loading spinner
Florida

Signature City Miami

Program No. 20394RJ
Treat your senses to the wonders of Miami, exploring its historic neighborhoods, world-class cuisine, impressive architecture and beautiful beaches with both friends and local experts.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Jan 21 - Jan 26, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Filling Fast!
Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Filling Fast!
Feb 18 - Feb 23, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Mar 17 - Mar 22, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Dec 1 - Dec 6, 2024
Starting at
1,799
Jan 19 - Jan 24, 2025
Starting at
1,949
Feb 2 - Feb 7, 2025
Starting at
1,949
Feb 9 - Feb 14, 2025
Starting at
1,949
Feb 23 - Feb 28, 2025
Starting at
1,949
Mar 9 - Mar 14, 2025
Starting at
1,949
Dec 7 - Dec 12, 2025
Starting at
1,899
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jan 21 - Jan 26, 2024
Starting at
2,359
Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
2,359
Filling Fast!
Feb 18 - Feb 23, 2024
Starting at
2,359
Filling Fast!
Mar 17 - Mar 22, 2024
Starting at
2,359
Dec 1 - Dec 6, 2024
Starting at
2,279
Jan 19 - Jan 24, 2025
Starting at
2,469
Feb 2 - Feb 7, 2025
Starting at
2,469
Feb 9 - Feb 14, 2025
Starting at
2,469
Feb 23 - Feb 28, 2025
Starting at
2,469
Mar 9 - Mar 14, 2025
Starting at
2,469
Dec 7 - Dec 12, 2025
Starting at
2,399

At a Glance

Today’s Miami is an international city bustling with opportunity and cultural innovation. Experience the dynamic Cuban influence that has transformed the city of Miami from an unruly territory of pioneers into the modern-day “Capital of the Americas.” Explore Miami's most famous and historic neighborhoods to learn how Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and Little Havana grew out of an unknown wilderness where eccentric settlers lived lives of adventure and hardship. Enjoy a taste of Miami’s diversity and come to understand it as a reflection of early settlement along the Miami River.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to 2 miles a day on garden paths, grass, city streets, and sidewalks; some standing.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Explore the distinct styles of artistic neighborhoods from the Art Deco of South Beach to the Wynwood Walls.
  • Sample Cuban cuisine and visit well-loved marketplaces as you learn the story of Miami’s Cuban community.
  • Visit the famous Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, know as the "Hearst Castle of the East".
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Guillermo Grenier
Guillermo J. Grenier is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University. Born in Havana, Cuba, Dr. Grenier is one of the founders of the Miami School of social analysis. He is the author of numerous books and articles on labor, migration, immigrant incorporation, and Cuban-American ideological profiles, and lectures nationally and internationally on his research. Among his books is A History of Little Havana, with Corinna Moebius (History Press: 2015).

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Guillermo Grenier
Guillermo Grenier View biography
Guillermo J. Grenier is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University. Born in Havana, Cuba, Dr. Grenier is one of the founders of the Miami School of social analysis. He is the author of numerous books and articles on labor, migration, immigrant incorporation, and Cuban-American ideological profiles, and lectures nationally and internationally on his research. Among his books is A History of Little Havana, with Corinna Moebius (History Press: 2015).
Profile Image of Jose Diaz
Jose Armando Diaz was born in La Habana, Cuba and moved to Miami at the age of six. He graduated from Florida International University with a marketing degree. He worked for Pan Am and Delta Air Lines in marketing and management positions. After attending the International Tour Management Institute, Jose now leads programs in his hometown of Miami, Orlando, and Cuba. When he’s not working, he can probably be found on the beach, in the Everglades, exploring new restaurants, or traveling to other countries.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
George Merrick's Coral Gables "Where Your 'Castles in Spain' are Made Real!"
by Arva Moore Parks
A beautiful book by an author who knows her subject. Details Merrick's creation of a "City Beautiful" as propounded by Daniel Burnham, woven together with Merrick's own life story, chronologically.
Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers
by Witold Rybczynski and Laurie Olin
In Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers, a celebrated architecture critic and writer and an award-winning landscape architect explore the little-known story of Vizcaya, an extraordinary national treasure. Witold Rybczynski and Laurie Olin use a rich collection of illustrations, historic photographs, and narrative to document the creation of this stunning house and landscape. Vizcaya was completed in 1916 as the winter retreat of Chicago industrialist James Deering. The cosmopolitan bachelor, who chose Miami for its warm climate, enlisted the guidance of artist Paul Chalfin, with whom he traveled throughout Italy to survey houses and gardens. With the assistance of architect F. Burrall Hoffman, Jr., and garden designer Diego Suarez, the 180-acre site on Biscayne Bay was transformed into a grand estate, complete with lagoons, canals, citrus groves, a farm village, a yacht harbor, and a 40-room Baroque mansion.
Discovering South Beach Deco: Walking Tours in the Miami Beach Art Deco District
by Richard Beaubien, Valerie Beaubien
"Discovering South Beach Deco: Walking Tours in the Miami Beach Art Deco District" is both a reference book and a tour guide. It presents eight self-guided walks, from sizzling Ocean Drive to the charming neighborhoods off the beach. Each tour includes a user-friendly map, historical background and commentary on buildings and architectural details, as well as pointers to food, museums and other diversions along the route. Over 300 buildings and historic sites are covered, most with accompanying black and white pictures. Supplementary chapters explore the history and architecture of Miami Beach in more detail, making this an indispensable guide for locals and well-informed tourists alike.
Miami Architecture: An AIA Guide Featuring Downtown, the Beaches, and Coconut Grove
by Allan T. Shulman, Randall C. Robinson Jr, James F. Donnelly
A major urban center perched between vast natural ecosystems, Miami is known for a strikingly diverse built environment that is barely 100 years old. Within this brief span, the city has constantly reinvented itself, seeking a tangible identity as Floridas largest metropolis. In this invented landscape, architecture, landscape design, and urban planning have played a particularly important role in creating Miamis modern character and unique identity.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.