World Country Guide

Southeast Florida and the Keys

Southeast Florida is home to one of the USA’s most international cities – Greater Miami – which offers a rich array of exotic cuisine, nightlife, festivals, shopping, attractions, arts and architecture. Once strictly a winter resort, the area is now a year-round holiday destination for tourists from all over the world. The vibrant life of the coastal area provides a startling contrast to the Everglades National Park, which stretches across a large portion of southern Florida. The USA’s only subtropical region, this expanse of wetlands is within easy reach of the main cities in Southeast Florida (for information on the western areas of the Everglades, see the Southwest Florida section). Stretching from Key Largo at the northern end to Key West in the south, 45 of the over 800 islands of the Florida Keys, once known as the Cayos, are linked by Overseas Highway 1.
Greater Miami and the Beaches’ subtropical climate ensures plentiful sunshine all year round. There is sufficient rainfall during the summer and early autumn. Virtually all buildings are air conditioned. In fact, a light sweater or jacket is advisable to take the chill off the indoor climates. The powerful rays of the sun also make it a good idea to wear a hat or protective sunscreen when planning to be outdoors for long periods.
Today, Greater Miami is an international crossroads of commerce, culture, sports, entertainment, transport and tourism. This cosmopolitan city boasts beautiful beaches, right next to one of the USA’s most vibrant urban centres. Often called the ‘City of the Future’, Miami contains dramatic skyscrapers, modern hotels and an international financial district. Greater Miami is famed for conch fritters, black beans and rice, cowbells and castanets, salsa and compas, jig and rumba. It offers a unique blend of 21st century and Old World architecture, sports facilities and sunbathing opportunities, big-city culture and small-town neighbourhoods.
The American Airlines Arena, a distinctive, neon-lit addition to Miami’s futuristic skyline, has emerged as a focal point for the city’s renaissance. This home for the Miami Heat basketball team is across from the new Miami-Dade Performing Arts Center. Ornamented by a parade of palm trees, Brickell Avenue’s towers of mirrored glass and steel command some of the area’s most coveted views of the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. Bayside Marketplace is a restaurant, shopping and entertainment complex on the bay. Nearby, the Metro-Dade Cultural Center is a Mediterranean-style complex housing the Center for the Fine Arts, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida and one of the largest libraries in the southeast.
Trips across the half dozen causeways that span Biscayne Bay are short and scenic, connecting mainland Miami to the seaside attractions. Bal Harbor, Surfside, Sunny Isles, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach are minutes from the heart of the city.
Renovated hotels along Ocean Drive and throughout the Art Deco District have captured national praise for the Art Deco, Streamline Moderne and Spanish Mediterranean Revival styles which dominate the 1 sq mile area. Just north of the Art Deco Historic District, multi-million dollar restorations have transformed many of the well-known hotels along Collins Avenue. The striking new architecture of the recently expanded Miami Beach Convention Center makes it an instant landmark. The updated and hip Lincoln Road Mall is a hub of the arts and entertainment: the street now houses the South Florida Arts Center, the Colony Theatre and the headquarters of MTV Latino, the New World Symphony and Sony Latin America.
At the southernmost tip of Miami Beach, South Pointe Park offers an ideal vantage point to watch luxury cruise ships make their way out to sea. Boat watching is also a favourite pastime at the International Yacht Harbor, one of the largest marinas in South Florida. All year round, the warm sand, azure waters and pleasant breezes of Miami Beach beckon sunbathers, picnickers and outdoor diners.
Biscayne National Park offers glass-bottomed boat rides through mangroves and islands and out to tropical coral reefs rising 8m (25ft). Miami Metrozoo represents state-of-the-art zoo design, with exotic animals in habitats very similar to their original homes in the wild. Miccosukee Indian Village, west of Miami, shows how this Native American tribe existed (and still exists) in the heart of the Florida Everglades. The Monkey Jungle gives visitors the chance to see North America’s first colony of wild monkeys in lush tropical jungle surroundings. Vizcaya, south of central Miami on Biscayne Bay, is a beautiful 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palace set in 10 acres of picturesque formal gardens. The Miami Museum of Science & Space Transit Planetarium has many attractions, including a laser show. With over 3000 exotic animals, 500 species of plants and the largest crocodile in captivity, Parrot Jungle Island opened in June 2003, after its US$47 million relocation to Watson Island, mid way between Miami and South Beach, off the MacArthur Causeway.
