« Ocean Drive » is the famous vibrant street located in South Beach, Florida, along the Atlantic ocean. Its name is closely tied to the Art Deco artistic movement of the 1920s in the United States and to a vibrant life at all hours of the day !

« Ocean Drive » is, with its large white sand beach, terraces, and small hotels, the most touristy part of the « Art Deco District » in the city of Miami Beach, listed as a site to be preserved in the « National Register of Historic Places » since 1979.

« Ocean Drive » undoubtedly constitutes the nerve center of the « Art Deco District » ! This long avenue starts in the south of Miami Beach and heads north. On your right, a vast white sand beach stretches to the ocean, while on your left, a series of pastel-colored hotels and buildings face the Atlantic ocean. The avenue comes alive from the early morning hours, the perfect time to have breakfast on a terrace facing the ocean before the influx of tourists floods the area until late at night !

Needless to say, it is often difficult to drive and find a parking spot, especially when the avenue is filled with "cruising" enthusiasts showing off their flashy luxury sports cars !

Strolling along « Ocean Drive » is like stepping into the United States of the 1920s, with its American cars featuring distinctive shapes and candy-colored hues, including the legendary Buick ! « Ocean Drive » is a theater with a 1920s decor and a very unique retro atmosphere !

The section of « Ocean Drive » between « 6th Street » to the south and « 11th Street » to the north concentrates a large portion of Art Deco-style hotels, including:

• The « Park Central Hotel » located at 640 Ocean Drive: a hotel considered « the Blue Jewel », designed in 1937 by Henry Hohauser, one of the leading architects of the Art Deco movement
• The « Colony Hotel » located at 736 Ocean Drive: the most photographed hotel in all of South Beach and one of the first hotels designed in 1935 by architect Henry Hohauser
• The « Breakwater Hotel » located at 940 Ocean Drive: a hotel designed in 1936 by architect Anton Skislewicz
• The Casa Casuarina Hotel located at 1116 Ocean Drive: this building, constructed in 1930, was the former luxurious villa of the famous Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace
• The « Crescent Hotel » located at 1420 Ocean Drive: a hotel built in 1938 with a steamboat-like facade featuring small portholes illuminated with neon lights at the top

In the early hours of the day, enjoy the relative calm of « Ocean Drive » for a breakfast on one of the many terraces facing the ocean !

But very quickly, the vibrant life of the avenue takes over, continuing late into the night ! As night falls, neon lights in all colors illuminate the hotel facades, sparkling in the nighttime landscape !

Ocean Drive is bordered by a magnificent large white sand beach, where you can lounge in the sun and enjoy a swim in the warm waters of the Atlantic ocean.

Accessible from Miami, the « Mac Arthur Causeway » extends into « 5th Street » and takes you across Biscayne Bay directly south to « Ocean Drive » at 510, with the Atlantic ocean in front of you.

Turn left to take « Ocean Drive » north, and you're ready to travel back in time for a trip to the 1920s !