Southeast Florida radiates balmy temperatures, luxury, and Latin and Caribbean flavors. Whether you’re dreaming of a big-city getaway in Miami Beach, a laid-back fishing trip in the Florida Keys, or an indulgent splurge in the Palm Beaches, you’re sure to find your perfect vacation here.
Big Pine Key
The outdoors are key here – atBahia Honda State Park, a nature trail climbs the Old Bahia Honda Bridge to present an island panorama and crystalline view of the fish that snorkelers and anglers seek. Inside theNational Key Deer Refuge, an endangered species of miniature white-tailed deer roams freely.
Boca Raton
Boca Raton is charming and vibrant community on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. The City was influenced early on by architect Addison Mizner, whose signature Spanish-Mediterranean style is evident today at Mizner Park, the city’s famed outdoor dining and shopping plaza, and at the luxury resort The Boca Raton. The city’s dynamic cultural scene offers live concerts at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, international exhibits at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, and plenty of great dining. Boca Raton also boasts five miles of gorgeous beaches and 47 parks, including the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, snorkel trails, pickleball and championship golf facilities, includingthe Boca Raton Golf & Racquet Club.
Boynton Beach
To the west, Boynton Beach goes green with golf; to the east, it sparkles Atlantic Ocean blue. In between, discover public arts programs and a 1913 schoolhouse re-purposed as theSchoolhouse Children’s Museum and Learning Center, presenting hands-on, interactive exhibits on Florida history..
Coconut Grove
Eats. Boutiques. Entertainment. Arts. They’re everywhere you look in Coconut Grove, south of downtown Miami.CocoWalkandMayfair in the Groveare trendy complexes dedicated to these pursuits, but take to the streets to experience “the Grove” as it has always been. The entrance toThe Barnacle Historic State Park, an 1891 estate on Biscayne Bay, hides amid shady trees.Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a European-inspired manse with an orchidarium and 34 rooms embellished with five centuries of antiques and art, is also here.
Coral Gables
We wouldn’t blame you if you classified Coral Gables as just another pretty place, though that is an understatement. Look closer to expose some interesting history; most of the tales star George Merrick, who founded and incorporated the city in 1925. See the grandBiltmore Hotelthat he helped develop, and visual and performing arts events at the University of Miami (yes, Merrick helped get this going, too). Off campus,Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardenpreserves plants beautiful enough to live in “the Gables.”
Deerfield Beach
Surf, play volleyball or pier fish at this Blue Wave Beach.Quiet Waters Parkoffers a playground of another kind, including a children’s splash zone. TheDeerfield Beach Arboretumsits in quiet contrast, with a butterfly garden amid trees from five continents.
Delray Beach
When locals saved two aging schools from demolition in the 1980s, Old School Square resurrected the buildings as theCornell Art Museumand theCrest Theatre. Delray’s patronage of the arts, and preservation, lives on in the galleries of Pineapple Grove Arts District, cultural centers including theMorikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, and events like Art and Jazz on the Avenue (the avenue is Atlantic, and its shopping and dining possibilities don’t stop ’til you reach the ocean).
Greater Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale has become synonymous with luxury – resorts, yachts and dream homes could be considered staples of the community. But let’s not forget what drew the luxe in: the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway, respectively responsible for Fort Lauderdale’s beachfront promenade (loll at a sidewalk café or walk along the Wave Wall) and a Venetian-like canal system where water taxis and, yes, gondolas run. Offshore from this Blue Wave Beach, fishing, diving and water sports dominate. For shopping, dining, nightlife and people-watching,Las Olas Boulevard,The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass MillsandThe Village at Gulfstream Parkare musts.
Hallandale
The water tower here is painted to look like a beach ball. Enough said.Try your hand at horses and Vegas-style slots atGulfstream Racing & Casinoand shopping and dining atThe Village of Gulfstream Park.
Hollywood
Most beaches boast boardwalks. This one boasts aBoardwalk, two and a half pedestrian-friendly miles fronting Hollywood’s Blue Wave Beach. In the historic downtown, visitors find sidewalk cafes, galleries andArtsParkat Young Circle, where a visual arts pavilion hosts artisan demos and even the children’s playground equipment is artful. Just a half-mile from the Broadwalk, wind through the mangroves in a canoe or kayak atAnne Kolb Nature Centerat West Lake Park.
Homestead
Homestead still works an agricultural angle, and any of its roadside stands offer sweet produce in season. The National Register recognizes a downtown school, residences and the town hall while crowds have made its eccentricCoral Castlea popular roadside attraction since 1953.
Islamorada
Islamorada, called the sport fishing capital of the world, rates among anglers of all ages and skill levels.Theater of the Seahas been hosting marine shows since 1946, though today you can actually swim with the dolphins, sea lions and stingrays.
