low rent housing and petty street crime.One of the first entrepreneurs, Mark Soyka, opened the News Cafe at 8th and Ocean in 1988 offering comfort food and international newspapers 24 hours a day.
While most folks thought an upscale diner on a street with little traffic would quickly fail, the News Cafe and a few others can take credit for creating the energy that would soon power all of the neon that quickly followed.Gloria Estefan soon invested in the Cardozo Hotel at 13th and Ocean Drive, bringing a touch of celebrity to the emerging scene. Restaurants and bars, boutique hotels and shopping districts gradually replaced shuttered storefronts, and while naysayers enjoy telling travel publications that Miami was over, season after season brought new life to the city as celebrities flocked to Ocean Drive to pout for the paparazzi.
Attractions of Ocean Drive
It is known for its Art Deco hotels. Ocean Drive is also the location of the famed Versace mansion, one of the most photographed houses in North America. The street is the center of the Miami Art Deco District, which is home to about 800 preserved buildings. Streamline Moderne evolved from the Art Deco style, and dominates the street. The street has a magazine named after it,Ocean Drive magazine tourist place in world. British easy-listening duo The Lighthouse Family released a single entitled “Ocean Drive”, which reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart
Night life of Ocean Drive
South Beach has an active club and bar scene. It is host to more than 150 clubs and other venues, many of which close at 4:30 AM. South Beach nightlife can be expensive, and while bars are welcoming, gaining entrance to nightclubs can be difficult for tourists who do not have connections, an understanding of how to impress door managers, or who do not plan their evenings well in advance. Access to popular nightspots can cost $20–$100 depending on occasion, event and venue, and sometimes comes with a wait of several hours, in addition to evaluation by door staff. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Ocean Drive is a Beautiful Place For Vacations.