If you're planning a winter vacation to sunny South Florida or if you're lucky enough to live there, exploring the area's bustling theatre and performing arts scene can be great fun. Miami is known as a haven for artistic expression and the city is home to some of the best performing arts venues in the country. Artists and performers flock to South Beach and Coconut Grove to find creative inspiration and soak up the Miami vibe.

To help you navigate the South Florida theatre scene, we're breaking down the best venues and shows you don't want to miss.

With the long weekend bringing beautiful early fall weather to most of the country, it's the perfect time to grab a seat outside and indulge your voyeuristic side with a little game of eye spy.



Here are some of our favorite spots to people watch:

10. Yaffa's in New York, N.Y.
This quirky Tribeca cafe is kitschy and casual. The menu is inexpensive, the food is great and the outdoor tables offer a primo view of Greenwich Street.

A centuries-old Middle Eastern tradition is becoming increasingly popular in the United States: the hookah. Hookah bars seem to be popping up left and right, particularly in college towns and urban cities, as more people look for ways to spice up a typical night on the town.



Hookah lounges boast impressive menus with just about every flavor of tobacco, or shisha, you can possibly imagine. Choose from an array of fruit-flavored shisha including mango, strawberry and peach, or go for something sweeter like chocolate mint, orange cream or pina colada.

Summer might soon be over in a flash, but the party will continue. Jazz music festivals are still going strong from now through the Fall season -- so make your way to your local music fest and enjoy the sounds of John Coltrane and Miles Davis ...

During August and September, some of the most frenzied and fantastical celebrations of theater, dance and music are unleashed in cities across the country. Behold, the fringe fest. There's nothing "normal" or "mainstream" about it. Instead, the festivities provide a welcome departure into an alternative theatrical world that is edgy, unusual and captivating.

The famed Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts fest, is taking place in Scotland August 7 – 31. But several American cities are giving Edinburgh a run for its money. Here's a look at some of the best fringe fests you don't want to miss: