The art season kicks into gear in October but it truly heats up in early December when Miami's streets are overrun with art collectors in town to catch the latest cutting edge art that Art Basel has to offer. It's just four days -- December 5-8 -- but the whirlwind and mayhem that surrounds the event is simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. The best advice is to map out a schedule way in advance in order to hit all the highlights. [caption id="attachment_66522" align="alignleft" width="300"] Courtesy of Art Basel[/caption]The satellite fairs on Miami Beach, in Wynwood, the Design District and countless other neighborhoods are as much the place to see and be seen than the actual Art Basel event at the Miami Beach Convention Center. And truly, just driving around the city provides a taste of Basel madness. Past years have featured giant neon alligators climbing the Freedom Tower, oversized neon pink shells strategically placed throughout the city and beachfront containers that serve as exhibition space. Public sculptures dotted the streets and were an unexpected surprise, a way for Basel to reach the masses. For a complete rundown of events, fairs and parties, visit www.artbasel.com/en/miami-beach.

The massive 17,500-object collection on view at the Lowe Art Museum, located in the heart of the University of Miami Campus in Coral Gables, features a vast array of artworks from around the world. They focus on the classics here and have spent decades perfecting and expanding their pieces. Renaissance and baroque paintings and sculptures, Native and Ancient American art as well as Asian works share space. And that's only their permanent collection. Their changing exhibitions include photography, African-American art, lithographs, watercolors, pastels, acrylics and screen prints. Special events hosted at the Lowe include lectures, dance performances and family days. Their billed as showing 5,000 years worth of art and that's worth checking out. The Lowe Art Museum is located at 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables

Yes, warehouses are becoming the norm as a venue for showing art but the CIFO (short for Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation) Art Space in Downtown Miami is something extraordinary. The state-of-the-art venue features contemporary art in their galleries while providing a lovely outdoor piazza for special events.

The exterior is just as impressive, a striking building covered in greenery. Inside the galleries they're showcasing the extensive collection of Ella Fontanals-Cisneros including video, photography, geometric abstraction and contemporary works by such notable artists as Ana Mendieta,  Fiona Tan, Andreas Gursky, Ed Ruscha, Manuel Espinosa and many others.

They use the Piazza for plenty of art-related events and receptions and in December during Art Basel CIFO is hopping with daily tours for major art collectors in town shopping for the latest and greatest to expand their collection.

CIFO Art Space is located at 1018 North Miami Ave., Miami, FL 305-455-3380 www.cifo.org

What makes the Art Center/South Florida so unique is that aside from being such a great place to view local art it's actually a working studio where artists rent space and create their work. Besides making it the perfect excuse to stroll up and down Lincoln Road on Miami Beach, not that any excuses should be needed for doing that, it's a great way to experience the craft of creating art first-hand. Big names in the South Florida art community, like Carlos Betancourt, Robert Chambers, David Rohn, Michele Oka Doner and others, have displayed their work here and the exhibitions include public art commissions, performance and video art, multi-media works as well as more traditional paintings and drawings. Art Center/South Florida is located at924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL