Bayside Marketplace
410 Biscayne Blvd
305-577-3344
Sitting between Bayfront Park and the Port of Miami at the edge of downtown, this sprawling waterfront shopping and entertainment center is home to a plethora of T-shirt, souvenir, and craft shops, in addition to a large, enclosed food court. An open-air bar built along the bay makes frozen daiquiris using luscious red strawberries, juicy pineapples, tender bananas, and other fresh tropical fruit. The daiquiris are a perfect accompaniment to the free nightly calypso, jazz, Latin, reggae, and rock concerts. Bayside is located in a relatively unsafe area, so visitors should exercise caution when driving to or leaving the marketplace.

Boat Tours
305-379-5119
Family friendly: Yes
Visitors wishing to cruise along the Florida Coast, on famed Biscayne Bay, can take 90-minute narrated water tours of Millionaires' Row and the Port of Miami. The Island Queen, the Island Lady, and the Pink Lady all depart from Bayside Marketplace. (Do be aware that Bayside Marketplace is located in a relatively unsafe area, so visitors should exercise caution when driving to or leaving the marketplace.)

Miccosukee Indian Gaming
500 SW 177th Ave.
305-222-2460
Gambling may not be legal in most of the state of Florida, but the Miccosukee Indian reservation, exempt from state law, features a number of gaming favorites such as poker, lightning lotto, high-stakes bingo, and over 300 video pull-tab machines. The place also has live entertainment and dancing seven nights a week in the Cypress Lounge. Open 24 hours.

People-Watching Along Ocean Drive
Ocean Drive
One of the greatest entertainments in Miami is simply watching the glamorous city's beautiful people strolling down Ocean Drive, perhaps the world's hippest beachfront strip. The prime vantage point is from the News Cafe, at 800 Ocean Drive in South Beach. Here, under the shade of stylish beach umbrellas, you can watch muscular men roller-blading in the briefest of swim attire, young models wearing the latest in resort wear, and lively Miamians cruising along in their convertibles.

Hopping from the wee hours of the morning until well after the midnight hour, Ocean Drive, with its glitzy art-deco facades, embodies the sultry, vibrant spir it of Miami.

Sipping a Cuban Coffee
South Florida's sizeable Cuban population has brought a rich taste of Latin American culture to the city of Miami. One of the most appealing traditions brought along by Cuban immigrants and marielitos (boat refugees) is the Cuban cafecito, or spot of coffee, which has now become part of everyday Miami life.In Little Havana, there is a multitude of Cuban coffeehouses and watering holes teeming with local Latinos who congregate daily around steaming cups of Cuban coffee to socialize and discuss politics. Cafe cubano, thick and dark, has often been compared to black ink--it is so dense that it is usually only served in tiny little cups. Cafe con leche, which is Cuban coffee with boiled whole milk and lots of sugar, is a milder version of the strong brew. A cafe cubano can be enjoyed anywhere in Little Havana, especially along lively Calle Ocho (Eighth Street).

Art Deco District
Over 800 buildings in the district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, making it the largest art-deco neighborhood in the world and the first 20th-century historic district in the United States. In recent years, the area has transformed itself from a shabby slum into a fashionable locale where supermodels, Latin American and European tourists, architecture buffs, and young Miamians gather to dance, dine, or just be a part of the glamorous scene. The once run-down deco buildings have been gloriously refurbished, and their bright, colorful pastel facades attest to South Beach's ever-increasing popularity.

Barnacle State Historic Site
3485 Main Hwy.
305-448-9445
This 19th-century pioneer residence is located in the heart of Coconut Grove, but hidden from sight by an abundance of lush palms and banyan trees. Built by Commodore Ralph Munroe, the wooden structure is filled with period furniture and pictures of the late Munroe and his family. A sweeping garden leads right to the shore of Biscayne Bay.

Coral Gables Merrick House and Gardens
907 Coral Way
305-460-5361
Developer George Merrick planned and designed the sweeping boulevards, scenic canals, and Spanish-Mediterranean architecture of historic Coral Gables back in the 1920s. His childhood home has been restored to its original appearance, complete with family furnishings, and is now open to the public.

Holocaust Memorial
1933 Meridian Ave.
305-538-1663
This memorial to the victims of the World War II holocaust features 50 photographs, lists of names of victims of Nazi concentration camps, and a 42-foot bronze sculpture by Kenneth Treister.

Plymouth Congregational Church
3400 Devon Rd.
305-444-6521
This unique coral-rock structure, sitting amid natural sunken gardens, was built during World War I. The first schoolhouse in Dade County is also on the church grounds.

