Ocean Drive is the beachfront street at the center of Miami Beach’s Art Deco Historic District, running along the sand from 5th Street to 15th Street in South Beach. It is where the pastel hotel facades, sidewalk cafes and neon most people picture when they picture South Beach — and it is walkable end to end in about twenty minutes.
This page collects what is actually on the street: where to stay, where to eat, where to go out, and the practical details that decide whether a visit goes smoothly.
Is Ocean Drive closed to cars?
Not currently, and not automatically. In September 2026 Miami Beach commissioners voted 7-0 to ask Miami-Dade County to close Ocean Drive to vehicle traffic between 5th and 15th Streets from Thanksgiving through the end of March each year. That request still needs county authorization and coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation before it can take effect, and no start date has been published.
The street has been pedestrianized temporarily before, for high-impact weekends and events. If you want the current status and what it would mean for hotel drop-offs and parking, we keep that on a dedicated page: the Ocean Drive car closure explainer. For a sense of how a permanently car-free strip works in Miami Beach, Lincoln Road a few blocks west has been a pedestrian promenade for years.
Where to stay on Ocean Drive
Almost every hotel on Ocean Drive is oceanfront or one row back, and many occupy restored Art Deco buildings. Rooms facing the street get the view and the noise; rooms at the back are quieter. Listed south to north by address:
South of 5th Street
- Hilton Bentley Miami — 101 Ocean Drive
- Balfour Miami Beach — 350 Ocean Drive
- The Local House — 400 Ocean Drive
These sit below 5th Street, outside the stretch covered by the proposed seasonal closure.
The 500 to 900 blocks
- Bentley Hotel South Beach — 510 Ocean Drive
- Park Central South Beach — 640 Ocean Drive
- Avalon Hotel — 700 Ocean Drive
- Beacon South Beach Hotel — 720 Ocean Drive
- The Colony Hotel — 736 Ocean Drive
- Pelican Hotel — 826 Ocean Drive
- Hotel Breakwater South Beach — 940 Ocean Drive
The 1000 to 1200 blocks
- Clevelander — 1020 Ocean Drive
- The Villa Casa Casuarina — 1116 Ocean Drive, the former Versace Mansion
- Hotel Victor South Beach — 1144 Ocean Drive
- Hotel Casa Cañita — 1200 Ocean Drive
- Leslie Hotel — 1244 Ocean Drive
The 1300 to 1440 blocks
- Cardozo South Beach — 1300 Ocean Drive
- Cavalier South Beach Hotel — 1320 Ocean Drive
- Eurostars Winter Haven — 1400 Ocean Drive
- Penguin Hotel — 1418 Ocean Drive
- The Betsy South Beach — 1440 Ocean Drive
If you are weighing Ocean Drive against quieter parts of the island, our guide to the best hotels in Miami Beach covers the wider comparison.
Where to eat on Ocean Drive
Dining on Ocean Drive splits into three rough groups: sidewalk cafes built around the people-watching, a few long-standing destination restaurants, and the steakhouses clustered at the southern end.
- News Cafe — 800 Ocean Drive. A South Beach fixture serving breakfast through late night.
- Front Porch Cafe — 918 Ocean Drive. Breakfast and brunch focused.
- Gianni’s at the Former Versace Mansion — 1116 Ocean Drive, inside The Villa Casa Casuarina.
- Prime 112 — 112 Ocean Drive. Fine-dining steakhouse.
- Prime Italian — 101 Ocean Drive.
- Il Bolognese — 1400 Ocean Drive.
- La Trattoria Ocean Drive — 1244 Ocean Drive.
- Caffe Milano — 850 Ocean Drive.
- CJ’s Crab Shack — 600 Ocean Drive. Seafood, casual.
- Meet Dalia — 640 Ocean Drive.
- On Ocean 7 Cafe — 660 Ocean Drive.
- Montana’s Miami Beach — 736 Ocean Drive.
- Ocean Bistro — 1320 Ocean Drive.
- Nikki Beach — 1 Ocean Drive, at the southern tip.
Menu prices on the strip are generally higher than elsewhere in Miami Beach, and some sidewalk restaurants add an automatic service charge. Check the menu and the bill before ordering. Our best restaurants in Miami Beach guide looks beyond Ocean Drive.
Bars, clubs and late night
- Mango’s Tropical Cafe — 900 Ocean Drive. Live music and dance performances.
- Palace Bar & Restaurant — 1052 Ocean Drive. Long-running drag brunch and shows.
- Salsa Mia — 900 Ocean Drive. Salsa dancing and lessons.
- Voodoo Lounge Miami — 928 Ocean Drive.
- Clevelander — 1020 Ocean Drive. Poolside bar and one of the loudest addresses on the street.
Most of Ocean Drive’s nightlife is open-air and street-facing rather than club-style. For proper clubs, see the best nightclubs in Miami Beach, and the best bars in Miami Beach for quieter options.
Spas and wellness
- The Betsy Spa — 1440 Ocean Drive
- K’Alma Spa — 1144 Ocean Drive, lower level
- Spa 101 — 101 Ocean Drive
- Perfect Precision Fitness — 901 Ocean Drive
Getting there and parking
Ocean Drive is at the eastern edge of South Beach, one block from the sand. Parking directly on the street is metered, limited, and among the hardest to find on the island during high season and event weekends. Municipal garages a block or two west on Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue are usually the more realistic option.
If the proposed seasonal closure is authorized, curbside parking on the closed stretch would not be available at all and rideshare pickups would move to adjacent streets. Confirm parking and drop-off arrangements with your hotel before you arrive rather than assuming curbside access.
What Ocean Drive is actually like
Ocean Drive is the most concentrated tourist strip in Miami Beach. That is the appeal and also the caveat: it is busy, loud, and priced accordingly, particularly on weekends and through the winter season. The architecture and the beach access are genuinely worth seeing, and the stretch is at its best early in the morning or at golden hour, when the Art Deco facades photograph well and the crowds are thinner.
Visitors who want the same neighborhood without the intensity usually do better a block or two west. Our honest guide to Miami Beach covers those trade-offs, and Art Deco Weekend is the annual event built around the district’s architecture.
FAQ
Where is Ocean Drive in Miami Beach?
Ocean Drive runs along the beachfront in South Beach. The stretch most visitors mean runs from 5th Street to 15th Street through the Art Deco Historic District, though the street itself continues south of 5th Street.
Is Ocean Drive closed to cars?
Not at present. Miami Beach commissioners voted in September 2026 to request a seasonal closure between 5th and 15th Streets from Thanksgiving through March, but it still requires Miami-Dade County authorization and FDOT coordination, and no start date has been announced.
Can you walk on Ocean Drive?
Yes. There are sidewalks the full length of the strip, and Lummus Park with its paths sits between Ocean Drive and the sand. Walking the 5th to 15th Street stretch takes roughly twenty minutes at an easy pace.
Is Ocean Drive free?
Walking the street and using the public beach are free. Parking, food and drink are not, and the strip is generally more expensive than the surrounding neighborhood.
What is the best time to visit Ocean Drive?
Early morning and late afternoon are quietest and best for photographs. Evenings and weekends are busiest, and the winter season from roughly December through March is the peak period.
