Things to do in Miami, FL

More About Miami

Sultry, seductive Miami, Florida entertains many identities: snowbird refuge, retiree haven, celebrity playground, immigrant stop-off and tourist mecca. All undeniably accurate, they're telling descriptors of everything this dazzling city embraces. They're also indicative of the melting-pot culture that has come to define South Florida, an area originally dismissed by developers. The region later found purpose as a resort destination and as farm land for Florida's first settlers (or "Crackers"). These initial roles ultimately led to today's Miami, a capital of travel, commerce and self-assertive flamboyance.

But what else could you ask of a sub-tropical wonderland washed by brilliant light and kissed by enveloping seas? As recently as the early 20th century, America's Riviera was largely a backwater. Its potential was finally brought to fruition by the arrival of the railroad, promise of a year-round growing season, and the emerging leisure class's disposable income for vacationing in Miami. These days, easy access is a given, and agriculture flourishes. However, the city's natural beauty — and world-class Miami travel destinations — most strongly render it a fashionable escape for fun and freedom.

The primary locus for such hip activity is Miami Beach and, more specifically, South Beach (affectionately deemed SoBe). Artistic, self-aware and boasting some of Miami's best vacation spots and hottest beaches, it's an enclave that maintains its vibrancy no matter the moment, illuminated alternately by sunlight and neon. Here, Art Deco Miami landmarks tie past and present together with pastel sleekness while impossibly beautiful people lounge during the day and party late into the night.

Still, Miami vacation spots and travel destinations are not all this area has to offer. Miami transcends the promoted glitz it's gained from association with movies, TV shows and magazine spreads. It encompasses Coconut Grove's residential beauty and superb shopping (CocoWalk and the Streets of Mayfair attract folks by droves) and Coral Gables' winding streets, Mediterranean architecture and refined lifestyle. It even reaches out to the quiet, suburban domesticity of South Dade with its malls, parks and wildlife attractions.

Miami travel guides note that it also shines as a beacon of accessible liberty for immigrants from throughout the Caribbean and South and Central America. Escaping poverty and lack of opportunity, they come with a dearth of material goods but an inextinguishable hope and an abiding heritage that manifests itself in food, music and community richness.

Food and music, in fact, showcase Miami's zest for all things sensual. Cool jazz, spirited salsa rhythms, and a cuisine that unites fresh seafood, tropical fruits and tongue-tingling flavors provide evidence of a people and a city mesmerized by — and dedicated to — the spices of life. Experience its many incarnations in the most sizzling Miami neighborhoods: Little Havana, SoBe or the Design District. Each one boasts top-notch clubs and superlative restaurants, energized by a style-conscious clientele, so you will never run out of things to do in Miami.

Such range and so much possibility — for both spirit and appetite — ultimately impart to Miami a semblance of meaning that it neither needs nor demands. The city's allure remains independent of attempts to quantify it, and regardless of the effort, satisfaction comes with just experiencing it. After all, when sympathetic climate and abundant care give rise to a strong, vivid hybrid, it's not the parentage that draws attention but simply the beauty of the flower.