Sports Spots in Miami

Check out the best sports spots in Miami, FL.

By: Ben Breslerman

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Sunny skies, warm weather, art deco, South Beach … those are usually the first few things that come to people’s minds when they think about Miami. However, with the rich championship history of past Miami Dolphins teams and, most recently, a decade of dominance by the NBA’s Miami Heat, the sports scene in Miami continues to grow at a rapid rate.

From trying relatively unknown sports such as jai alai and flyboarding to hitting the hardwood and taking the field with the city’s pro teams, check out some of the best sports spots South Florida has to offer.

Sun Life Stadium

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Photo by: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

You know you’re in Dolphins country when you’re on Don Shula Drive — a street named after the legendary ’Phins head coach (the only coach in NFL history to lead a team to a perfect season) — and that’s exactly where the Miami Dolphins’ home turf of Sun Life Stadium is situated. Located in Miami Gardens, FL, Sun Life Stadium — formerly known as Joe Robbie Stadium, among other names — also acts as the home field of college football’s Miami Hurricanes and has hosted several other major sporting events. Sun Life annually holds one of the 5 major college bowl games, the Orange Bowl. It was also the site of the 2013 BCS National Championship and has hosted 5 NFL Super Bowls since it opened.

Miami Jai-Alai

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Photo by: Scott Halleran / Getty Images

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

You know when you’re a kid, and your parents take you on a family vacation, and every activity seems like the worst idea possible, but they drag you along, kicking and screaming every inch of the way? It was during one of these many magical family adventures to Miami that I came across what some refer to as the fastest sport in the world. Jai alai is the perfect activity for anyone who is a fan of high-paced play and intense action. The game takes place inside a court with 3 walls, in which 2 players face off against each other. They are each given a curved wicker scoop known as a xistera (Basque) or cesta-punta (Spanish) and asked to catapult a hard rubber ball (called the pelota) at speeds close to 190 mph, back and forth until the ball goes out of bounds. The ball must be caught on the fly or after the first bounce, with a winner being crowned after receiving 7 points.

Marlins Park

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Photo by: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

I’m willing to go out on a limb and call Marlins Park the most unusual stadium in all of baseball, maybe even in the entire United States. Baseball’s newest venue, Marlins Park opened in the spring of 2012 and has a maximum seating capacity of just over 37,000, making it the third-smallest stadium in the league. But what the park lacks in size, it more than makes up for it in design. From its contemporary architecture to the colorfully tiled art deco walkways, Marlins Park screams Miami! And what would Miami be without a touch of the nightlife? Inside the park, a South Beach-themed nightclub known as the Clevelander sits directly behind the left-field wall and features a variety of top-notch amenities, including a swimming pool, which is available on game days. However, there is 1 feature this park offers that is unlike any other stadium in all of sports. (Although a swimming pool is rare, it is not one-of-a-kind, as Chase Field in Arizona also has one.) Behind home plate, 2 enormous saltwater aquariums full of live fish act as a backstop, preventing foul balls and wild pitches from going into the stands. But not to worry, all you animal lovers out there: The tanks are lined with a polycarbonate sheeting to prevent the glass from ever breaking.

Bayside Flyboard

Photo by: Bayside Flyboard

Bayside Flyboard

Stating the obvious here, but most sports enthusiasts who live in warm climates near the ocean love to partake in water sports. From surfing to wakeboarding and waterskiing, there is a vast variety of water sports you could find in such places. However, one of the biggest trends literally “flying” around South Beach is flyboarding. Bayside Flyboard, located in the Bayside Marina in downtown Miami, offers participants the amazing opportunity to strap on a jetpack and “surf the sky (and) swim like a dolphin,” all at the same time. So the next time you’re looking for an intense water activity to get your adrenaline pumping, skip the skis and go straight to the jetpack for the ride of your life.

American Airlines Arena

Photo by: Courtesy of the GMCVB - MiamiandBeaches.com

Courtesy of the GMCVB - MiamiandBeaches.com

“King James” (LeBron) may have left the building, but that doesn’t diminish the history that has taken place inside American Airlines Arena since its opening in 1999. Home of the NBA’s Miami Heat, the arena is located in the heart of downtown Miami, on the waterfront of Biscayne Bay, and has been privy to its fair share of championship glory, as the Heat have collected 3 rings since 2006. However, the most distinctive feature of the entire facility happens to be on the outside of the building. A revolutionary, 3,400-square-foot LED motion graphic display known as MiamiMediaMesh scales the west entrance. The first of its kind in the NBA, this impressive LED display has helped distinguish American Airlines Arena as one of the top sports and entertainment venues on the East Coast.

The Blue Monster at Doral

Photo by: Courtesy of the GMCVB - MiamiandBeaches.com

Courtesy of the GMCVB - MiamiandBeaches.com

From PGA National to Bay Hill, Florida is littered with amazing golf courses. Nonetheless, there is 1 course in particular, located in Miami, that rivals the state’s best. The Blue Monster at Doral, one of 5 championship golf courses featured at Trump National Doral Miami, is lined with beautiful palm trees and sprawls out over 7,608 yards of lush landscape. Known for its deep bunkers and long, flowing fairways, the Blue Monster has hosted several prestigious PGA Tour events in its 50 years, including the WGC-Cadillac Championship, which is played annually.