Live life like it’s golden
Golden Beach has the type of exquisite architecture in a tropical setting that inspired an album cover — Eric Clapton’s 1974 project “461 Ocean Boulevard” features a photo of a home along this town’s main thoroughfare. This Miami-Dade County enclave’s appeal is still strong, too, with its luxury condos and spacious single-family homes. “Golden Beach is very interesting because there’s a lot of different walks of life over there,” says local Realtor Jordan Williams of Platinum Preferred Realty. “It is by the beach. It’s walkable. There’s a lot of different areas you’re able to go to.” The area offers more than a mile of private beachfront and close access to shopping and dining, too.
Outdoor fun abounds
This town is surrounded by water on both sides — the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. So fun on or by the water is always easy to find here. It comes with a measure of seclusion as well, because the area’s sandy beaches are private, open to property owners. A lot of residents can step onto the beach from right outside their backyard. Many of the homes along the Intracoastal Waterway come with boat docks out back. Those looking for a bit of inland fun, meanwhile, have spots like Tweedle Park at their disposal. The town considers Tweedle “the ultimate family park” in the area, with its playground, basketball and tennis courts, and sand volleyball courts. The mild weather means people can enjoy outdoor fun year-round, too. “Lots of seasonal snowbirds that come in once it’s wintertime,” says Williams, who has several years of real estate experience. “It gets really busy in that area.” And even though Golden Beach’s beachfront is private, the nearby city of Sunny Isles Beach has almost two dozen beach access points.
Top-notch location, all around
No matter where someone lives in Golden Beach, they’re only minutes from the water. The area is known in part for its beachside mansions — the property that influenced “461 Ocean Boulevard” is among them, the place where Clapton recorded the album. The project featured a cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” that went No. 1 on the Billboard chart. But the condos here stand tall as well. “There’s some really nice houses in that area,” Williams says. “But the condos are where it’s at. They’re on the beach. Priced fairly well.” Options range from studio units under 400 square feet to penthouses over 6,000 square feet. The single-family houses here can span from 1,300 square feet to more than 13,000 square feet, and come in various contemporary and Mediterranean styles. Price tags in the area start under $200,000 for a small condo and can reach almost $70 million for one of the larger single-family homes.
Miami-area events come close by
Golden Beach is just about 20 miles north of Downtown Miami, so people who live here can take advantage of the wide range of events that happen in the area, year-round. Among them, Williams notes, is the Miami International Boat Show, which takes place in February across multiple spots along the Intracoastal Waterway, including the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Museum Park Marina. This is the world's largest boat and yacht show, drawing more than 1,000,000 attendees to peruse some of the latest in the nautical world while enjoying a range of food and drink.
Seaside location reflected in cuisine
Some of the dining in the area reflects the region’s geography. “There are some really good seafood places around there,” Williams says. Among them is Juniper on the Water, in the nearby city of Hallandale Beach. The seafood paella is one of the hits at Juniper on the Water, and patrons love the views of the Intracoastal Waterway. Harissa By Sunset Cafe in nearby Aventura is popular for its Mediterranean food as well. Locals can trek a bit farther into Aventura for shopping, at the more than 2.8 million-square-foot Aventura Mall, which has more than 300 stores. The mall borders a Publix, too.
Area schools are well-regarded
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools system serves kids in Golden Beach, a district with a B-plus overall grade on Niche. The system allows students to apply for the schools of their choice, but campuses Golden Beach is zoned for include the A-minus-rated Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K-8, which counts a robotics group among its extracurricular activities. Then students can progress to the Alonzo And Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus, a B-plus-rated school with dedicated academies on topics like cyber security and legal studies.
Bus around with Broward County Transit
Golden Beach has several stops in the Broward County Transit bus system, most of them lined along Ocean Boulevard. Also, drivers in Golden Beach can reach Interstate 95 in just about 5 miles, an artery that takes them straight down to Miami.
Written By
Wayne Epps Jr.
