So if you’re not into sunbathing and outdoor activities, or you just can’t take the heat, you’ll be in good company in one of Miami’s many malls — and you are not likely to emerge empty-handed. In addition to the strip malls, Miami offers a choice of megamalls, from the upscale Village of Merrick Park and the mammoth Aventura Mall to the ritzy Bal Harbour Shops and touristy, yet scenic, Bayside Marketplace.

Miami also offers more unique shopping spots, such as the up-and-coming area near downtown known as the Biscayne Corridor, where funky boutiques dare to defy the Gap, and Little Havana, where you can buy hand-rolled cigars and guayabera shirts (loose-fitting cotton or gauzy shirts).

Most Miami stores can wrap your purchase and ship it anywhere in the world via United Parcel Service (UPS). If they can’t, you can send it yourself, either through FedEx (tel. 800/463-3339), UPS (tel. 800/742-5877), or through the U.S. Mail.

Shopping Areas

Most of Miami’s shopping happens at the many megamalls scattered from one end of the county to the other; however, there is also some excellent boutique shopping and browsing to be done in the following areas:

Aventura — On Biscayne Boulevard between Miami Gardens Drive and the county line at Hallandale Beach Boulevard is a 2-mile stretch of major retail stores including Target, Best Buy, Borders, DSW, Bed Bath & Beyond, Loehmann’s, Marshall’s, Ross Dress For Less, Filene’s Basement, Old Navy, Sports Authority, and more. Also here is the mammoth Aventura Mall, housing a fabulous collection of shops and restaurants. Nearby in Hallandale Beach you’ll find The Village at Gulfstream Park, a new outdoor dining, shopping, and entertainment complex at the ever-expanding racetrack.

Biscayne Corridor — Amid the ramshackle old motels of yesteryear exist several funky, kitschy, and arty boutiques along the stretch of Biscayne Boulevard from 50th Street to about 79th Street known as the Biscayne Corridor. Everything from hand-painted tank tops to expensive Juicy Couture sweat suits can be found here, but it’s not just about fashion: Several furniture stores selling antiques and modern pieces exist along here as well, so look carefully, as you may find something here that would cause the appraisers on Antiques Road Show to lose their wigs. For more mainstream creature comforts — Target, PetSmart, Loehmann’s, Marshall’s, and West Elm — a new complex called The Shops at Midtown Miami has opened on a gritty, yet, developing street at North Miami Avenue and NE 36th Street.

Calle Ocho — For a taste of Little Havana, take a walk down 8th Street between SW 27th Avenue and SW 12th Avenue, where you’ll find some lively streetlife and many shops selling cigars, baked goods, shoes, furniture, and record stores specializing in Latin music. For help, take your Spanish dictionary.

Coconut Grove — Downtown Coconut Grove, centered on Main Highway and Grand Avenue, and branching onto the adjoining streets, is one of Miami’s most pedestrian-friendly zones. The Grove’s wide sidewalks, lined with cafes and boutiques, can provide hours of browsing pleasure. Coconut Grove is best known for its chain stores (Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and so on) and some funky holdovers from the days when the Grove was a bit more bohemian, plus some good sidewalk cafes and lively bars.

Design District — Although it’s still primarily an interior design, art, and furniture hub, Design District is slowly adding retail to its roster with a few funky and fabulous boutiques catering to those who don’t necessarily have to ask “how much?”

Downtown Miami — If you’re looking for discounts on all types of goods — especially watches, fabric, buttons, lace, shoes, luggage, and leather — Flagler Street, just west of Biscayne Boulevard, is the best place to start. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying expensive items here, as many stores seem to be on the shady side and do not understand the word warranty. However, you can still have fun here as long as you are a savvy shopper and don’t mind haggling. Most signs are printed in English, Spanish, and Portuguese; however, many shopkeepers may not be entirely fluent in English. Mary Brickell Village, a 192,000-square-foot urban entertainment center west of Brickell Avenue and straddling South Miami Avenue between 9th and 10th streets downtown, hasn’t been so quick to emerge as a major shopping destination as much as it is a dining and nightlife one with a slew of trendy restaurants, bars, a few boutiques, and the requisite Starbucks — a sure sign that a neighborhood has been revitalized.

Miracle Miles (Coral Gables) — Actually only a half-mile long, this central shopping street was an integral part of George Merrick’s original city plan. Today the strip still enjoys popularity, especially for its bridal stores, ladies’ shops, haberdashers, and gift shops. Recently, newer chain stores, such as Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, and Starbucks, have been appearing on the Mile. The hyperupscale Village of Merrick Park, a mammoth, 850,000-square-foot outdoor shopping complex between Ponce de León Boulevard and Le Jeune Road, just off the Mile, houses Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Armani, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, and Yves St. Laurent, to name a few.

South Beach — South Beach has come into its own as far as trendy shopping is concerned. While the requisite stores such as the Gap and Banana Republic have anchored here, several higher-end stores have also opened on the southern blocks of Collins Avenue, which has become the Madison Avenue of Miami. For the hippest clothing boutiques (including Armani Exchange, Ralph Lauren, Intermix, Benetton, Levi’s, Barneys Co-Op, Diesel, Guess, Club Monaco, Kenneth Cole, and Nicole Miller, among others), stroll along this pretty strip of the Art Deco District.

For those who are interested in a little more fun with their shopping, consider South Beach’s legendary Lincoln Road. This pedestrian mall, originally designed in 1957 by Morris Lapidus, has expanded with a multimillion-dollar renovation, transforming a formerly shabby bank building into yet another block of swank shopportunities and dining (coming soon: a branch of NYC’s hailed burger joint, Shake Shack, a Nespresso store, Taschen book store, and more) adding to the menagerie of sidewalk cafes flanked on one end by a multiplex movie theater and, at the other, by the Atlantic Ocean.