Bass Museum of Art
2121 Park Ave.
305-673-7530
Housed in an art deco building with a Mayan motif--the building itself is a work of art--the Bass Museum displays 15th- to 20th-century European art, baroque paintings and sculptures, textiles, and modern American art. Recent acquisitions include an archive of drawings and vintage photographs specifically pertaining to architectural design and the art-deco movement.

Coconut Grove Playhouse
3500 Main Hwy.
305-442-4000
The 1926 Spanish-style, peach-colored playhouse presents experimental productions by the likes of Evelyn Wilde Mayerson and Edna Buchanan, in addition to above-average musical revues and Broadway-bound plays.

Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art
4006 Aurora St.
305-444-7060
Founded in 1991, this contemporary art museum features works from Spain and Latin America, including non-Spanish speaking nations such as Brazil and Haiti. The museum has a permanent collection of around 400 works--paintings, sculptures, and ceramics--in addition to traveling exhibits that range from Brazilian porcelains and sculptures to Cuban and Argentine paintings. Closed in August.

Gold Coast Railroad Museum
12450 SW 152nd St.
305-253-0063
Over 30 pieces of historic railroad equipment, including pieces from the Ferdinand Magellan, the Silver Crescent, and the Florida East Coast Railway locomotives No. 113 and No. 153, are on display here.

Historical Museum of South Florida
101 W. Flagler St.
305-375-1492
The museum's collections focus on the history, cultures, folklore, and archaeology of South Florida and the Caribbean area. Exhibits range from Native American Seminole and Miccosukee collections to displays about Caribbean peoples living in Florida, including Cubans, Haitians, Bahamians, and Nicaraguans. In addition, the museum hosts a number of traveling exhibits such as "Tobacco Art" and "Coral Gables: The City Beautiful."

Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts
1700 Washington Ave.
305-673-7300
The theater brings the best and brightest Broadway hits to Miami Beach.

Lowe Art Museum
1301 Stanford Dr.
305-284-3603
The University of Miami's museum has a permanent collection that includes European, Asian, and Native American art exhibits.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
770 NE 125th St.
305-863-6211
The recently renamed museum has a permanent collection of contemporary art works in addition to rotating traveling exhibits.

Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium
3280 South Miami Ave.
305-854-4247
Over 150 hands-on exhibits let science and space e nthusiasts direct laser beams, solve mysterious mathematical puzzles, and study giant insects. Less mentally inclined guests can visit the aviary or the small zoo. At night, the Planetarium's telescope allows visitors to view numerous celestial bodies.

Teatro de Bellas Artes
2173 SW Eighth St.
305-325-0515
This theater on Calle Ocho, or Eight Street, presents Spanish-language plays and musicals throughout the year.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
3251 South Miami Ave.
305-250-9133
In 1916, Chicago millionaire James Deering bought 108 acres of land in the South Florida subtropical jungle and built this 70-room Italian renaissance villa. Over the next 10 years, Deering traveled throughout Europe and purchased priceless antiques and heirlooms to decorate his mansion. The result is a visually stunning estate decorated with renaissance, baroque, rococo, and neoclassic antiques and works of art. Built along Biscayne Bay, Vizcaya also offer views of downtown Miami, which appears to float on top of the blue-green Atlantic waters.

The Wolfsonian
1001 Washington Ave.
305-535-2622
In addition to an eclectic permanent collection featuring 70,000 artifacts, including paintings, posters, furniture, sculptures, rare books, glass, ceramics, and metal works, the museum features changing exhibitions on the history of design. The Wolfsonian's exhibits detail the cultural, political, and technological changes that swept the Western world from 1885 to 1945.

Bal Harbour Beach
This most exclusive of South Florida towns is home to a surprisingly tropical beach characterized by long expanses of white sand and lush palms. Bal Harbour's immaculate beach runs from 96th Street to the Haulover Inlet.

Bill Baggs Beach
Pristine Bill Baggs Beach lies on the southern tip of Key Biscayne, and is perhaps Greater Miami's best choice for a solitary walk. The historic lighthouse in the background is the only reminder of human influence on the area.

Crandon Park Beach
On Key Biscayne, off the Rickenbacker Causeway, a great expanse of powdery white sand and warm, shallow waters translate into a one-of-a-kind family paradise. Calm, tranquil, and often deserted on the weekdays, this scenic beach appears to have been plucked from the Bahamas and deposited onto the Florida coastline.

Everglades National Park
40001 State Rd. 9336
305-242-7700
This national park covers 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness. Natural treasures include open Everglades prairies and mangrove forests, as well as abundant wildlife in the form of rare and colorful birds, alligators, and crocodiles. Various tour operators offer air-boat tours of this unique habitat. Everglades National Park is about a two-hour drive from Miami.

Fairchild Tropical Garden
10901 Old Cutler Rd.
305-667-1551
The largest tropical botanical garden in the continental United States is fam ous for its palm and cycad collections.

