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Article by Jon Simpson

Miami is a seaside paradise and also the nation’s youngest city. Capital of the exotic and ‘Gateway to Latin America’, the area’s population is 60 per cent Hispanic, made up of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Colombians, Puerto Ricans, and Venezuelan, which all influence the city’s rich cultural. The beach scene is the heart of this dazzling, multi-coloured Art Deco city.

Miami oozes cool with a Latin spirit and tropical soul. Whatever you are looking for, be it sea and sunshine, dancing ‘til dawn, trendy bars or an art scene to rival any in the world, look no further than Miami…it’s party time for grown-ups!

Beaches

Miami’s beaches are not purely about relaxation, although with silky soft sands and dazzling seas, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Miami’s beaches are where the buff and beautiful come to be seen. The tanned, toned and impossibly beautiful folks of the city come to the beaches to bathe, to rollerblade, to strut, preen and be seen with hair coifed and nails manicured to perfection. The best of the people watching can be found at Third Street beach in South Beach, where colorful Art Deco lifeguard stations provide an ideal backdrop to the racy topless bathing. Families flock to two-mile long Crandon Park Beach on Key Biscayne, where a water playground and merry-go-round kept the kids entertained. For something more risqué, Miami’s only nude beach lies at Haulover Park at the northern end of Miami Beach. Art Deco District

Be transported back to the 1930’s in Technicolor with Miami’s unparalleled Art Deco architecture. Neon and icing-hued buildings dot the streets in this South Beach neighbourhood. The best examples are to be found on Ocean Drive, with its bumper-to-bumper traffic on weekend nights and walkers not afraid of baring their flesh. The Miami Design Preservation League offers several tours of Miami Beach’s historic architecture and for the full neon experience, the Thursday night Art Deco District Up-to-Date Tour will whisk you around for a 90-minute walk. For spectacular sunset views and sun downers, head to the second floor deck of Willie’s Bar on Ocean Drive.

Everglades National Park

Mysterious, humid and swampy, this unique ecosystem is a must-see for visitors. This is what South Florida looked like before settlers decided to drain it and cover it in concrete. The real beauty comes out on a full moon, when visitors can participate in a ranger-guided bike tour of the Shark Valley trail. There is no heat exhaustion or sunburn to worry about and interesting little night time animals come out to play. Crocodiles to the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee can be seen while biking, walking or taking the two-hour tram ride along the 15-mile Shark Valley loop. Day or night, there is nowhere else on earth quite like this.

Coconut Grove

This enchanted tree-lined, waterfront district has outdoor cafés and boutiques in abundance. It has been described as ‘a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem’. Not a problem at all if you like seafood washed down with a mango martini; you’ll find the very best here, along with a second to none people-watching vantage point, as the college students come out to play on weekends! The name Coconut Grove suggests one non-stop tropical hoe down under a full moon, which is actually not very far off the mark!

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

The Botanic Gardens are an elegant but dazzling jewel in Miami’s crown. Simply breath-taking are the rain forest exhibit and the conservatory which includes hundreds of fascinating orchids and rare tropical plants. The world’s greatest living collection of palms and cycads live here too while the gardens play host to art, planting and cooking classes, plant sales and many other popular events such as the International Mango Festival. Serene, beautiful and not to be missed.

Lincoln Road

If you want to see the most beautiful people in Florida, then Lincoln Road is your best bet! With views like those it doesn’t matter if you choose an elegant feast for 50 bucks or or a 50p bag of chips and a beer at Zeke’s cafe. Trendy shops and restaurants line the lush pedestrian avenue while street-performers entertain the crowds and bikers and skaters wiz through the sidewalk café tables. Chain stores are moving in, but there are still good finds like the music listening bar at the clothing store Base, the Cuban coffee counter at David’s Café, as well as several art galleries and a movie theatre.

Stiltsville

This is a collection of rickety fishing and boat shacks built on pilings in the mudflats of Biscayne Bay. Only seven of the uninhabited houses that have been used by fishermen, gamblers, and partiers through the decades, remain. In danger of being demolished and only accessible by boat, they are best viewed from the tip of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne. Hurry while they’re still there!

Miami Seaquarium

A 38-acre marine park is a must for animal lovers with dolphins, killer whales and seal shows, as well as shark and manatee exhibit. Why not treat yourself to a once in a lifetime two-hour swim with the dolphins or the chance to learn how to be an animal trainer for a day! All you need to do is book your flights to Miami!

Museum of Contemporary Art

There are many significant museums in South Florida, but the Charles Gwathmey-designed MoCA, has established Miami as a world venue for contemporary art. Take in art talks, classes, jazz concerts, and more than 400 permanent works.

Venetian Pool

This stunning public swimming hole, carved out of coral rock and surrounded by Venetian-style buildings is filled daily with 820,000-gallons of cool spring water. Surrounded by waterfalls, coral rock caves, a Spanish fountain, sandy beach area, cobblestone bridge and vine-covered pergolas, this is the place to escape the Miami madness while being transported to a secret, long forgotten lake somewhere in the idyllic Italian countryside.Vizcaya Museum & GardensAnother touch of Italy can be found at James Deering’s grand 1916 Italian style villa on Biscayne Bay. Original European antiques fill the 34 rooms and the ten acres of formal gardens with fountains, pools and gazebos have an elegant European feel. If you have a wedding approaching, there is no better place for your photographs!

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