Miami

Miami
Information
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
Population	419,777
Area	55.27 sq mi (143.1 km2)

The skyline of Miami, Florida.

Miami is situated in southern Florida on the Atlantic coast of the USA. The city lies in Biscayne Bay, at the mouth of the Miami River.

Settlers began coming to the area now known as Miami in the 1870s, on the original site of Fort Dallas, constructed during the war with the Seminole Indians. The city began to expand rapidly and was incorporated in 1896, following the construction of the rail link, that joined the city with West Palm Beach. Since this period the city has undergone continuous urban growth, becoming a luxurious city and one of America’s most famous bathing and health resorts.

The city comprises Miami Beach, situated on a 13 km long island, at the extreme north of Biscayne Bay and the large suburbs of Coral Gables, Miami Spring and Miami Shore.

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Tips For Travelers

Miami is a relatively safe American city, but visitors should still exercise caution when they go out. Most of the crimes in the city are theft-related, so take extra care to safeguard your valuables. The beaches are favourite spots for thieves to lurk about, so it may be best to simply keep your valuables in the hotel safe.

Hurricanes are a real danger in this part of Florida. If you are visiting during hurricane season, which runs from June to November, stay aware of the weather conditions as things can become rather chaotic if a big one targets the Miami area.

European Union nationals need to fill out a form requesting a visa at least 72 hours before they plan to travel to the US. You may need to show evidence of funds and an onward ticket. Canadians also require a passport to enter the US, same thing happen in South America and Central America.

At The Airport

At Miami passport control, stand in the line nearest the "American only" queue: once that queue is gone you will be called to the front, saving up to an hour. If, however, you are one of the unlucky one in 50 to be sent for extra security checks after passport control, be prepared for incarceration in a cramped room, with arrogant staff who appear to be working on a "go slow, be rude" policy.

This delightful arrival to the United States will only take two to four hours for routine cases. No information will be given to travelling companions waiting in the luggage hall.

Tips for: backpackers • business travelers • luxury/exotic travel • hitchhikers • families • seniors • LBG travelers • pet owners

Neighborhoods

Allapattah

Is a neighborhood mostly in the city of Miami, Florida, and partly in metropolitan Miami, United States. As of May 2011, the county-owned portion of Allapattah, from State Road 9 to LeJeune Road, is being annexed by the city proper. The name is derived from the Seminole Indian language word meaning alligator. The initial settlement of the Allapattah community began in 1856 when William P. Wagner, the earliest documented white American permanent settler, arrived from Charleston, South Carolina and established a homestead on a hammock along the Miami Rock Ridge, where Miami Jackson High School presently stands. Development ensued from 1896 and into the 20th century in the area with the completion of the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC).

Allapattah was predominantly populated by whites from early in the 20th century until the late 1950s, when there was a large influx of black Americans displaced by the construction of I-95 (then, the North-South Expressway) in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to white flight to suburban Miami-Dade County and Broward County. Cubans migrated to Miami neighborhoods like Allapattah in large numbers following the Cuban Revolution of 1959, hosting one of Miami's largest Cuban American populations. The 1980s brought influxes of Dominicans, Nicaraguans, Hondurans, and Haitians in the aftermath of various refugee crises in those nations. Now, a melting pot of residents from all across the Caribbean, Central America, and Latin America reside in the area.

Coconut Grove

Is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, United States. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, South Dixie Highway (US 1) and Rickenbacker Causeway to the north, and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is south of the neighborhoods of Brickell and The Roads and east of Coral Gables. The neighborhood's name has been sometimes spelled "Cocoanut Grove" but the definitive spelling "Coconut Grove" was established when the city was incorporated in 1919.

What is today referred to as Coconut Grove was formed in 1925 when the city of Miami annexed two areas of about equal size, the city of Coconut Grove and most of the town of Silver Bluff. Coconut Grove approximately corresponds to the same area as the 33133 zip code although the zip code includes parts of Coral Way and Coral Gables and a small portion of zip code 33129. The area is often referred to by locals as "The Grove."

Coconut Grove is directly served by the Miami Metrorail at Coconut Grove and Douglas Road stations.