Key Largo
The best way to see the spectacular reefs here is to dive right in (snorkeling and paddling are also acceptable).John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Parkruns glass-bottom boat tours in the shallow waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary just outside the park's borders, and divers delight upon reaching the sunken “Christ of the Abyss,” cast from a mold of a statue that rests in the Mediterranean Sea.
Key West
At the bottom of the U.S. and the top of many travelers’ life lists, Key West is colorful and free. Delight in innocent debauchery along Duval Street and celebrate the sunset atMallory Square; then hop between historic digs along the Pelican Path (the sites are plenty, including theErnest Hemingway Home and Museum,Audubon House and Tropical GardensandHarry S. Truman Little White House). Take off in a seaplane (or boat) to reach one of the country’s most remote recreational areas,Dry Tortugas National Park. The ultra-clear, jewel-blue water makes for unmatched fishing, diving and snorkeling.
Lake Worth
A mainland gateway to Palm Beach, Lake Worth boasts a shore of its own, with a newly renovated pier, surf-able waves and unique restaurants.
Marathon
Marathon is a jumping-off point for sport fishing and theSeven Mile Bridge, one of America’s iconic drives. Charters and tournaments evidence the area’s angling meddle while an annual seafood festival proves that conch fritters taste best with a side of live music. Both point to Marathon’s fishing village foundation – learn more about the Middle Key history atCrane Point Museum and Nature Center.
Miami
Ever the melting pot, Miami mixes ethnic neighborhoods with avant garde art, resulting in a big city made accessible by defined urban enclaves. GentrifyingWynwoodlocates galleries and museums near the markets of Little San Juan. TheDesign Districtpacks furniture, antiques and art within Little Haiti. And alongLittle Havana’s Calle Ocho(Eighth Street), the cigars are still hand-rolled, the café con leche steaming. The Biscayne Bay backdrop makes national-scale shopping, dining and nightlife memorable at downtown’sBayside Marketplace,particularly at night when the water reflects city lights. Beyond the skyline and the bay, theMiami Seaquariumand the palm-and-sand paradise ofBill Baggs Cape Florida State Parkoccupy Key Biscayne.
Miami Beach
Here, the playground is as pretty as the players. Palms and the Atlantic Ocean landscape Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival and Miami Modern structures (theMiami Design Preservation Leagueconducts tours), and art is all around in galleries, museums and events likeArt Baselin Miami Beach, the most influential art show in the Americas. Shopping, too, goes world-class inside lushBal Harbour– dress for an excursion here, then take a casual approach along Collins Avenue and Lincoln Road (also suitable for dining and keeping an eye on the scene). One block from Collins, legendary Ocean Drive unfurls shopping, noshing, beach going and partying, with lounges that come alive late into the night.
Palm Beach
In 1896, Henry Flagler built a grand home-away-from-home for visitors here, the Palm Beach Inn. In 1902, he built a home for his bride, Whitehall. He doubled the size of the Palm Beach Inn and renamed itThe Breakers. After twice burning down, the inn has been reconstructed. It still stands today, luxurious as ever, and Whitehall persists as theFlagler Museum(Flagler’s collections as well as the tea partie hosted at the museum’s café from Thanksgiving to Easter conjure up America’s Gilded Age). Palm Beach’s reputation as a playground for the wealthy persists too. The affluence is palpable alongWorth Avenue, where fine art, labels like Cartier and Chanel and established restaurants grace Mediterranean storefronts and courtyards. Take the seasonal, historic walking tour of this Addison Mizner-designed district that begins at the Atlantic and leads you up Worth Avenue. Stay and shop!
Plantation
Just west of Fort Lauderdale, Plantation maintains a lush, inland oasis of golf greens and parks.Plantation Preserveoffers the best of both, its course an Audubon-certified par 72; its park a walk through wetlands to a Tequesta Indian burial mound.
Pompano Beach
As its name suggests, the heart of this city north of Fort Lauderdale belongs to fishing. Tours are offered periodically of the 1907Hillsboro Lighthouse, its black and white hull and skeletal construction as striking as the golden sand below.
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach sits inland from Palm Beach, but echoes some of the same flavors in museums (notably, theNorton Museum of Art) and an attractive open-air collection of shops and restaurants along Clematis Street. By day, discover the district’s historic appeal; by night, love it for its lounges and live music. For younger visitors, theSouth Florida Science Museum,Palm Beach Zooand nearbyLion Country Safaripresent adventuresome options – Lion Country encourages visitors to drive through African-inspired forests and plains for glimpses of giraffes, zebras, rhinos and wildebeests.
