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Best 10 free things to do in Miami

The Miami area is notoriously expensive, but you can have fun here without busting your budget. Here’s a list of 10 things to do around Miami that are fun and cheap.

Crandon Park Beach

Go to the beach

This is Florida, it’s required. The county oversees some beaches. Others are at state parks, like Bill Baggs and Oleta River. With hundreds of miles of coastline in Miami-Dade County, there’s sure to be a spot on the sand that suits you.

Live jazz at MOCA

At 8 p.m. on the last Friday of every month, music lovers gather on the plaza outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. Concerts are free and the museum is open by donation. Find more Miami free concerts.

Farmers markets

Even when you don’t need locally grown organic vegetables, these markets are great places to people-watch or pick up non-food items, such as jewelry and accessories. Some offer extras including live music, exercise classes and more. Find Miami Farmers Markets.

Street festivals

Viernes Culturales and Big Night in Little Haiti are monthly street festivals showcase some of what gives this area its fascinating multicultural identity. Big Night in Little Haiti happens on third Fridays.

On the last Friday of the month, head across town to Little Havana for Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays). Both offer live music, vendors, arts and crafts, food, children’s activities and more.

Free movies

Enjoy movies outdoors without charge. They’re shown on the Soundscape screen at the ExoStage, corner of 17th Street and Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. Click here for the schedule. Find all of Miami's free and cheap movies.

Free museum visits

Our crown jewel the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is free on the first Thursday and second Saturday of the month and the Miami Children’s Museum is free every third Friday of the month. The FIU Wolfsonian on Miami Beach is free every Friday night. See all the Miami free museum days.

Bike Tours

Whether it’s around Wynwood or Coconut Grove, free bike tours are a great way to spend the morning outdoors exploring to of Miami’s best known neighborhoods.

The Sunday Wynwood bike tours are great for discovering the wall murals that have put the area on the national map as one of best art scenes around. 

Art walks

We’ve got some of the best art walks around and plenty of them! By far the most established one is the Coral Gables Gallery Night on the first Friday of the month. Hop aboard the trolley and visit the galleries around downtown Coral Gables.

Second Saturdays is the night so head to Wynwood for the Art Walk. It’s a scene with streets packed with art hipsters checking out galleries, Wynwood Walls and street art as it’s being created. Or do the Bird Road Art Walk on the third Saturday of the month.

Yoga classes

There’s no reason not to stay in shape and become more limber and flexible in the process with all the free yoga classes in Miami. Bayfront Park is one of the most popular spots and with a fantastic view! They’re free Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

There are free ones in Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. And for $5 there’s Beach Yoga on Third St. Beach on Ocean Drive by the lifeguard stand everyday in the morning and early evening. Find Miami free fitness classes.

Culture with the kids

Kids can enjoy museums, too, especially with targeted specifically for them. The Museum of Art + Design in the Freedom Tower runs GO GO MOA+D the third Saturday of the month from noon to 4 p.m.

The Arsht Center in Downtown hosts a monthly Family Fest on the fourth Saturday with themed performances, hands-on kids’ activities and more. History Miami has a Free Family Fun Day the second Saturday of the month, as do the Perez Art Museum Miami and the Coral Gables Museum. See all the Miami free museum days and special kids' events here.

More free and cheap Miami fun:

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Teresa

About Teresa

Teresa Mears is a publisher, writer and editor who was raised to be frugal. She became a website entrepreneur after 30 years as an editor at newspapers ranging in size from the Portland (Tenn.) Leader to The Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald, where she worked most recently. She moved to Florida in 1980 because it was the only place she could get a job during that recession and has lived in South Florida since 1985, in Miami, Hollywood, Tamarac, Wilton Manors and Fort Pierce. She is co-owner and CEO of the parent network, Living on the Cheap.

Living on the CheapMiami on the Cheap is a member of Living on the Cheap, a network of websites published by frugalistas, journalists and consumer advocates. Find practical advice on saving money on groceries, travel and shopping, plus tips from our experts on how to live the good life for less at Living on the Cheap.

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