Coral Way

Is a neighborhood within the Miami, Florida that is defined by Coral Way, a road established by Coral Gables founder George E. Merrick during the 1920s. It is located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.

The Coral Way neighborhood is served by the Miami Metrorail at Vizcaya (South Dixie Highway/US 1 and West First Avenue) and Coconut Grove stations (US 1 and West 27th Avenue/SR 9).

The Architecture in the Coral Way neighborhoods reflects the early-20th Century. Some of the oldest sections contain a mixture of Mission Revival Style architecture and Bungalow homes of the 1920s, along with the Art Deco style from the 1930s and the modest post-World War II dwellings.

The Coral Way area is best known for its historic urban boulevard along SW 22nd Street (Coral Way). One of the main thoroughfares between Coral Gables and the City of Miami, Coral Way passes through the City of Miami between SW 37th Avenue and Brickell Avenue. The Coral Way Corridor began in 1922 with citrus lined streets; later growing to have streetcar tracks down the center of the road, connecting Downtown Miami to Coral Gables. In 1929, a Roadside Beautification Program was started, and 1200 Banyan trees were planted along the median of the boulevard. Today, Coral Way remains one of the most beautiful corridors in South Florida.

Downtown Miami

Is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States. Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard are the main north-south roads, and Flagler Street is the main east-west road.

Commonly called simply Downtown, the area is a cultural, financial, and commercial center of South Florida, tracing its history back to the 19th century. In recent years, the area has grown to become the fastest-growing area in Miami. Downtown is home to many major museums, parks, schools and colleges, banks, courthouses, government offices, theaters, shops and historic buildings.

As of 2009, there are approximately 71,000 year-round residents in Downtown (including Downtown's Brickell, Park West, and Omni neighborhoods), with close to 200,000 residents living in the immediate Downtown area, making Downtown Miami one of the most populous downtowns in the U.S. after New York City and Chicago. With recent mass construction of high-rise residential buildings and office towers, Downtown has experienced large growth, with new shops, bars, parks, and restaurants opening up, attracting many new residents. Along with Brickell, Downtown has grown from 40,000 residents in 2000, to over 70,000 in 2009, making it one of the fastest-growing areas in Florida. It was estimated in February 2010, that about 550 new residents move to the Downtown area every month. As of 2009, over 190,000 office employees work in Downtown and Brickell.

Downtown is served by the Miami Metrorail at Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre, Government Center, and Brickell stations, accessible from Broward and Palm Beach counties via Tri-Rail transfer station. The Metro connects to the Downtown Metromover, which encompasses 22 stations on the clockwise Inner (or Downtown) loop and counterclockwise Brickell and Omni branch loops. Government Center station is Downtown's main station and allows for transfers to all Metromover loops, Metrorail trains, and Metrobus lines at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center.

Downtown Miami is the historic heart of Miami, and along with Coconut Grove, is the oldest settled area of Miami, with early pioneer settlement dating to the early 19th century. Urban development began in the 1890s with the construction of the Florida East Coast Railway by Standard Oil industrialist Henry Flagler down to Miami at the insistence of Julia Tuttle. Flagler, along with developers such as William Brickell and George E. Merrick helped bring developer interest to the city with the construction of hotels, resorts, homes, and the extension of Flagler's rail line. Flagler Street, originating in Downtown, is a major east-west road in Miami named after the tycoon; the Julia Tuttle Causeway, crossing Biscayne Bay just north of Downtown in Edgewater, is named in honor of Tuttle.

OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS:

Little Havana

Is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban immigrant residents, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The approximate boundaries are the Miami River (north), SW 16th Street (south), SR 9/West 27th Avenue (west) and I-95 (east). The neighborhood can also be said to extend as far west as LeJeune Road/West 42 Avenue. Little Havana is occasionally called the Latin Quarter.

