Gadling

Of course, not everything worth seeing in Miami is on South Beach; there's plenty to see and do off the island.

On the morning of our second day, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the Greenview and headed across the causeway to the city of Miami. On the way, we decided to swing by Star Island, Palm Island, and Hibiscus Island. These three islands -- tucked between South Beach and the mainland -- are home to some of the wealthiest Miamians. Although we didn't see any famous people pulling weeds in their shrub beds, I understand J Lo, Liz Taylor, Shaquille O'Neal, and Gloria Estefan all live here. We just wanted to see how the other half lives.
Evidently, they live very well.
Since the roads on these islands are public, they have to let in non-residents. However, there are guard shacks placed at the entryways, to intimidate you. Drive up, tell the guard you just want to look around, and they'll let you in.
This wasn't the most fun part of our trip, but it was worth a few minutes.
Next door to the above property was this vacant lot. I'm sure it's for sale. If you're looking to move, let me know, and I'll get you the phone number.
If you want to get a better sense of what Star Island looks like, you can watch this minute-and-a-half clip we shot while driving down the island's single street. Please ignore the irony wherein we note how "quiet and private" the area is.

If you want to see what the homes look like from the water, check out this 9-minute clip.

Finally, if you're looking for a more formalized tour of this area, several companies provide excursions, including:

• Miami Duck Tours, a 90-minute "land and sea adventure."
  
• The Grand Miami Tour, which flies you over the islands and which would probably be beautiful.
• And you can always take a jet ski tour of the area. I bet the residents love that.
  

Filed under: Learning, Video