Miami International Airport (MIA) (website: www.miami-airport.com), located 7 miles from central Miami, ranks 12th in the USA for total passenger traffic, with approximately 30 million travellers passing through its portals annually. Parking at the airport is simplified by a state-of-the-art people-mover system that connects the parking areas to the main airport terminal via moving walkways. Airlines serving the airport include Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental and Delta Airlines. Miami Air International is an upmarket charter airline specialising in cruise travellers, and incentive and corporate travel. Supershuttle offers easy, door-to-door transport to and from the airport. Customer service representatives are on call 24 hours a day and are located outside the airport baggage claims area. More than 19 of the 63 Dade County routes serve Greater Miami and the Beaches every day, as well as the Miami Seaquarium, the Orange Bowl Stadium, the Cultural Centre and Metrozoo.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Miami in 2005:
Jan 14-16 Art Deco Weekend, Miami Beach. Feb 4-13 Miami Film Festival. Feb 17-21 Miami International Boat Show, Miami Beach. Feb 19-21 Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Feb 24-27 Coral Gables Bluefest, Coral Gables. Feb 25-27 South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Miami. Mar Carnaval Miami, Little Havana. Apr 22-May 1 Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
May 8-9 Great Sunrise Balloon Race and Festival, Miami. Jun 3-6 South Florida Boat Show, Miami Beach. Jun Goombay Festival, Coconut Grove. Nov-Jan 2006 Santa's Enchanted Forest, Tropical Park, Miami.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is one of the premier tourism destinations in South Florida. During the 1920s, this sleepy outpost boomed when real estate speculators dredged the Everglades, forming irrigation canals and creating the ‘Venice of America’. Brick-paved pedestrian promenades, columned porticos and hundreds of new palm trees make the city’s famed beachfront strip one of the best in the USA. In total, there are 23 miles of beach front, 300 miles of inland waterways and 3500 restaurants.
Riverwalk, a linear park, links hotels, restaurants and attractions along the banks of the New River, leading to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Water taxis ply Fort Lauderdale’s canals and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Opportunities to explore the natural world in Greater Fort Lauderdale include Butterfly World, dedicated to the study, care and display of beautiful butterflies from all over the globe; Flamingo Gardens; the Water Taxi; and the Museum of Discovery & Science. The Secret Woods Nature Center features wetlands, mangrove swamps and numerous plant and animal communities. It is possible to ride an airboat through the Everglades at Sawgrass Recreation Park or Everglades Holiday Park. The Old Fort Lauderdale Village & Museum is a historic village in the centre of Fort Lauderdale, comprising the 1905 New River Inn (housing the museum), the 1905 Philemon Bryan House (the administrative offices of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society), the 1907 King-Cromartie House (museum) and the Replica 1899 Schoolhouse. The new Hoch Heritage Center is due to open in 2005. The Society produces exhibits on the area’s development, the history of sports in South Florida, regional architecture, Seminole Indian culture and even a silent movie theatre. The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, on the Seminole Indian Reservation, includes profiles of historic leaders, artefacts, traditional crafts, toys and jewellery exhibits.
The Von D Mizell Library is just one of several attractions in Broward County with important affiliations to the African-American community. Displays feature the black heritage of Broward County, especially authors and artists, as well as memorabilia of Dr Mizell, one of the area’s first African-American doctors. Bonnet House is a historical estate of 14 hectares (35 acres) that reflects the history of South Florida. The waterfront estate includes a plantation-style house, art gallery, a bamboo bar and shell museum and eight outbuildings.
Other attractions include Stranahan House, the home of the area’s first ferryman, Frank Stranahan, and the Graves Museum of Archaeology & Natural History with exhibits on the Tequesta Indians of South Florida, as well as ancient Egypt and the Near East, marine archaeology, pre-Hispanic Americas and the Carole Jacobs Mineral Collection. Boats can be hired from Bahia Mar Marina or visitors can hop aboard The Jungle Queen, a paddleboat. Also in the area is Sawgrass Mills Mall, the world’s largest designer outlet mall, which features over 275 speciality shops.
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) (website: www.fll.net) is located in Fort Lauderdale. It is served by 24 airlines including Air Canada, Air Jamaica, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, TWA and United.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Fort Lauderdale in 2005:
Feb 4-6 Fiesta Tropicale (South Florida’s Mardi Gras). Feb 12-Mar 13 13th Annual Florida Renaissance Festival, Deerfield Beach. Apr Fort Lauderdale Seafood Festival, Smoker Park. Nov 19th Annual Sound Advice Blues Festival, Fort Lauderdale.
