Long known by locals as Miami Beach's best-kept secret of quietly hip serenity, North Beach puts the 'yes' in NoBe when it comes to beach towns with a boho edge subtle enough to not really need a cool nickname. In recent years, the area is becoming Miami Beach's hippest enclave, drawing travelers from across the globe and South Beach Group Hotels is taking notice.

Stretching from 63rd Street to 87th Street, North Beach is a marvelous mash-up of mid-century Miami Modern (MiMo), present-century Miami mod, and, as visionaries stake their claim to this unfettered fabulousness, a bit of futuristic Miami in terms of forthcoming bars, restaurants, and assorted cultural diversions blocks away from South Beach, but worlds away in terms of tone and vibe.

From the iconic Americana of the MiMo district to the rich Latin American culture of the Collins Avenue corridor known as Little Buenos Aires, North Beach transports visitors into a Food Network-caliber frenzy of sights, sounds and smells of Argentine culture and cuisine where no passport is required, but a taste for some of the city's best empanadas and pastelitos is a must.

And while MiMo mom and pop motels were once the only lodging options in the area, the boutiquey chic Oceanside Hotel, located just steps from the beach, fuses the charm of old-school North Beach with modern day Miami amenities such as sleek, stylish cozy chic rooms, free Wi-Fi, complimentary nightly happy hour, and a scenery oceanside hotspot, The Tavern, where the coffee's as potent as the cocktails. Across the street, the beach is serene and the sand is soft and crunchy under feet, unlike some of the city's other techno-beaten beaches. The Bark Beach nearby is where locals and travelers alike can swim with their fluffy besties on weekend afternoons. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, a symphony of 'ohmmms' can be heard during NoBe Yoga's free beachfront yoga classes at the North Shore Park Bandshell.

As for the Bandshell, they don't make them like these anymore. Built in 1961, the open-air showspace of North Beach has served as the area's town center since the days of big bands and The Mike Douglas Show. Today, the shell is commanded by Miami's Rhythm Foundation, a nonprofit cultural organization serving up some of the city's best, often free, concerts of varying genres. There are movie nights, assorted family nights and all sorts of reasons to be outdoors. Those who don't want to cut it up at a concert can consider serving a game of pick-up volleyball on the nearby Beach Bowl courts of the North Shore Open Space Park.

No pretense, low traffic, plenty of parking spaces, and the beach is never too crowded to find a spot. These are some of the reasons why visitors choose North Beach. Come 2019, it will be the home to the North Beach Yard, an oceanfront offshoot of the original gritty gathering spot of graffiti artists, DJs, hipsters, and pretty much the who's who of Miami'syouth culture in Wynwood. Founder Della Heiman and biz partner Ken Lyon are setting up the yard on a public lot at 81st St. and Collins Ave., where sleek, repurposed shipping containers and food trucks will share space with a plethora of pop-up shops, a live performance stage, pavilion, organic food garden, community center with fitness studio and workshops dedicated to what should really be a North Beach theme: low-impact living, albeit with high impact hipster quotient.

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