Little Havana is noted as a center of social, cultural, and political activity in Miami. Its festivals, including Carnival Miami, Cultural Fridays, the Three Kings Parade and others, are televised to millions of people every year on different continents. It is also known for its landmarks, including Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street/Tamiami Trail), and its Walkway of the Stars (for famous artists and Latin personalities, including Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, and Gloria Estefan), the Cuban Memorial Boulevard, Plaza de la Cubanidad, Domino Park, the Tower Theater, Jose Marti Park, the Firestone/Walgreens Building, St. John Bosco Catholic Church, Municipio de Santiago de Cuba and others. It is undoubtedly the best known neighborhood for Cuban exiles in the world. Little Havana is characterized by a robust street life, excellent restaurants, cultural activities, mom and pop enterprises, political passion, and great warmth amongst its residents.

The Little Havana Merchants Association [1] is an organization of local businesses that promotes responsible growth in the neighborhood. The group provides an online guide to local dining, shops, galleries, nightlife, and cultural events.

Midtown Miami

Is the collective term for the Wynwood and Edgewater neighborhoods of Miami, Florida, United States, north of Downtown and south of the Miami Design District. It is roughly bound by North 29th Street to the south, I-195 to the north, I-95 to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east.

In 2005, construction began on the "Midtown Miami" development on NE 36th Street. The project is a large-scale, urban development that was planned with 8 high-rise residential buildings, a hotel, two parks, and a major urban shopping area, "The Shops at Midtown". Due to the collapse of the real estate bubble in 2007, only two residential buildings, and about 2/3 of the "The Shops at Midtown" were built. In July 2011, plans were announced to begin construction on a new entertainment center at Midtown, including a hotel, movie theater and shops on the site of the current temporary park in the center of Midtown. Critics of Midtown state the lack of parks as a major issue.

Midtown has grown quickly, and is home to Shops at Midtown, an outdoor shopping area designed to mimic New York's SOHO neighborhood, and home to many national and local stores and restaurants including Target, Guess, HomeGoods, Marshalls, SugarCane, Mercadito, Sustain, Cheese Course, Buro Miami, Ring Finger Studio, and an abundance of upscale apartments. Midtown has also become home to Art Miami art fair, which takes place during Miami's Art Basel week.

Virginia Key

What is now Virginia Key was the southern end of a barrier island that extended from the New River inlet in Fort Lauderdale to just north of Key Biscayne. Early accounts by Spanish explorers indicated the existence of one or more inlets somewhere on the long spit of land enclosing the northern end of Biscayne Bay, but such inlets open and close over time. At the beginning of the 19th century, there was no inlet through the barrier island between the New River Inlet and Bear Cut, at the northern end of Key Biscayne. Hurricanes in 1835 and 1838 opened a new inlet, Narrows Cut (now known as Norris Cut), separating Virginia Key from what is now Fisher Island at the south end of Miami Beach.

The island was named by Frederick H. Gerdes of the United States Coast Survey in 1849. He noted that the island north of Key Biscayne had no name, and had not existed as an island until 'Narrows Cut' had broken through "ten or twelve" years before (i.e., the hurricane of 1835 or 1838). He described Virginia Key as three miles (5 km) long and one mile (1.6 km) wide (later, as five miles (8 km) long and one-and-a-half miles wide), with a fine Atlantic beach, but mostly covered with mangroves.

Scenes from the 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective were shot here.

Liberty City

Is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. The area is roughly bound by NW 79th Street to the north, NW 27th Avenue to the west, the Airport Expressway (SR 112) to the south, and Interstate 95 to the east. The Miami neighborhood is home to one of the largest concentrations of black Americans in South Florida, as of 2000 Census.

It is serviced by the Miami Metrorail at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Brownsville stations along NW 27th Avenue. Currently, construction is underway to expand the Metro from Earlington Heights near Allapattah to the new Miami Central Station at Miami International Airport.

Little Haiti

Little Haiti or La Petite Haïti, and traditionally known as Lemon City, is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States known as a traditional center for Haitian immigrants, and Francophone culture in the city.

In the early 1900s, a small farming community, Lemon City, developed in this area, but it was a city only in name. The area had many lemon groves from where the town took its name. Though not as abundant as in the past (due to urbanization and eradication from citrus canker outbreaks), lemon trees still grow in several residents' backyards. The town even had its own railway depot on the Florida East Coast Railroad. The growing city of Miami to the south, however, was looking for more property to add to their town. In 1925, Lemon City was annexed by Miami, along with the town of Little River to the north, and the town of Buena Vista to the south, each of which now comprise modern-day Little Haiti. Many residents and visitors continue to use the Lemon City name.

