DK Travel : Miami : Places of interest

Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Coral Gables Merrick House

The boyhood home of George Merrick (see Merrick’s Coral Gables Fantasies) has been restored to its 1920s look, and it’s remarkable to reflect on how modest the man’s background was compared to the grandeur of the dreams he realized. The city of Coral Gables took its name from this house. The stone was quarried from what is now the Venetian Pool.
Crandon Park

Key Biscayne is blessed with some of Miami’s top beaches. Certainly the most impressive is this one, which is actually rated among the top ten in the country. Located on the upper half of the key, it’s 3 miles (5 km) long and enormously wide, with palm trees and picnic areas. The waters are calm and shallow, and good for snorkeling. There are also concession stands, 75 barbecue grills, a winding boardwalk, and convenient parking. Very popular for parties.
Cuban American Heritage Festival

In June, Key West remembers its rich Cuban heritage and celebrates with ethnic foods, terrific music, and dancing in the streets of the island.
Design District

It started out as a pineapple grove, but from the 1920s this zone was being called Decorators’ Row because of the design stores that had moved in. For a while in the ’80s, due to high crime, the area fell on hard times, but things are picking up again, and top-end design, furniture, and fixture shops once again rule. Photographers and artists have been moving here, too, to escape the high rents of South Beach.
Dinner Key

The name derives from the early days when settlers had picnics here. In the 1930s, Pan American Airways transformed Dinner Key into the busiest seaplane base in the US. It was also the departure point for Amelia Earhart’s doomed roundthe-world flight in 1937. The airline’s sleek Streamline Moderne terminal houses the Miami City Hall, and the hangars are now mostly boatyards, though one is the famous Monty’s Stone Crab Seafood House and Raw Bar. The marina here is now the most prestigious in Miami, so walk along and enjoy inspecting the yachts berthed here.
Dry Tortugas

Take a plane or ferry to this totally undeveloped collection of islands, where the snorkeling is unbeatable (see Dry Tortugas National Park & Dry Tortugas from Key West).
Dry Tortugas from Key West

You can travel to the wonderful islands of the Dry Tortugas by seaplane or ferry from Key West. Companies offering trips include the Yankee Freedom and the Fast Cat. The day-long tours include food and snorkeling gear. Camping overnight is also possible.The most visited island is Garden Key, the site of Fort Jefferson (see Dry Tortugas National Park).
Elián González Standoff

The repatriation of a Cuban boy at gunpoint by the US Justice Dept hit the world’s media in 2000 and tore the Cuban community here apart.
Ermita de la Caridad Church, Coconut Grove

Built in 1966 on the edge of Biscayne Bay, this peculiar conical church draws in Miami’s Cuban exiles. The altar is oriented toward Cuba, rather than to the east, and above it is a mural depicting the history of the Catholic Church in Cuba. The shrine is dedicated to the Virgin of Charity, the Cuban patron saint.
Estefan Lawsuits

In 2001, Cubana singer Gloria Estefan was rocked by a claim that her husband, Emilio, had sexually harassed another man.