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Held on Key West in October, for at least ten days leading up to and including Halloween, this is the festival with the most fun, positive atmosphere the US has to offer (see Key West Fantasy Fest).

This celebration of Haitian art takes place at the Grove Expo Center. See sculptures, paintings, ceramics, and hand-beaded Voodoo flags.

There are any number of companies that will take you deep-sea fishing, while freshwater fishing is good at Amelia Earhart Park or Lake Okee chobee.

Deep-sea fishermen find the Keys to be paradise. With the Gulf Stream nearby, these waters offer the most varied fishing imaginable. Boat trips are easy to come by; try the Key West Fishing Club.

Deep-sea fishing out in the ocean, or the more conventional kind off a jetty or pier – both are readily available. The jetty or Sunshine Pier at First Street Beach on Miami Beach is good, or the breaker area just south of the Lighthouse on Key Biscayne.

Flagler is Downtown Miami’s main drag – loud, bright, busy, and lined with small shops and street peddlers. Pop into the Galería International Mall (243 East Flagler Street, at SE 2nd Avenue) for cheap and tasty ethnic snacks, while on the next block is the stylish Gusman Center. On East Flagler Street at NE 2nd Avenue, look for the Alfred I. DuPont Building (1937–9), a paean to Art Deco in the Depression Moderne style.

Walking through the heart of Downtown Miami is reminiscent of a marketplace you might encounter in Latin America – colorful, brash, rather seedy – and none too safe at night.

These beautiful gardens began life in 1927 as a weekend retreat for the citrus-farming Wray family. The lush botanical gardens and bird sanctuary are worth at least half a day. There’s a “free-flight” aviary, featuring a mass of Florida birds, including the comical roseate spoonbill and, of course, the flamingo. The rare bald eagle has also made a home here.

A clean and fresh place near the beach, with a nice rooftop patio and tropical garden courtyard for picnicking. There’s free parking and some free food, too.

The opera house sometimes brings global luminaries to Miami, but their programs also feature new works, such as the compelling Balseros , based on the trials of Cuban refugees who attempt to reach Florida by raft.