Through the years, the community has changed from agricultural to residential, from middle class to lower class and middle class again. Part of this change was driven by immigrants from Haiti, and soon the area was called "Little Haiti, (La Petite Haiti)." In the 1980s and 1990s, Little Haiti was one of the poorest areas in Miami and was known for its crime and drug trade. Some of this still exists today, however the area is experiencing a cultural renaissance.

In 2009, human remains from Lemon City Cemetery were discovered at a housing construction site; the Miami Historical Preservation Board "in principle" issued a non-binding unanimous vote that the cemetery site remain undeveloped as a memorial site.

Hotels and lodging

• Sonesta Hotel & Suites Coconut Grove A boutique-style hotel, in the heart of one of Miami's most fashionable neighborhoods.
• Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort A full-service Trump-style luxury beach resort, just north of Miami Beach in Sunny Isles.
• El Palacio Boutique Hotel El Palacio Boutique Hotel is one of the premier Miami, Florida resorts near the Miami International Airport . It is one of the few Miami resorts near Dolphin Stadium and the Calder Race Course and El Palacio Resort is conveniently located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
• Courtyard Miami Beach South Beach 1530 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 Phone: 1-305-604-8887 The Courtyard by Marriott Miami Beach South Beach Hotel near Lincoln Road is a historical landmark restored to the full glory and elegance of the 1940s, with modern conveniences of today.
• Miami Airport Marriott 1201 NW LeJeune Road, Building A. Miami, Florida 33126. Phone: 305-649-5000. Located less than 2 miles from Miami Airport and features complimentary shuttle service and shared amenities between other hotels on campus.
• Residence Inn Miami Airport 1201 NW 42nd Avenue. Miami, Florida  33126. Phone: 1-305-642-8570. Extended-stay hotel 10 minutes from the airport, kitchen suites and pet friendly.
• Courtyard Miami Airport 1201 NW Le Jeune Road. Miami, Florida 33126. Phone: 1-305-642-8200. Airport hotel with complimentary shuttle service and located near Dolphin Mall and Marlins Park.
• To find more hotels and accommodation, use cozycozy to check all available accommodation and compare prices, location, reviews and more in one place.

Attractions

The Biscayne National Park, situated south of Miami in Biscayne Bay, comprises 30 small islands, that peek out no more than 2.5metres above the surface of the sea. The bay has an average depth of 2 metres and is home to banks of long- leaf seaweed, which attracts shrimps, crabs and sea-horses.

This sea world makes up 95% of the park and is home to the northern most coral banks in our hemisphere. 50 different types of coral have been identified. The more interesting banks are to be found 3–5 km to the east, at Elliot Key, marked by blue and white buoys. Other varieties can be seen among the reefs of Elkhorn and Coral Star, while the delicate, purple- fanned coral can be found at Dome Reef. Visitors should start their tour from the Convoy Point Visitor Center, which has a pier stretching for almost 1 km out to sea. A private tour operator , organizes boat and diving trips together with a taxi service to Elliot Key, one of the largest islands in the park, you can find Miami Discount Tours . The island is home to a variety of tropical vegetation, including mahogany, Jamaican cornel, wild coffee, cinnamon, the strangler fig and many others. Visitors to the island, who are advised to wear mosquito-protective clothing, will find a 7 km path, which provides an interesting view of this fascinating Jungle.

The Everglades National Park , founded in 1947, covers and area of 5700 km2 at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Numerous animals live within the parks confines including: panthers, alligators, otters, sea-cows, snakes and birds. The area has been classified an International Biosphere and Swamp-land Reserve.

A trip along Anhinga Trail, 6 km from the entrance, is an interesting and exciting adventure. The trail runs past the alligator reserve, where it is also possible to observe various species of heron, including the green-back and blue.

The Ranger station, at Everglades City, is the departure point for short cruises around the mangrove estuary, referred to as Ten Thousand Islands.

