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Heading south from Miami’s main events, once you get past the dull, nondescript suburbs, you enter vast tracts of citrus groves and tropical nurseries. The general mood changes, too – a bit backwoodsy, a bit Old South. Though sometimes gruff, the people here are friendly enough, and there are plenty of shopping opportunities, parks, gardens, zoos, and museums. You’ll notice that the natural landscape looks a bit mauled – the area took the full brunt of Hurricane Andrew’s muscle in 1992 and is still recovering.
For a suggested day’s itinerary incorporating the Deering Estate See South of Coconut Grove-
Local artists live and work here, giving classes as well as selling their work.
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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.
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A light and lacy setting in a period cottage. Order hot crabmeat au gratin, a large tuna-nut salad, or a shrimp platter. Open for lunch only.
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Right on Biscayne Bay, the estate contains two significant architectural works: Richmond Cottage, built in 1896 as the area’s first inn, and a large Mediterranean-Revival “Stone House,” built in 1922. You can also visit what is thought to be a Pre-Columbian burial site and a fascinating fossil pit.
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A castle it isn’t, but a conundrum it certainly is. From 1920 to 1940, Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin built this mysterious pile as a Valentine to the girl back home, who had jilted him in 1913. No one knows how he singlehandedly quarried and transported the 1,100 tons of tough coral rock, carved all the enormous chunks into monumental shapes, and set them all into place so flawlessly. One nine-ton gate is so exquisitely balanced that it opens with the pressure of your little finger.
Coral Castle
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Morning
To get to the Charles Deering Estate , drive south from Miami on Hwy 1 (also called the Dixie Hwy) and turn left on SW 168th St. Follow it until it deadends at the Estate on SW 72nd Ave.
A full tour of the grounds will take 3–4 hours. Follow the Entrance Trail to begin, and as you emerge from the mangroves you will encounter a splendid vista of Biscayne Bay. Note the water level marker, showing the inundation caused by Hurricane Andrew.
Richmond Cottage, the original structure here, was built as an inn in 1896. It was destroyed by Andrew in 1992, but has since been replicated. The elegant Stone House next door contains bronze and copper doors, portraits of the Deering family, a celebrated wine cellar, and more besides.
Head over to the Carriage House, where you can see a vintage gas pump. If you have time, take the Main Nature Trail, which crosses a handsome coral rock bridge, built in 1918. Finally, walk out through the historic Main Entrance, with its coral rock pillars and wood and iron gates.
Afternoon
Picnicking on the grounds is a possibility, and some facilities are provided. Or, for an elegant lunch, head south to the Cauley Square Tea Room . To make a full day’s outing, head farther south along Hwy 1 to the eccentric Coral Castle .
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This dizzyingly beautiful tropical paradise was established in 1938 and serves also as a botanical research institute. Around a series of man-made lakes stands one of the largest collections of palm trees in the world (550 of the 2,500 known species), as well as countless other wonderful trees and plants. During a 40-minute tram tour, guides describe how plants are used in the manufacture of everything from Chanel No. 5 to golf balls. Allow another two hours to explore on your own.
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The museum specializes in Latin American and 20thcentury American art and presents six to eight major exhibitions each year. The Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park displays 69 works in a variety of media distributed throughout the 26.5 acres of the FIU campus – a wonderfully rich and important representation of modern work. It is recognized nationally as one of the world’s great collections of sculpture and the largest on a university campus. It includes major pieces by Dubuffet, Miro, Nevelson, Calder, Noguchi, and Serra.
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This 30-acre (12-ha) tropical botanical park is devoted to exotic plants, such as citrus fruits, grapes, bananas, herbs, spices, nuts, and bamboo. It forms a unique attraction in the United States – after all, South Florida’s tropical climate is found nowhere else in the US. The astonishing number of varieties on display include a selection of poisonous species and hundreds of bamboo and banana varieties. A wonderful store enables you to stock up your cupboards with many unusual fruit products.
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The museum was started in 1957, by a group of Miamians who were trying to save threatened pieces of Florida history. Some of the earliest items in the collection are the “Ferdinand Magellan,” a private railroad car built for President Franklin Roosevelt; the FEC engine that pulled a rescue train out from Marathon after the 1935 hurricane; and the 113 locomotive built in 1913. The Edwin Link is a smallgauge children’s railroad.
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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