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Miami Attractions
Driving Tours
Main and Ingraham highways and Old Cutler Road, south from Coconut Grove, offer scenic drives through Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. Old Cutler Highway passes Matheson Hammock Park and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
South Miami Avenue, between 15th Road and Dixie Highway, is lined with royal poinciana trees. During late May and June the trees are ablaze with red flowers.
An interesting drive in Miami Beach is along Collins Avenue, with its hotels and motels. Also of interest are the magnificent homes and estates, which run the architectural gamut from Spanish-Mediterranean to bold modern. Although not open to the public, these can be seen by driving around some of the private islands accessible from the MacArthur, Venetian, North Bay and Broad causeways.
Walking Tours
There are several opportunities for exploration on foot. Coconut Grove, with its varied architecture and bohemian air, is particularly appealing.
The Art Deco District in Miami Beach is a showcase for the movement's characteristic architectural touches: porthole windows, geometric patterns, rounded corners and glass-block construction as well as walls bathed in fuchsia, turquoise, chartreuse and lavender. The Miami Design Preservation League offers a 90-minute tour of the area Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. The tour begins and ends at the Art Deco Welcome Center at Ocean Front Auditorium, 1001 Ocean Dr. in Miami Beach; phone (305) 672-2014. The fee is $20, $15 for over age 64. The organization also arranges other Miami Beach area tours and provides audiotapes for self-guiding tours.
Little Havana, S.W. 12th Avenue to S.W. 27th Avenue, has open-air markets, music, shops, restaurants and a plaza, all of which reflect the Cuban culture.
Recreation
A wealth of clear blue skies and a climate conducive to outdoor activity any time of the year make Miami a "hot" spot for those in search of fun in the sun. This tropical playground, with an average annual temperature of 76 F, comes equipped with aquamarine waters and more than enough land-based activities to suit all tastes.
Bicycling
Few places offer such diverse cycling environments as Miami. Pedal the hard-packed sands of Miami Beach while enjoying the sun and sights, or take the bicycle path that winds beneath a canopy of trees in Coconut Grove, where you can hop off and cruise through the neighborhood's colorful downtown area. Slightly more removed is the tropical escape of Key Biscayne. Here, on an island just 7 miles long and 2 miles wide, are 12 miles of bicycling trails. Bicycle rentals are available at all of the above locations; helmets are required for those under 17.
Experienced bicyclists desiring more extensive routes can contact the Miami-Dade Bicycle Pedestrian Program, which distributes maps about bicycling and bicycling safety and outlines some of Miami's more than 180 miles of bicycle trails; phone (305) 375-1647. A color-coded map of Miami-Dade County's suitable roads also is available.
Fishing
An abundance of water naturally brings plenty of fishing opportunities, and the popularity of bridge fishing, seen all over Miami, is just a prelude to the opportunities available in a city where fishing is serious business. South Pointe Park in south Miami Beach offers excellent surf casting. Although bridge fishing generally is not allowed, it is permitted on the old Rickenbacker Causeway, which was left standing for that purpose when the new bridge was constructed for automobile traffic. Several piers in Miami Beach, as well as the Tamiami Canal, also are favorites of anglers.
Numerous marinas offer deep-sea fishing excursions, where avid anglers haul in prizes that range from snapper and bonito to big game catches like sailfish, tarpon and bluefish.
Kelley Fishing Fleet, 10800 Collins Ave. at Haulover Marina, provides party boats for half-day or full-day excursions out of Miami Beach; phone (305) 945-3801. Private charter boats abound at Haulover, with many offering 2-, 3- and 4-day fishing trips to the Bahamas; make the rounds and choose the one that suits your needs.
Licenses, required for freshwater fishing, are available at bait and tackle shops, sporting goods and discount department stores, as well as the county tax collector's office in the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, 140 W. Flagler St., Miami, FL 33130. Licenses also are available by mail; phone (888) 347-4356 (a credit card is required).
Golf
More than 30 golf courses provide a wide choice of greens for hackers and seasoned golfers alike. Crandon Park Golf Course, 6700 Crandon Blvd. in Key Biscayne, (305) 361-9129, is recognized by most Florida golfers as the No. 1-ranked public course in the state; it also is among the top public links in the country. All courses listed below offer at least 18 holes and are open to the public.
