The Art Deco of Ocean Drive

One night, we  took  the hotel car down to Ocean Drive to see all the beautiful Art Deco buildings all lit up in  their bright, fun colors. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, the whole area was completely packed, the sidewalks were bustling and all the restaurants  were filled. It was a  little  too crowded for our liking, so we didn't stay too long, but we made sure to see as much Art Deco architecture as we could.

We all thought the Leslie was one of the cutest 

We were shocked to stumble upon the  Versace mansion right in the middle of all the hustle, we thought it would be tucked away in a more secluded and private location. There’s always a crowd outside the gates of the Versace Mansion, the third most photographed home in America, after the White House and Graceland. Perhaps that’s due to its opulent, Mediterranean revivalist architecture. Perhaps it’s because of its association with one of the most famous fashion brands in the world. Or perhaps it’s related to its grisly history as the place where Andrew Cunanan murdered Gianni Versace.

The former home of the Italian fashion designer is now The Villa Casa Casuarina, a boutique hotel. Located at 1116 Ocean Drive on South Beach, the mansion was built in 1930 by architect Alden Freeman. Versace bought it in 1992. After his death – serial killer Andrew Cunanan shot him on the steps in July of 1997 – developer Peter Loftin bought the property and renovated it.

It was so fun to see so much Art Deco everywhere, some  hotels were done in pure Art Deco style, others just had elements here and there. Some were huge, classy and bright, others were small and more run down. But all of  them were fun to see, Art Deco is definitely best when viewed  through palm trees.

We passed by so many fun looking restaurants with outdoor dining spaces.

I'm so glad we made it down to Ocean Drive at least once, it was fun to see the heart of South Beach. But we were also very excited when we got back to our nice, quiet, sleepy hotel in Mid Beach, we are too old for the chaos of South Beach.