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Miami Lay of the Land Art Deco & Beyond Back in the Day Up and Coming Ethnic Enclaves Southern Hospitality Northern Exposure |
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 As you head south of downtown, the foliage gets thicker, especially in lush, tropical Coconut Grove. Legendary in its heyday as an arts colony, today the culturally diverse locality draws throngs of tourists and residents to its restaurants and cafes, art galleries, boutiques, movie theaters and bookstores. Home to popular attractions like Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, (an Italian Renaissance mansion), and the Barnacle, historic home of Miami pioneer Ralph Monroe, the Grove honors its artistic roots each February with the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, the nation's largest annual outdoor celebration of visual arts and crafts. Coral Gables, designed and planned in the 1920 by early Miami developer George Merrick, features beautiful Mediterranean-style homes and winding waterways. Renowned for world class dining and home to a flock of top galleries that present the crème de la crème of Latin American and Spanish art, Coral Gables recently welcomed the Village of Merrick Park, Miami's newest upscale shopping mecca. Featuring 115 haute couture fashion and home décor shops and boutiques, and gourmet restaurants in a lushly landscaped setting Merrick Park is the embodiment of "The City Beautiful." Many travelers head straight from the airport to Key Biscayne. This secluded paradise is just a few miles from downtown yet worlds apart, with miles of hiking and biking trails, boating and watersports, beaches that continually rank in the top ten, top notch tennis and golf facilities and upscale resort properties. It's also home to Miami Seaquarium, where the popular television show Flipper was filmed 40 years ago. Still further south, the agricultural bounty of Miami's mild climate becomes apparent in the Redland and Homestead, with vast fields of strawberries, tomatoes and other fresh produce, enroute to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. Robert Is Here is a popular stop on the way to the Parks, the roadside stand has garnered international acclaim for fresh fruit shakes and unusual produce. Many of the area's tourist attractions are located here including Miami Dade Metrozoo, Monkey Jungle, Everglades Alligator Farm and the Fruit and Spice Park. |
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