DK Travel : 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.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area

Also rated as one of the top ten beaches in the US, located at the pristine southern tip of Key Biscayne.
Billie Swamp Safari Wildlife Center

The Seminole didactic style is “laugh & learn” (see Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki and Billie Swamp).
Billie Swamp Safari Wildlife Park, Everglades

The amenities are little better than camping out, but this is a chance to get up close and personal with the Everglades.
Biltmore Hotel

A beautiful landmark structure with the splendor and glamour of a by-gone era and epicurean pleasures, too, in the Palme d’Or restaurant. Rooms are in the grand European tradition, and you can swim in the world’s largest hotel pool.
Biltmore Hotel

George Merrick was one of the visionaries who made Florida into what it is; this lavish hotel stands as a monument to his taste and grand ideas. Herculean pillars line the grand lobby, and from the terrace you can survey the largest hotel swimming pool in the country. JohnnyWeismuller, the first movie Tarzan, used to teach swimming here, and the likes of Al Capone, Judy Garland, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor came in its heyday. Weekly tours of the hotel and grounds depart from the front desk (see Biltmore Hotel & Biltmore Hotel).
Biltmore Hotel

Inimitably beautiful and grand, this is one of the world’s most gorgeous hotels, opened in 1926.
Biltmore Hotel and Coral Gables Congregational Church

Facing each other across lush, manicured gardens, these two structures are the heart of George Merrick’s contribution to “The City Beautiful” (see Biltmore Hotel & Congregational Church).
Biscayne National Underwater Park

Biscayne National Underwater Park is 95 percent water, therefore most visitors enter it by private boat. Otherwise, the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point is the only place in the national park you can drive to and, from there, you have several boating options. The concession offers canoe rentals, glass-bottom boat tours, snorkel trips, scuba trips, and transportation to the island for campers. There’s also a picturesque boardwalk that takes you along the shoreline out to the rock jetty beside the boat channel heading to the bay.
Biscayne National Underwater Park

Closer to Miami than John Pennekamp, the Biscayne National Underwater Park has almost as many good snorkeling possibilities. Here you’ll find vivid coral reefs to dive among, and mangrove swamps to explore by canoe.
Bishop O’Connell’s Fall from Grace

Casualty of a “topical storm” over pedophilia in 2002.

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Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under $100
- $100–$200
- $200–$250
- $250–$300
- over $300
Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $20
- $20–$40
- $40–$55
- $55–$80
- over $80