Sites in the Miami area include Bayshore, 2401 Biarritz Dr. in Miami Beach, (305) 868-6502; Biltmore, 1210 Anastasia in Coral Gables, (305) 460-5364; Don Shula's Hotel and Golf Club, 6842 Main St. in Miami Lakes, (305) 821-1150; Doral Park Golf and Country Club, 5001 N.W. 104th Ave., (305) 591-8800; Golf Club of Miami, 6801 Miami Gardens Dr., (305) 829-8449; International Links Miami-Melreese, 1802 N.W. 37th Ave., (305) 633-4583; Killian Green, 9980 S.W. 104th St., (305) 271-0917; Miami Springs Golf Course, 650 Curtiss Pkwy. in Miami Springs, (305) 805-5180; and Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, 6401 Kendall Lakes Dr., (305) 382-3930.
The two city-owned Miami Beach courses welcome guests, and many hotels and motels have arrangements with private and semiprivate courses that allow guests to play.
Performing Arts
The 1981 development of the National Foundation for the Arts was the springboard for cultural evolution in south Florida. Patrons of the arts enjoy an expanding array of performing arts venues. Included are the handsomely refurbished Colony Theater on Lincoln Road in south Miami Beach, (305) 674-1040; the 1,710-seat, Moorish-styled Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E. Flagler Street in downtown Miami, (305) 374-2444; and the Art Deco Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (known as "TOPA") on Washington Avenue in south Miami Beach, (305) 673-7300.
Special Events
On New Year's Day Miami honors the orange with the Orange Bowl Festival. The festival is capped that night by the Orange Bowl football game. Runners join in the celebration during the Orange Bowl 5K/10K. The Junior Orange Bowl International Youth Festival, held in December, is a children's counterpart to the Orange Bowl festivities and features arts and crafts shows and competitions in football, tennis, soccer, golf and bowling.
Art Deco Weekend, a 3-day festival in mid-January where South Beach's fanciful architecture takes center stage, celebrates the Miami Beach historic district with a street fair, a 1930s-style ball, a film series, lectures, entertainment and a parade. The Royal Caribbean Classic golf tournament beckons devotees of that sport late January to early February.
The February calendar is filled with such events as the Miami/Coconut Grove Art Festival, one of the state's largest, offering works in almost every medium; the Miami International Boat Show at Miami Beach Convention Center; and the Mid-Winter Sailing Regatta. Miami-bound foreign and independent film fans will enjoy the Miami International Film Festival, which takes place during 10 days in February at Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. This increasingly important affair attracts more than 45,000 cinema aficionados. In late February or early March, galleries of fans attend the Celebrity Golf Championship.
In the jubilant tradition of Rio de Janeiro, 9 days of merrymaking begin with the pageantry of Carnival Miami, said to be the nation's largest Hispanic celebration and Miami's largest event. This weeklong Cuban celebration in early March has parades, concerts, fireworks and entertainment. Festivities culminate in the famous Calle Ocho, where more than 1 million people, mostly of Latin American descent, fill a 23-block area along S.W. Eighth Street in the heart of the Cuban district to enjoy music, food and each other's company.
Villa Vizcaya fills with period costumes, food and craft vendors, music and performances at the Italian Renaissance Festival in mid-March. In June the Royal Poinciana Festival coincides with the blooming of the trees in Bayfront Park. Also in June, the Miami-Bahamas Goombay Festival celebrates the city's ties to Caribbean culture with street dances and other entertainment; this event takes place in Coconut Grove.
Handmade arts and crafts, alligator wrestling, food and American Indian music are all part of the festivities that take place in late July at the Miccosukee Indian Village during the Everglades Music and Craft Festival. Amid more than 150 exhibits of arts, crafts and novelties, south Florida jazz musicians perform on three stages in mid-September at Taste of Art and Jazz in Miami Lakes.
Cultural heritage comes to the forefront at three fall events. At the beginning of October is the West Indian American Day Carnival, a celebration of the Caribbean, featuring concerts, arts and crafts, food, costumed galas and street festivals. Caribbean Carnival, also in October, is a celebration of the Caribbean people and cultures, featuring concerts, arts and crafts, food, costumed galas and street festivals, all taking place at Hialeah Park race track in Hialeah.
In November the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship and the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck series are run at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Harvest Festival, a popular craft extravaganza the weekend before Thanksgiving, includes historical re-enactments, music, a quilt sale and antique cars.
The Marion Edwards Jr. Memorial Race for late-model stock cars is held in December at the Hialeah Speedway. In a zany spoof of the beloved King Orange Jamboree Parade, the King Mango Strut in late December features such wacky entries as the Precision Briefcase Drill Team and the Marching Freds. To round out the year the Big Orange New Year's Eve Celebration and Parade snakes along Biscayne Bay to kick off a weekend of New Year's celebrations.
The Latin Chamber of Commerce (CAMACOL) sponsors Hispanic festivals throughout the year. For information contact the chamber at 1417 W. Flagler St., Miami, FL 33135; phone (305) 642-3870.
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