Highlights of Miami
At its best, Miami is all pastel hues and warm, velvety zephyrs – a tropical reverie. The culture is sensuous and physical, often spiked with Caribbean rhythms and accents. Outdoor activities hold sway throughout the area, at the world-famous beaches and in the turquoise waters; the vibrant nightlife, too, attracts pleasure-seekers, while significant historical sights are around every corner.
Ever since Miami Vice drew attention to this fun-zone, hedonists have flocked for the beaches and nightlife (see SoBe Life).
The whimsical architecture on South Beach ultimately traces its roots back to 1920s Paris (see The Story of Tropical Deco), but it underwent fruitful, exotic influences along the way and blossomed into Florida’s own Tropical Deco (see Deco District).
The Cubanization of Miami changed it from sleepy resort to dynamic megalopolis. Little Havana fuels the impression that Miami is Latin American at heart (see Calle Ocho, Little Havana).
One immensely rich man’s aspiration to European grandeur and appreciation of Western artistic heritage led to the creation of what is probably Miami’s most beautiful cultural treasure (see Villa Vizcaya).
The 1920s boom saw a need to build not only structures but also an identity. George Merrick rose to the challenge and created fantasy wonderlands that continue to stir the imagination today (see Merrick’s Coral Gables Fantasies).
This major art museum, created by an endowment from George Merrick, has around 12,000 works of art, including masterpieces from cultures the world over, and from every age (see Lowe Art Museum).
This superb museum (which began life as a storage company) owes much to its founder’s passion for collecting 20th-century propaganda art and design artifacts of the period 1885–1945 (see The Wolfsonian–FIU).
Route A1A hugs the sands of the Gold Coast, wending through Florida’s wealthiest and most beautiful areas (see Gold Coast Highway A1A).
This mythic isle lives up to its reputation as the most outlandishly free spot in the US. A frothy mix of maritime traditions and laid-back style (see Key West).
Taking up most of South Florida, the Everglades is a vast sea of swamp and sawgrass, dotted with subtropical forests and populated with prolific wildlife. It is also home to Native American Seminoles and Miccosukees (see The Everglades).