Shopping

Bayside Marketplace If you are in the mood for a little light shopping and sightseeing then Bayside Marketplace is the spot for you. Sandwiched between Biscayne Bay and busy downtown Miami, the Bayside Marketplace is located on 16 waterfront acres and is one of South Florida's top attractions for easy to please tourists. Known for its international flavor, Bayside boasts more than 100 specialty shops, an assortment of dining experiences, live entertainment daily and boat tours around the famous Star Island.

Aventura Mall If it is the homogenized American mega-mall you are in search of then Aventura Mall is your one stop shopping euphoria. Complete with 6 department stores (Bloomingdale's, Burdines, JC Penny, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and Sears) and 250 specialty shops ranging from Banana Republic and BeBe to Betsey Johnson and Coach. Good news ladies, there are 19 shoes stores in Aventura Mall (not including the bigger department stores) - lucky for you there are also two Starbucks and a Gloria Jean's Coffees to keep you going. And guys, don't worry we didn't forget about you - there are many great stores to get what you need for the home like Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn.

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove is in South Miami just between Coral Gables and Miami Beach. Located in the midst of the South Miami suburbs and frightfully close to the University of Miami, the area is more of a bohemian, family-oriented or second date kind of gathering spot. But don't be fooled by its quaintness, you are sure to find a slew of roudy college kids close by (probably at Fat Tuesday). Coconut Grove is a great shopping choice if the skies are clear and the weather is nice. Tip: Traffic in the Grove can be hellish on the weekends so choose your arrival and departure times carefully.

CocoWalk This Mediterranean-style, open-air complex combines 38 shops with restaurants, outdoor Café and a sixteen-screen movie theater. Again, look for the good ol' American stand-by stores: Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret and Express. The best part about CocoWalk is the way it comes alive at night as people flock to Cheesecake Factory, Café TuTu Tango, Fat Tuesday and the ever-popular Hooters. Shops stay open late and the fun-filled Streets of Mayfair are just steps away.

The Shops at Sunset Place Located smack dab in the middle of the former Bakery Center, Sunset Place's Mediterranean themed over-the-top architecture (think giant man-made banyan trees, majestic waterfalls and cascading fountains) will make you feel like a kid at Disney World again - especially when the nightly laser-light show begins. The Shops are within walking distance from several major hotels as well as the Metrorail.

The center features many diverse dining options to satisfy almost every mood and palate including Madame Tings (Pan Asian), Johnny Rockets, Dan Marino's Town Tavern and Tout Sweet Candy Café Oh, but there's more, because if you came to shop, then you came to the right place. With three stories of fantastic stores like Niketown, Virgin Megastore, Barnes & Noble Superstore, A/X Armani Exchange, Origins, Pottery Barn, Brookstone, and Urban Outfitters you are sure to leave a satisfied (and possibly broke) customer. And don't forget about the AMC 24 and IMAX Theaters for all your movie-viewing pleasures.

Maps and transportation

Getting to Miami

Miami is a major international airline hub, particularly for American Airlines, and it’s the first port of call for many flights from Latin America. Most flights come into Miami International Airport (MIA), although many are also directed to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Seeing as it is located at the tip of the USA, Greater Miami is more of a termination of highways and rail lines, rather than a major land-transit interchange area. Fort Lauderdale attracts pleasure boaters from around the world, while the Port of Miami is the largest cruise port in the world; Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Discovery and Oceania, among others, all set out from here.

Exploring Miami

From Little Havana to Key West, and from Everglades to Ocean Drive, Miami offers entertainment for everyone. You can rent a car, or buy a tour to explore Miami.

Everglades

Is a national park in the U.S. state of Florida that protects the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, and is visited on average by one million people each year. It is the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley and Yellowstone. It has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, only one of three locations in the world to appear on all three lists.

Unlike most U.S. national parks, Everglades National Park was created to protect a fragile ecosystem instead of safeguarding a unique geographic feature. The Everglades are wetlands created by a slow-moving river originating in Lake Okeechobee, fed by the Kissimmee River, and flowing southwest at about .25 miles (0.40 km) per day into Florida Bay. The park protects an interconnected network of marshland and forest ecosystems that are maintained by natural forces. Thirty-six species designated as threatened or protected live in the park, including the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee. The park protects the largest U.S. wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America, and contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere. More than 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles live within Everglades National Park.All of South Florida's fresh water, which is stored in the Biscayne Aquifer, is recharged in the park.

