Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau 701 Brickell Ave #2700 Miami, FL 33131 (305) 539-3000 Population 358548 Time Zone Eastern Latitude/Longitude 25.79° /-80.23° Today's Forecast HIGH: 91 LOW: 78

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Attractions

Miami's busy, energetic downtown is abuzz with sports venues, waterfront shopping, and the several institutions that make up the Metro-Dade Cultural Center. Designed by architect Philip Johnson, the Cultural Center encompasses the Miami-Dade Public Library, the Miami Art Museum, and the Historical Museum of South Florida. The Miami Convention Center is just a few blocks away.

Families with kids in tow will find no end of things to keep the young ones amused. Now over 50 years old, the Miami Seaquarium opened in the 1950s as the nation's first oceanarium. It offers eight different marine shows with performing seals, dolphins and killer whales. Parrots, macaws and cockatoos populate the lush subtropical gardens at Parrot Jungle Island. They'll sit on your shoulder, eat from your hand and entertain by roller skating or riding a bike. At Monkey Jungle in South Miami the monkeys roam free while their human visitors stay enclosed along the walkways. Species from around the world live at Miami Metrozoo, a 290-acre habitat with hundreds of animals from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Historic trains are displayed at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum at the entrance to the zoo.

The barrier island of Miami Beach gets about 13 inches less annual rainfall than inland, providing 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 hotels, offices, 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-FIU museum offers an overview of the cultural forces that shaped this century. The subtropical plants housed at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden include orchids, anthuriums and ferns. Further north, the Holocaust Memorial, a poignant remembrance of the millions who perished in the WW II death camps, features a memorial wall, meditation garden, and the 42-foot bronze "Sculpture of Love and Anguish."

Miami is rich in diverse neighborhoods. A focal point for Latin American and Caribbean immigration, the city's population is over 50% Hispanic and 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.

Once strictly for down-and-out writers and artists, Coconut Grove south of downtown is another stomping ground for the glitterati with upscale restaurants, stores, and galleries. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens was built in 1916 for farm machinery magnate James Deering. His eclectic art and furniture collection is on display in this 70-room Venetian palace. Across the highway, the Miami Science Museum is filled with hands-on science displays ranging from Florida wildlife to gemology. It also has daily sky shows in the planetarium. In adjacent Coral Gables, you can take a dip in the Venetian Pool, an elaborate 800,000-gallon lagoon carved out of coral rock with waterfalls, caves, and stone bridges. Then visit Fairchild Tropical Garden, an 83-acre spread with palm trees, rain forest and rare plants, or the Lowe Art Museum on the campus of the University of Miami.

Key Biscayne lies just over the Rickenbacker Causeway five miles from downtown. This tropical island has two beautiful parks. Crandon Park has one of the best landscaped beaches in the city as well as a highly regarded public golf course. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area covers the southern tip of the island. 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 has long been a watering hole for the entertainment industry, so it's no surprise the performing arts are well represented. 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. The exotic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts opened as a silent movie palace in 1926. Its elaborate Moorish interior lends stunning accompaniment to evenings with the Florida Philharmonic and the Miami International Film Festival. Concerts by both classical and pop performers are also offered at Miami-Dade County Auditorium.

Professional and collegiate sports are a huge draw in Miami, with the four major league sports each having franchises here. Dolphins Stadium hosts the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins as well as the traditional Orange Bowl college football encounter. At American Airlines Arena, you'll find the NBA's Miami Heat, while the NHL's Florida Panthers play in suburban Sunrise at the BankAtlantic Center. Other sports have long been associated with Miami, too. Thoroughbred racing takes place at Calder Race Course, next door to Dolphins Stadium, and the fast-paced game of jai-alai is played at the Miami Jai-Alai fronton in West Miami. Downtown, the landmark Orange Bowl witnesses the gridiron exploits of the Hurricanes of the University of Miami.

With preservation of the natural world of increasing 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. For a fascinating look at the lives of the Everglades's original human inhabitants, visit the Miccosukee Indian Village and take an airboat ride deep into the river of grass.

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