It’s a new year, and Miami and Fort Lauderdale have made their resolutions: more hotels. From the newly opened Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort and Hyatt Centric South Beach to massive districts that will encompass lodgings and meeting space —among them, Fort Lauderdale’s Starwood Tribute/Westin Element complex, downtown Miami’s Marriott Marquis Worldcenter Miami & Expo Center and the already-open Faena District Miami Beach —development here shows no signs of slowing in this or any other year.
Yet there are places that remain perennial favorites among groups venturing to Florida’s southeast corner—the off-site venues that offset the area’s large-scale projects. Over-the-top in creativity and visual appeal yet possibly under your radar, choices in Miami and Fort Lauderdale run the gamut from a swimming hall of fame to art museums and cultural districts galore, as well as animal attractions showcasing every creature imaginable. Even a winery on the edge of the Everglades welcomes parties and receptions, not to mention group tastings.
“It really is an asset to our destination that there are so many off-site options,” says Barry Moskowitz, vice president of convention sales for the Greater Miami CVB. “They allow attendees coming into the city to engage in some of these areas where the venues are located… attendees get out of their hotel and explore, and bottom line, I think it just enhances the overall experience of meeting here.”
Following are just a few of the off-site choices you’ll encounter in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
Set in the middle of South Beach, across from the Miami Beach Convention Center, this urban green space is an oasis of palms, flowering trees and water features that include reflection and koi ponds.
“It’s a beautiful backdrop, very lush,” notes Maurice Jackson, rental coordinator. “It’s a place where [attendees] can think and feel free to do what they want. The garden becomes whatever they need it to be.”
To that end, gatherings can be held under a tent on the grounds or in one of several indoor rooms equipped with screens, podiums and microphones.
“You’re surrounded by beauty here,” Jackson says. “It’s a very big secret within Miami Beach.”
Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum
Switching gears, events are surrounded by Packard autos from the 1900s to the 1950s at the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum, built to resemble a 1920s Packard showroom and displaying the Packard collection and enough memorabilia to make a collector drool, including hood ornaments, parking meters, horns and sirens, vintage car ashtrays and old dashboard clocks.
“There’s so much to see, whether you’re a car enthusiast or not,” says Marta Messana, owner of CA Catering, which handles the museum’s event planning. “It was a fun era that lends itself to a lot of different themes, like Gatsby or the ‘mobster’ days.”
Within the museum’s 30,000 square feet are three different wings accommodating plated meals for 300 or hors d’oeuvres and cocktails for 500.
Ice Palace Film Studios, Miami
Concerts, fashion shows, art happenings and, oh yes, film productions have filled the cavernous spaces of downtown Miami’s Ice Palace Film Studios, which started life as an ice factory in the early 1920s but now boasts the coolest trends in light and sound technology.
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“Our main business is the film studio, but we also rent for corporate events,” says Property Manager Juan Piedrahita. “The only restriction is no fireworks inside the building.”
Space here is generous—a 5,500-square-foot lobby, two sound stages at 17,500 and 14,500 square feet, respectively; a 3,000-square-foot rehearsal space; and an expansive outdoor event garden. Directly adjacent is a separate building featuring restaurants, clubs and bars.
Old Davie School Historical Museum, Fort Lauderdale
It’s been 35 years since the last students walked its hallways, but the Old Davie School is still a vibrant part of Greater Fort Lauderdale, documenting the push toward the Everglades by early settlers and displaying artifacts from 1918 onward.
The National Register campus includes a variety of event spaces, including the school itself–noted as the county’s oldest existing school building–along with an authentic Seminole chickee hut and a new outdoor amphitheater.
“We have hosted several conventions, training sessions and workshops as well as corporate dinners,” says Events Coordinator Cindy Farquhar. “Our upstairs museum auditorium can accommodate 200 people.”
Jungle Island, Miami
Located on Watson Island between downtown Miami and South Beach, Jungle Island is one of Miami’s oldest attractions—dating back to 1936 when it opened as Parrot Jungle on the mainland—as well as one of its newer centers for meetings and events. Here, a break from meeting at the park’s 15,000-square-foot Treetop Ballroom might mean a hands-on encounter with a white lion or colorful macaw, while exhibits and shows featuring tigers, primates and parrots are right outside the door.
“It’s so much more than just stretching your legs between sessions,” says Andrew Juska, director of catering. “Many additional areas on the island are great for teambuilding, including our beach and outpost area.”
Flamingo Gardens, Davie
The Botanical Gardens at Flamingo Gardens in Davie span 60 acres and feature more than 3,000 species of plant life, including some of the largest trees in the state, as well as butterfly and hummingbird gardens. Plan on taking a group tour before 5 p.m. for after-hours private parties, which take place on the Wray Home Lawn surrounded by a canopy of live oaks.
Miami Seaquarium
At the venerable Miami Seaquarium on Key Biscayne—home of marine animal shows as well as endangered sea turtles and manatees—a large open event area offers breathtaking views of the Miami skyline. The venue also offers teambuilding experiences that include personal encounters with the park’s marine mammal residents. Programs at the park include the 20-minute Sea Trek Reef Encounter, during which participants don a dive helmet and walk through a 300,000-gallon tropical reef, meeting up with tropical fish as well as other creatures of the deep.
