Miami
Miami Beach & South Beach
Biscayne Bay
Coral Gables
Key Biscayne
Early in the 20th century, a few farsighted tycoons, most from the Midwest and who had made their fortunes in the burgeoning automobile industry, separately conceived an idea for a new playground for the leisure class. Among their most preposterous projects was the dredging of Biscayne Bay to create a man-made beach paradise offshore the new, elegant, tiny city of Miami, which itself had been created from a mangrove swamp.
Miami and its offshore vacation spot Miami Beach soon became famous as the new home--at least the new winter home--of the "nice" millionaires (as opposed to Palm Beach, already established as the home of the "naughty" millionaires). There were fishing expeditions, luncheons, teas, and tennis at the posh hotels Royal Palm and Halcyon Hall. There were pageants, pig roasts, and balloon fests, and land auctions resembled three-ring circuses, with giveaways of china and crystal and gewgaws, all incentives for the rich to buy, buy, buy.
Miami has become a multicultural metropolis that works and plays with vigor and invites the world to celebrate its diversity. Miami is largely Cuban, as a result of two major waves of immigration, one in the early 1960s, then another in the 1980s.
What does Miami have to offer? You won’t lack for sights, sounds, sensational dining and shopping, plus recreational activities to suit every style and taste in Miami! But make time for some special attractions you’ll find nowhere else.
Vizcaya, a spectacular Mediterranean Revival palazzo, built by International Harvester heir James Deering in 1916, is arguably the best house to see in Miami.
Every weekend the Miami Design Preservation League hosts Art Deco Weekend, expert-guided walking tours through the Art Deco District, showcasing the pastel-hued, streamlined '30s buildings that are so identified with Miami.
Don’t miss Coral Castle--an entire house made out of coral--which for its uniqueness, can't be beat. Its creator, a Latvian immigrant, devoted 25 years to the construction of this quirky palace, which was a tribute to a love that remained unrequited, despite the grand gesture.
Vizcaya
Art Deco Weekend
Coral Castle
MIAMI BEACH and SOUTH BEACH
Calling itself “The Sun and Fun Capital of the World” Miami Beach offers pristine beaches and year-round sunshine. What more could you ask for in a vacation destination?
How about dining on food from every ethnic culture imaginable? From steaks to sushi, you’ll find a restaurant that will suit your palate and your budget. For shopping, head to South Beach, a shopper’s nirvana. Versace rubs shoulders with Victoria’s Secret and there’s no shortage of sunglasses, swimwear, and souvenirs. And after the sun goes down, the nightlife sizzles on South Beach!
BISCAYNE BAY
Biscayne National Park was established as a national monument in 1968. In 1980 it was enlarged to 181,500 acres and designated as a national park. It is a subtropical place where mainland mangrove shoreline, a warm shallow bay, many small islands or keys, and living coral reefs intermingle.
This park contains approximately 181,500 acres, 95 % of which is under water. It encompasses a well-sheltered section of Biscayne Bay, about 45 low islands, called "keys," and about 20 miles of mainland mangrove shoreline.
Biscayne National Park
CORAL GABLES
Coral Gables, called “The City Beautiful,” offers recreational amenities such as the largest tropical botanical garden in the continental United States, a spring-fed grotto swimming pool made of native coral rock with underwater caves, bike paths, walking trails, and more.
Fairchild Tropical Gardens is an 83-acre natural preserve on the edge of Coral Gables. The botanical garden’s winding paths provide magnificent views of exotic plants, tropical flowers and fruits, flowering vines, palms, and oaks.
The Venetian Pool, “the world’s most beautiful swimming hole,” is an 820,000-gallon swimming pool built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The pool is fed with cool spring water and is surrounded by two waterfalls, coral caves, and grottos.
Fairchild Tropical Gardens
The Venetian Pool
KEY BISCAYNE
Just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Miami and its beaches, Key Biscayne is an island paradise, worlds away from the bright lights that fill the skyline across the Bay.
Near-perfect weather makes Key Biscayne a year-round island playground for visitors from all over the world, and it is just over the bridge from Miami. Offering white sand beaches, world-class sailing, fishing, golf and tennis, Key Biscayne is home to an historic lighthouse, fine restaurants, unique boutiques, art galleries, and every amenity you could wish for.
HIGH SEASON -- December through April
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