This is a popular hang-out of the rich and famous, who spend their days buying jewellery in Cartier on Worth Avenue or sipping iced-tea at the polo matches. The resort is also home to the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, a tribute to the railroad mogul who established the area as an exclusive holiday destination by laying out the opulent palm-lined boulevards. Other attractions in the area include the Burt Reynolds Ranch & Film Studios, a 68 hectare (168 acre) ranch featuring a mini-petting farm, gift shop and museum; the Rapids Water Park, with four gigantic waterslides; the Sailfish Marine and Lion Country Safari Park, with more than 1000 wild animals, free boat cruises, miniature golf and a dinosaur and reptile park; and the International Museum of Cartoon Art has a permanent collection which includes 100,000 original drawings, 10,000 books and hundreds of hours of film and videotape. Other museums in the area are the Children’s Museum of Boca Raton, South Florida Science Museum and Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens. West of Palm Beach is Lake Okeechobee, the second-largest lake in the USA, celebrated for its large-mouth bass fishing.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Palm Beach in 2005:
Jan 15-30 South Florida Fair. Mar 17-20 Palm Beach Boat Show. Apr 27-May 1 Sunfest, West Palm Beach.
From Miami to Key West is only 45 minutes by air. The first Key from Miami is Key Largo, the longest island of the Keys chain and the site where Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall battled with both Edward G Robinson and the elements in the movie Key Largo. Key Largo’s star attractions are John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – the first underwater preserve in the USA – and the adjacent Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. These two refuges feature 55 varieties of delicate corals and almost 500 different species of fish. Key Largo also features the world’s only underwater hotel, where guests can spend the evening in the midst of the marine life of the Keys. Islamorada is the centrepiece of a group of islands called ‘The Purple Isles’ that includes Plantation Keys, Windley Key and both Upper Matecumbe Key and Lower Matecumbe Key. Known as the ‘Sportfishing Capital of the World’, Islamorada is famed for its angling opportunities and features the Keys’ largest fleet of offshore charterboats and shallow water ‘backcountry’ boats. The Keys boast more sportfishing world records than any other fishing destination in the world. Anglers can find sailfish, marlin, kingfish, snapper, barracuda and grouper. Long Key State Park has nature trails leading to tropical hummocks and Grassy Key is the site of the Dolphin Research Center.
Marathon, heart of the Florida Keys, and neighbouring Key Colony Beach, boast 18- and 9-hole golf courses respectively. It is also home to Crane Point Hammock, a 26 hectare (63.5 acre) land tract that is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys. The area contains evidence of pre-Columbian and prehistoric Bahamian artefacts and was once the site of a Native American village. At Crane Point is the Museum of Natural History of the Florida Keys and the Florida Keys Children’s Museum, which explores the islands’ rich natural history. Big Pine Key is noted for the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, a national refuge for miniature Key deer, tropical forests and even a few alligators in the Blue Hole.
Ernest Hemingway purchased a pre-Civil War mansion in Key West and lived in it for 10 years while writing some of his best-known novels. His legend remains and visitors continue to seek out his home – now a museum – and his favourite bar. In the evening, visitors gather at Mallory Square to ‘call it a day’. The daily ‘Sunset Celebration’ is a tradition that Key Westers share with visitors. While musicians, jugglers, mime artists and an occasional fire-eater provide the entertainment, the sun sinks slowly below the horizon.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in The Keys in 2005:
Jan 29-30 20th Annual Key West Craft Show. Feb 12-13 11th Annual Pigeon Key Art Festival, Marathon. Mar 19-20 32nd Annual Original Marathon Seafood Festival, Marathon. Apr 22-May 1 23rd Conch Republic Independence Day Celebration, Key West. Apr 23-24 Annual 7 Mile Bridge Run, Marathon. May 11-15 Key West Songwriters Festival. Jun 13-18 Cuban American Heritage Festival, Key West. Jul 9 21st Annual Underwater Music Festival, Big Pine Key. Jul 18-24 Hemingway Days Festival, Key West. Jul 20-23 Drambuie Key West Marlin Tournament (in conjunction with the Hemingway Days Festival). Oct 21-30 27th Annual Fantasy Fest, Key West. Nov 13-20 Key West Offshore World Championships (powerboat racing). Dec 31 New Year's Eve Celebrations, Key West.