Although humans have lived in the Everglades for thousands of years, not until 1882 did the region begin to be drained for agricultural or residential use. In the 20th century the natural water flow from Lake Okeechobee was controlled and diverted to the explosive growth of the South Florida metropolitan area. The park was established in 1934 to protect the quickly vanishing Everglades and dedicated in 1947, the same year massive canal-building projects across South Florida began to divert water away from the park. The ecosystems in Everglades National Park have suffered significantly from human activity, and the repair and restoration of the Everglades is a politically charged issue in South Florida.

Key West

Is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba.

Key West is politically within the limits of the city of Key West, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city also occupies nearby islands and portions of nearby islands.

The island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. In the late 1950s many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side were filled in, nearly doubling the original land mass of the island. The island measures 3,370 acres (13.6 km²) in area.

Practical information and resources

Currency : The unit of currency is the US$, subdivided into 100 cents.

Electric supply: 110-120 V, 60 Hz.

Climate :

Weather Averages for Miami

Month

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Year

Average High

76F(24C)

78F(26C)

81F(27C)

84F(29C)

87F(31C)

90F(32C)

91F(33C)

91F(33C)

89F(32C)

85F(29C)

81F(27C)

78F(26C)

84F(29C)

Average Low

60F(16C)

61F(16C)

64F(18C)

68F(20C)

72F(22C)

75F(24C)

77F(25C)

76F(24C)

76F(24C)

72F(22C)

68F(20C)

62F(17C)

69F(21C)

Precipitation inches(mm)

1.88in.(47.8mm)

2.07in.(52.6mm)

2.56in.(65mm)

3.36in.(85.3mm)

5.52in.(140.2mm)

8.54in.(216.9mm)

5.79in.(147.1mm)

8.63in.(219.2mm)

8.38in.(212.9mm)

6.19in.(157.2mm)

3.43in.(87.1mm)

2.18in.(55.4mm)

58.53in.(1,486.7mm)

Telephones : Telephone code:. 305

Restaurants

• Panorama Restaurant Located on the 8th floor of Sonesta Hotel in Coconut Grove, with views of Biscayne Bay, and featuring Peruvian specialties on the menu.
• Neomi's Grill At Trump Sonesta Resort in Sunny Isles Beach; delicious, innovative menu.

Nightlife

Miami's bars and nightclubs are world-famous due to the ever increasingly amount of influx into the city, and its fun, party atmosphere. Miami is also a place where a large number of celebrities live, vacation, and party, adding to the chic and excitement of Miami nightlife. It is a very colorful city with a large number of bars and nightclubs to satisfy the night owl. Whatever type of nightlife you enjoy, you will find something to your taste Miami. There are laid-back bars where you can go and enjoy music to your taste, whether it is jazz, blues, or Latin music. With all the hype, you'd expect Miami to have long outlived its 15 minutes of fame by now. But you'd be wrong. Miami's nightlife, in Miami Beach , and, slowly but surely, downtown, is hotter than ever before—and still getting hotter.

Photo gallery

Add a new photo to the photo gallery. Vote on which images to feature in the featured images forum.

Everything else

Miami MetroZoo is fast becoming one of the best zoos in the nation. Its climate allows it to keep a wide variety of animals from Asia, Australia and Africa like no other zoo in the country. One of the first free-range zoos in the country, the exhibits are entirely cageless. Animals are grouped according to their geographic territory and animals that live together peacefully in the wild are placed in exhibits together. Other animals in the area are separated by moats. Looking out across the African plains, for example, you see the animals apparently co-mingling much as you would on a safari. The trees, foliage and even soil mimic as closely as possible the native habitat of the animals.

Among the newest members of the zoo are the critically endangered baby addux "Abacus" and a critically endangered baby black rhino. You can also see white tigers, gibbons, Cuban crocodiles and a komodo dragon, as well as the regular lions, tigers and bears. The coolest animal stunt is the painting elephant- a real elephant, armed with a paintbrush and easel, creating a masterpiece!

External resources

Add links to other sites here

• Miami Travel Guide
• Miami Guide and Tours