Some of the highlights of Miami are the wonderful shopping options available to locals and tourists. Aventura Mall is one of those places where you can lose yourself for an entire day as you shop for things you need and things you didn’t realize you needed. In addition to the shopping there are a number of other activities to do and things to see. It’s a mall experience like no other with its luxury stores and smattering of artistic attractions.
Aventura Mall is owned by Turnberry Associates who decided to give the place a little facelift. After it’s recently $150 million renovation the 2.7 million square foot, multi-level mall has taken on a new look with dramatic architecture and a distinctive design. The Miami Herald’s Hot List ranked Aventura Mall as the Best Local Shopping Destination and the mall is routinely one of the top grossing centers in the southeast and one of the top five centers in the U.S. In fact if you’re looking to make the Aventura Mall your vacation destination then there are a number of hotels associated with the mall that cater to mall guests. Try visiting the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, the Residence Inn by Marriott at Aventura Mall, Courtyard by Marriott at Aventura Mall or Hampton Inn.
Aventura Mall is home to anchor stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, JC Penney and Sears. But the mall isn’t limited to the big department stores, there are more than 280 stores and restaurants in the mall and a 24 screen AMC movie theater. New to the mall is the addition of the Nordstrom Court. Nordstrom is one of the best known fashion retailers in the United States. In addition to Nordstrom the mall has also recently added the following stores: Adolfo Dominguez, AG Adriano Goldschmied, Astoria, BCBGMAXAZARIA, Boss Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Chico’s, Cole Haan, D-Coy, Damiani, Equinox Fitness Clubs, Ferrari Store, For Love 21, G-Star Raw, Gilly Hicks, Herve Leger Max Azaria, Porsche Design, Toys R Us, and many more.
For those looking to add a dining experience to their mall excursion there are so many options you may just find yourself coming back to Aventura Mall just to eat. There are the typical and not so typical assortment of food on the go at the food court for those who are power shopping. And then there are some more moderately priced places to go and enjoy a more relaxing meal such as: 59th & Lex Café, Bella Luna, Nordstrom Café Bistro, Cheesecake Factory, Grand Lux Café, The Grill on the Alley, Johnny Rockets, Mama Sbarros, Ocean Prime, Paul Maison de Qualite 1889, Rosalia’s, and Sushi Siam.
Another of the bigger draws to the Aventura Mall is the AMC Aventura movie theater which features state of the art, wall to wall screened theaters with LoveSeat stadium-style seats, 24 different screens and two concession stands. If you want to skip the long lines, AMC Aventura is the place to go with 12 ticket stations, an on-site ATM ticket machine and the option to purchase tickets over the phone. The movies are always changing and mainstream hits so check online or a local paper to see what is currently showing.
Aventura Mall takes the mall experience a little further than the average mall with the shopping, eating and movie activities, at Aventura Mall you’ll also find the artist designed interactive playground, Rainbow Valley, and the Turnberry for the Arts, a major contemporary arts collection.
Rainbow Valley Playground is an important part of Aventura Mall’s Kid’s Club, which looks to play an important role in kids’ lives, bringing them special events, activities and discounts. Specifically the Rainbow Valley Playground is Southern Florida’s first indoor children’s playground designed by contemporary artists. The setting is inspiring for youngsters and draws upon their own creativity and interactive play to enhance the experience. The playground is based upon the artists’ story about Peeko, a baby mountain, and his adventure with Cloudy in the magical Rainbow Valley.
Turnberry for the Arts actually started with the Rainbow Valley Playground but has grown to an entire collection of contemporary artwork that is meant to enhance the shopping experience. The world class collection of art is part of the Turnberry for the Arts works incorporate a range of mediums and several of the pieces have been designed specifically for the mall. Current artists featured in the mall include: Daniel Arsham, Julian Opie, Sam Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, Jorge Pardo, Lawrence Weiner, Donald Baechler, Louise Bourgeois, Gary Hume, Tom Otterness, and Jaume Plensa. Coming in the near future is the much anticipated work, The Cloud, by Jim Dine. Each addition of artwork to the collection is an impressive statement in itself and furthers the appreciation of contemporary artwork in the public eye.
One of the best parts of the Aventura Mall are the little extras. Check with tourism groups to see if you can score one of the First Class Shopping Rewards, which provides a number of special offers and discounts from merchants at the Aventura Mall. The First Class Shopping Rewards booklet features a welcome letter, discount coupons, special offers, a directory of the stores and other information which can be very useful for visitors.
Some of the other extras that make Aventura Mall a luxury shopping experience are the car wash, located in Macy’s Men’s Home furniture parking garage, the Avis Rent-A-Cars located in the lower level of Sears, the Concierge Centers located in the Center Court and another one in Bloomingdale’s and Marcy’s Home Store Court, valet parking and Todd’s Ticket Center in the lower level Piazza.
Aventura Mall Shopping
19501 Biscayne Boulevard
Aventura, FL 33180
Phone (305) 935-1110
Fax (305) 935-9360
Hours Mon-Sat 10:00 am to 9:30 pm Sun Noon to 8:00 pm
photo credit: Flickr/Miamism