Vintage neon sizzles under the Florida sun highlighting a pastel palette of Art Deco-style architecture. This is South Beach: Miami’s sometimes chic, sometimes whimsical and always stylish neighborhood.

In South Beach, the destination is the attraction. Begin your day early with a stop at La Provence (1627 Collins Ave., tel 305 538 2406), an authentic French bakery where you can pick up an assortment of pastries and croissants (try an apricot brioche and an almond croissant) and a cup of coffee. Breakfast booty in hand, head east toward Ocean Drive and the beach, where you can set up picnic-style on a grassy knoll in the shade of a swaying palm or grab a seat on the sea wall to find your place in the sun.

Sated, for now, wander over to the Art Deco Welcome Center (101 Ocean Drive, tel 305 672 2014), home of the Miami Design Preservation League. The small office serves double duty as a retail outlet chock-full of kitschy items (Miami Beach snow globes and pink-flamingo salt and pepper shakers) mixed in with vintage postcards, posters of Art Deco buildings and other “collectibles.”

The Welcome Center is also where you’ll gather information about Art Deco tours. Options include “Ocean Drive and Beyond,” a 90-minute guided walking tour with an emphasis on the neighborhood’s Art Deco, Miami Modern and Mediterranean Revival architecture; “Collins Park,” a stroll along Collins Avenue with a focus on grand hotels (many now historic landmarks) dating to the glamour days of the 1940s; and “Lincoln Road,” one of Miami’s earliest neighborhoods and now home to Art Center South Florida (924 Lincoln Road, tel 305 674 8278), a consortium of artists’ studios and exhibit space. Studios open to the public are located at 800 Lincoln Road, 810 Lincoln Road and 924 Lincoln Road.

While touring the artists’ studios is food for the soul, by midday it will be time to search for fuel of a more practical nature. With food and drink on the agenda, head for Tamara in The National Hotel (1677 Collins Ave., tel 305 532 2311). Dating to 1939, The National Hotel is an Art Deco classic. A $17 million renovation, completed in 1996, restored the hotel to its original grandeur while maintaining its authentic design. A subsequent $3 million renovation completed in 2003 raised the bar with the addition of a three-story penthouse suite.

At Tamara, request a table on the poolside terrace with a view of the beach and ocean beyond, then sit back and enjoy a chilled glass of wine and a light lunch while reflecting on your day and, perhaps, reveling in the purchase of a personal treasure: a painting or sculpture by a local artist, a vintage poster, or a whimsical picture frame sporting — what else? — pink flamingos.