Haulover Beach Park
North of Bal Harbour, and stretching from the Haulover Inlet to Bayview Court, this eclectic strand is mostly popular with nudists. Unfortunately, Haulover Beach Park sometimes attracts shady-looking characters, so visitors should exercise caution when patronizing this stretch of sand.

Metro Zoo
12400 SW 152nd St.
305-251-0400
Family friendly: Yes
With more than 60 exhibits, including a wildlife show, an elephant show, and a petting zoo, Miami's Metro Zoo is a favorite with children and grown-ups of all ages. Over 800 animals from throughout the globe roam on 290 acres of jungles, forests, and trails that replicate their natural habitats. Miami Beach Central
This uninterrupted expanse of sand begins around 22nd Street and stretches all the way to 46th Street. Dominated by aging hotels and 1970s condominium towers, the beach lacks the cool sophistication of South Beach or the tropical beauty of the Key Biscayne beaches. It does, however, have a long boardwalk ideal for a pleasant beach stroll. Do beware that urban decay intrudes along some areas of the beach in the form of dreadful graffiti and residents drinking out of paper bags.

Monkey Jungle
14805 SW 216th St.
305-235-1611
Family friendly: Yes
Golden lion tamarins from Brazil, brown lemurs from Madagascar, and orangutans from Borneo and Sumatra are some of the 500 primate residents at this most unique of tropical jungles. Other attractions include the Wild Monkey Swimming Pool and the Ape Encounter.

North Shore State Recreation Area
Located between A1A and 72nd Street, this children's paradise is characterized by scenic dunes, powdery white sand, and a thick sea-grape forest. Picnic tables, walkways, and an exercise trail are added attractions at this immaculate beach.

Open Space Park Beach
This stretch of beach beginning at 46th Street and going all the way to 87th Street best characterizes South Florida's duality. On the one hand, Open Space Park is home to a number of cheap hotels, where people can get a room for less than $20 per night. On the other hand, this beach is also becoming one of Miami Beach's newest residential areas, with luxury high-rise condominiums starting in the $200,000 price range. The beach itself is pleasant along most of the coastline.

Parrot Jungle and Gardens
11000 SW 57th St.
305-666-7834
Family friendly: Yes
This giant garden is home to hundreds of parrots, cockatoos, macaws, and other exotic birds that fly amidst bald cypresses, ferns, flowering plants, and giant oaks. This subtropical playground is also home to marabou storks, flamingoes, and pelicans. Adventurous kids can visit the petting zoo, while all visitors will want to watch the trained bird shows.

Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
305-361-5705
Family friendly: Yes
One of the world's largest marine zoos, the Miami Seaquarium is home to more than 12,000 fish and sea creatures. The most beloved attractions include Flipper the Dolphin, a manatee, and exotic birds and reptiles in a lush tropical forest. There are also shark feeding exhibitions and a sea-lion show.

South Beach
South Beach, one of the United States' most publicized beach strips, presents quite a scene. You'll see tan, well-built model wannabes in microscopic bikinis, chiseled volleyball players in skin-tight Speedos, lifeguards sitting in funky shacks, and the occasional pale-hued tourist all happily frolicking along this sandy beach to the sounds of salsa, merengue, and American pop music.

Stretching from Government Cut to 22nd Street, South Beach changes character every few blocks or so. Twelfth Street is popular with the gay crowd, while Fifth Street signals the ends of beachside chic and the beginning of the high-school and college section, which reaches its zenith around noisy Penrod's bar. Part of the beach is unofficially devoted to topless sunbathing.

Sunny Isles Beach
Fronting one of South Florida's newer cities, Sunny Isles Beach is considering changing its name to Aventura Beach in an effort to clean-up its déclassé image. For years, this area was patronized by European tourists drawn to the incredibly cheap hotels, but a recent influx of developers erecting multi-million dollar condominiums is irrevocably changing Sunny Isles Beach's persona. Although the beach is littered and somewhat uninviting, there are signs that the stretch of sand, running from Bayview Court to 194th Street, is being given a well-needed face lift.

Surfside Beach
A comfortable walking path along sand dunes and plenty of room to lay down and absorb the sun's rays make this beach a favorite for Miami residents seeking to escape South Beach's frenzy. Tourists looking for a low-key atmosphere may want to head here. Surfside beach stretches from 87th Terrace to 96th Street.

Venetian Pool
2801 De Soto Blvd.
305-460-5356
Visitors wishing to take a break from Miami's many beaches might want to stop by Coral Gables' Venetian Pool. This historic, spring-fed swimming lagoon has been enhanced with waterfalls, caves, and arched bridges, attracting even non-swimmers who want to experience its romantic setting.