Miami, Florida

Sea and sunshine, glittering luxury hotels, and an endless variety of things to do have made Miami one of America's favorite resort centers. Miami is a complex metropolitan area, gateway to the resort of Miami Beach, and the largest cruise ship port in the world.

Attractions

The Bayside Marketplace, a complex of more than 150 shops, restaurants (including Hard Rock Cafe), and outdoor cafes with wonderful views of the marina, anchors a revitalized downtown. Nearby are the Cloisters of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux and Old Town Trolley Tours. The Freedom Tower across Biscayne Boulevard houses the Cuban Refugee Center and the offices of the Miami News.

The Bayside Marketplace, a complex of more than 150 shops, restaurants (including Hard Rock Cafe), and outdoor cafes with wonderful views of the marina, anchors a revitalized downtown. Nearby are the Cloisters of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux and Old Town Trolley Tours. The Freedom Tower across Biscayne Boulevard houses the Cuban Refugee Center and the offices of the Miami News.

Miami is rich in diverse neighborhoods. Its location at the southern tip of Florida has made the city a focal point for Latin American and Caribbean immigration. With a population over 50% Hispanic, Spanish is as commonly heard as English. Those who never stray from the beaches and nightlife of South Beach miss a colorful patchwork of exotic districts. Little Havana has terrific Cuban restaurants and lots of street theater. The streets in Opa-Locka are named for characters in the Arabian Nights. Little Haiti was once called Lemon City.

Loud, busy, exciting Flagler Street is a great introduction to bustling downtown Miami. Dade County Courthouse with its four imposing columns was the tallest building in Miami for 50 years. Across First Avenue lies the huge Metro-Dade Cultural Center, designed by architect Philip Johnson, which houses the Miami-Dade Public Library, the Center for the Fine Arts, and the Historical Museum of South Florida.

Twenty years ago, Coconut Grove, south of downtown, was a neighborhood for down-and-out writers and artists. Today it has been reshaped into a stomping ground for the glitterati with its upscale restaurants, stores, and galleries. Built in 1916, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens was once the home of millionaire James Deering, the International Harvester magnate. His eclectic art and furniture collection is on display in this 70-room Venetian palace. Nearby is the Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, with hands-on science displays ranging from Florida wildlife to gemology, and several sky shows each day in the planetarium.

Miami has long been a watering hole for the entertainment industry, so it's no surprise the performing arts are well represented. The Coconut Grove Playhouse has presented an impressive list of stars in first-rate productions of the legitimate theatre since 1956, when it opened with the American premiere of Waiting for Godot. The Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art concert hall in Miami Beach hosting everything from Broadway productions to the Bolshoi Ballet.

If you have kids, you won't want to miss Monkey Jungle in South Miami where the monkeys roam free and the people are enclosed in walkways. Or perhaps Parrot Jungle and Gardens is more your style. Not only parrots, but macaws and cockatoos populate the lush subtropical gardens. They'll sit on your shoulder and eat from your hand or entertain you by roller skating or riding a bike. For more wildlife, visit Metro Zoo. This cageless zoo has 290-acres of habitat with 240 species of animals from Africa, Asia, and Europe.

With preservation of the natural world of in creasing concern, the fragile South Florida environment can be explored at beautiful and mysterious Everglades National Park. Entrances to the park are about 35 miles from downtown. Closer to the city, in Coral Gables, Fairchild Tropical Garden covers 83 acres of palm trees, rain forest, and rare plants. You can take a dip in the Venetian Pool, an 800,000 gallon Venetian-style lagoon carved out of coral rock with waterfalls, caves, and stone bridges.

Key Biscayne lies just over the Rickenbacker Causeway five miles from downtown. This tropical island has two beautiful parks. Crandon Park Beach has one of the best landscaped beaches in the city. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area covers the southern tip of the island. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit the 400 wooded acres hard, but the park is recovering and the wide beaches are excellent. On the Atlantic side of the park, a boardwalk leads to Florida's first lighthouse. Built in 1825, the structure is 95 feet high. Miami Seaquarium offers performing seals and dolphins among the 10,000 sea creatures inhabiting its huge reef tank.

Miami Beach gets about 13 inches less rainfall each year than inland, providing it with the perfect weather for its nine miles of sandy, palm-fringed beaches. Visitors to South Beach, the southernmost three miles on the island, typically soak up the sun by day and at night head to the cafes, clubs, and restaurants of Ocean Drive, which has been called the biggest party in Miami.

Those who manage to tear themselves away from the beach can tour the 16 city blocks of the Art Deco District. Painted turquoise, peach and pink, these new and restored buildings house art galleries, cafes, and funky shops. The Bass Museum of Art is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its Art Deco design. Inside, its exhibits include paintings by Old Masters, sculpture, and famous gems. The Wolfsonian Museum offers an overview of the cultural forces that shaped this century. Miami Beach Garden Center and Conservatory displays orchids, anthuriums and ferns. Further north, the Holocaust Museum is a poignant tribute to the survivors of the WW II death camps, featuring photos etched into granite and the 42-foot bronze Love and Anguish.

Professional sports have come to this city in a big way. At Miami Arena, you'll find the NBA's Miami Heat and the NHL's Florida Panthers. Pro Player Stadium (formerly known as Joe Robbie) is home to the Miami Dolphins and the Florida Marlins. But other sports have long been associated with Miami. On the northwest side, Hialeah Park is synonymous with horse racing and pink flamingoes--hundreds of which live here year-round. The fast-paced game of jai-alai is played at Miami Jai-Alai Fronton in West Miami; downtown, the famous Orange Bowl hosts the University of Miami Hurricanes football team and the traditional New Year's Day game.

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Source: RandMcNally.com