Miami - Sightseeing

Shopping

Miami is a city that loves to shop. Whether you’re after designer threads at realistic prices, cheap and cheerful souvenirs or ‘genuine’ Rolex watches for peanuts in the street markets of Downtown, the city delights and surprises at every turn.

Miami Beach, the concentration of residential and leisure developments along the barrier island off Miami’s coastline, is home to the swankiest malls this side of Hollywood.

Bal Harbour, to the north of the island, is home to the Bal Harbour Shops - a collection of designer boutiques, gift stores and cosmetics outlets, all set in a seductively landscaped development. Look to the two department stores, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue for most of your holiday needs.

Back on the mainland, The Falls, in the Kendall area of the city, is another high-class mall, featuring a Bloomingdales store, Macy’s - two American stalwarts, replete with fine fashions, cosmetics, accessories and gifts - and a selection of boutiques, jewellers, cafes and cinema complex.

For bargains, Sawgrass Mills outlet stores and clearance lines offer great prices on sportswear, shoes, fashions and gifts. Their mall is the largest in Florida, and with 350 shops, you’re sure to come away with a steal or two. The mall is situated in the Sunrise district, north of the city towards Fort Lauderdale.

Other malls worth a look include the huge Dolphin Mall, with a dozen major anchor stores and more than 200 smaller shops, and Prime Outlets discount bargains. For shopping with a touch more character, Coconut Grove is a bo-ho neighbourhood of lively arts and craft stores, galleries and markets.

Bayside Marketplace, meanwhile, is close enough to the Port of Miami to enjoy its street entertainers, local designers’ stalls, famous name clothing brands and waterside restaurants.

Principle Sights

South Beach, or SoBe (as it’s called around these parts) is an art-deco themed open-air playground, complete with a (genuine) historic district, swanky hotels and clubs and, at Ocean Drive (Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue) a smashing beach, where the beautiful people preen and pose. And people watching doesn’t get any better than on Espanola Way, a street lined with Hacienda style houses and superb al fresco restaurants (Al Capone is just one former resident of the street!). Get to know the place a little better, and take one of the free daily tours leaving the Art Deco Welcome Center, 1200 Ocean Drive.

Linked to the mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne enjoys even better beaches, with huge tracts of blissfully peaceful parks adjoining it, such as the breezy and big-skied expanse of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Crandon Park - the latter with a traditional fun fair. Spend a couple of hours in Key Biscayne’s excellent aquarium, too, for a deeper understanding of the region’s aquatic wildlife.

Bayfront Park, the southernmost point of Miami Beach, is another great place for a wander. Here, a series of manicured lawns, coffee shops, galleries and picnic sports feels a million miles away from the rattle and hum of downtown Miami.

For more life - and more authentic Hispanic soul - take a trip to ebullient Little Havana, where you’ll spy far more Spanish flags flying than stars and stripes. Here, too, you’ll enjoy a fine Cuban cigar, pounding and passionate Latin rhythms in the area’s bars, and fabulously piquant salsas with your seafood lunch.

Drive half an hour south of downtown Miami, and you’ll be breathing the rarefied air of Coral Gables - a planned garden suburb for the stars, created in the 1920s - it’s home to upscale stores, fine dining restaurants and the stunning Biltmore Hotel. Its Venetian Pool, at 2701 De Soto Boulevard is the only swimming pool on the National Register of Historic Places!

Boat tours of Miami (the city’s as much water as it is dry land) really give you the chance to creep up alongside some of the city’s stunning waterfront properties - unless you opt for a ‘Thriller’ water tour, on board a 60mph speed boat. Great fun! Trips leave from Bayside Marina and various points along the coast, and offer the chance to see the twinkling lights of the Miami skyline, peaceful islands, pods of dolphins, or, should you prefer, you could sample the Florida Everglades, the state’s unique and fragile eco-system.

Miami Zoo, in Richmond West, is a well respected institution, with a thorough and impressive programme caring for endangered, rare and ‘at risk’ animals including tigers, crocodiles, exotic birds and Komodo Dragons. A mono-rail ride takes the strain off your feet on those hot and humid Miami afternoons.

For kids, Game Works, at Coral Gables, offers an electronic paradise of state-of-the-art shoot ‘em ups, virtual reality simulators and all manner of thrilling computer games.

Thrills of a more natural persuasion are the order of the day at the Fairchild Tropical Garden, Old Cutler Road, a little gem of a place, complete with a tiny slice of rain forest, gurgling waterfall, sunken garden, lovely views and fascinating museum.