Headphones On: Miami's South Beach Now Has Its Own Audio Tour

Written by Jaunted online

Discovery Miami Beach

Models steal children, tell story about 'uncle Gianni'.

It's easy to think that everyone knows the stories that make South Beach the glitzy, sleazy, underdressed spectacle it is, but luckily a brand new company, Discovery Miami Beach, has come along to educate the uninitiated with a new self-guided audio tour—one that 'showcases 29 of the most important places in South Beach’s past and present.'

Of course, this includes a stop outside the Versace Mansion--now known as The Villa By Barton G. You can't go inside unless you want to have a very fancy meal or rest your head on a $1,000-a-night pillow, but you can take a peek at the photos our sister site HotelChatter snapped beyond the gate last fall.

As for the story about how Gianni was slain right there on the steps along Ocean Drive--how's that for education, kids?!

 

Other highlights of the tour include the famous Delano Hotel, the 5th St. Gym and Joe's Stone Crab. (No Jersey Shore house?)

The service launches this week, when you can buy tickets at the Miami Beach Convention Center Visitor Center, DecoBike Kiosks and from various hotel concierge and rental partners throughout South Beach. The walking tour is $14.95, but there's also a DecoBike cycling version for $29.95 and a BigBus tour, where you travel with rowdy groups on red double-decker buses. That's $39.95 and includes hop-on/hop-off privileges.

You'll receive a media player, headphone and map outlining the places you'll hear about on the tour. Narration is provided by a panel of locals such as Miami artist Romero Britto and publicist Tara Solomon, who was a nightlife columnist during SoBe's heady hey days.

As history buffs, we think this is a worthy addition to the list of things to do in Miami—we just hope the thirsty masses don't make life difficult for the earnest types who give it a go.

Oh, and we'll leave you with one word of warning: riding a bike (heck, walking) around South Beach can be dangerous at the best of times, since Miami is home to the worst drivers on the planet and no one here pays one dot of attention to road rules and things like pedestrians and cyclists. Riding around with headphones seems like asking for trouble.

We like DecoBikes and we like the sound of this tour, but if you're going to ride'n'listen, make sure you know how to handle that bike before you jump on, eh? OK, lecture over!

[Photo: Discovery Miami Beach]