Vibrant and charged with the energy of Caribbean rhythms,
Miami means
big-city sophistication and seductive beaches to those who
plug into its unique brand of electric charge. A railroad
into the old Indian trading post started Miami down its path
as Florida’s most dynamic city and a few works of modern
engineering made Miami
Beach a sudden hotspot of the 1920s. With a
colorful arts scene, world-class shopping, watersports
splendor, professional sports and a load of family
attractions, Miami makes one of the nation’s most
well-rounded metropolitan destinations.
 The
greatest influence upon the city’s modern-day personality
came with the influx of Cuban refugees that began in the
1960s. They settled in an area dubbed Little Havana, where
salsa music blares, men play dominoes in the park and
breezes carry strong whiffs of café con leche.
Miami’s overall cuisine and arts scene sway Cuban, blended
with other local Caribbean influence. Floribbean cooking, a
Miami invention, fuses Florida and island technique and
products into one of the most popular styles to have hit in
many decades.
Coral Gables, one
of the nation’s first planned developments, was built almost
entirely out of the coral limestone quarried there. The
quarry itself was turned into Venetian Pool, an exotic
swimming hole with romantic stone bridges and waterfalls.
Gracious Spanish colonial-style homes line twisty streets
vegetated lushly and sequestered aesthetically from the
big-city world.
Key Biscayne holds
popular tourist attractions, busy recreational marinas and
fantastic beaches. Windsurfing and sailing are foremost
along its windy causeway, known as Hobie Beach. Miami
Seaquarium ranks as one of Florida’s first marine
attractions, but keeps up-to-date with dolphin interaction
programs and environmentally inclined exhibits. Nearby
marinas offer everything from boat rentals to diving
excursions. There are more ways to play at Crandon Park, a
huge beach park with amusement rides, tennis and bike paths.
At the island’s southern tip, a state park protects a
historic lighthouse and the beach that fronts it.
Another of Miami’s old neighborhoods,
Coconut Grove
keeps up with the times as a lively shopping and nightlife
scene. Visit a Gilded Age Italian-style palace at Vizcaya
Museum and Gardens and one of the state’s oldest science
museums, which is next door but slated to move downtown in
coming years.
A grand, new performing arts hall also will soon open
downtown. Along the downtown waterfront, American Airlines
Arena hosts NBA’s Miami Heat and Bayside Marketplace
provides a festive atmosphere for shopping, dining or
catching a tour boat, many of which specialize in spying on
celebrity homes.
The majority of celebrities live on islands along MacArthur
Causeway, which leads to
South Beach, a.k.a. SoBe, Miami’s acclaimed
district for naughty and nice. Two family attractions –
Parrot Jungle Island and Miami Children’s Museum – have also
moved along the bridge’s causeway in the vicinity of Miami’s
busy cruise ship port. Ocean Drive, SoBe’s much-photographed
street, faces a wide, bustling beach and is lined with its
historic Art Deco gems. Intimate, chic hotels have taken up
in the jauntily painted masterpieces, their lively cafés
spilling onto the sidewalk with hip clientele, wannabe
fashion model servers, and Latin tunes. A block off Ocean,
all-night clubs and drag bars pick up the tempo. Edgy art
galleries and museums, chi-chi restaurants, and the most
design-forward of restored hotels contribute to SoBe’s
reputation as it follows Collins Avenue along Miami Beach’s
Golden Mile and to the newly fashionable neighborhoods of
North Miami Beach,
Sunny Isles and, on the mainland,
Aventura. Haulover
Park offers scores of recreation and chic hotels, spas and
golf resorts accommodate in style.
Trend-setting Bal Harbour
Village, a barrier island at the northern tip of
Miami Beach, is home to two oceanfront resorts, the Bal
Harbour Shops (with 100 flagship stores such as Louis
Vuitton, Hermes and Gucci) and a number of see-and-be-seen
eateries.
At its southern extremes, the Miami area turns agricultural
and natural in Homestead,
tropical fruit capital and home to a grand new auto-racing
speedway. Homestead is also gateway to two extraordinary
national parks. Biscayne National Park introduces a world
accessible by boat, a world best seen through a snorkel
mask. A 40-mile road takes you through Everglades National
Park and its subtle beauty, to
Flamingo, where a
modest lodge and scores of water and land adventure await.
East of town, along Tamiami Trail, lies another Everglades
access. Nearby, the Miccosukee Indian tribe attracts
visitors with a modern casino and a cultural attraction that
includes airboat rides to old-style clan camps. |
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