Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Florida Read online

3. Swimming Pool The pool, complete with a diving platform, is partially covered. The doors at the back of the pool lead to a café and shop.

  4. Deering Suite The master bedroom overlooks the bay. In the bathroom, the gold-plated swan-shaped faucets dispensed both fresh and salt water.

  5. East Terrace An outdoor paved space overlooking the bay and a barge built to buffer the shoreline from waves. The barge is decorated with mermaids and dolphins.

  6. Dining Room This sumptuous room was used mainly for entertaining. Its ornate ceiling is decorated with carved motifs of snakes and sea horses.

  • Garden Mound and Casino Steps lead to the elevated mound, with its gazebo-like house or “Casino.” The ceiling has paintings of angels and minstrels that seem to look down on visitors.

  • Maze Garden South of the East Terrace are the Secret Garden, the Theater Garden, and the Maze Garden, a favourite with families.

  Left The maze garden Right Ornate dining room ceiling

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  >> Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Quiz-caya

  James Deering built Vizcaya to imitate the palaces of a European country. Do you know which one?

  What did James Deering build to protect the mansion’s shoreline from wave erosion?

  Which creatures decorate the ceiling of the main Dining Room?

  >> Answers

  Sea horses and sailing ships

  James Deering repeatedly used symbols representing sea horses, and ships known as caravels, throughout his home and gardens on the bay. How many of each can you spot?

  Shapely garden

  The gardens of Vizcaya are called “formal gardens” because, like the grand gardens in France and Italy, they are laid out in geometric shapes.

  Dream home

  James Deering built the home of his dreams in Miami, sparing no expense, though he would often ask his architect “Must we be so grand?”. If you had all the money it would take, what kind of house would you build? Using the maps and floor plan you received at Vizcaya as examples, draw the floor plan and grounds of your dream home.

  * * *

  < Miami

  2. Calle Ocho – Little Havana

  Cubanos, café leche, and dominoes

  A game of dominoes in Domino Park, Calle Ocho

  Cuban refugees settled around Calle Ocho, meaning Eighth Street in Spanish, in the mid-20th century; another major influx occurred during the infamous Mariel boatlift of 1980. Today, the Cuban population constitutes a majority on the streets of Miami. Stroll along Calle Ocho to experience Cuban culture and food. Stars inset along the sidewalk remember Latino celebrities such as baseball player Sammy Sosa and singer Celia Cruz. Windows open onto restaurants and bakeries where locals order Cuban sandwiches and papaya shakes. Cigar-makers roll fragrant leaves and stores sell pleated guayabera shirts and tables made for slapping dominoes. In Domino Park, the games go on all day and well into the night.

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  Kids’ Corner

  The real Cuban sandwich

  Miami and Tampa sell some of the best Cuban sandwiches. Cuban bread – crusty on the outside and soft inside – is a crucial ingredient. The sandwich layers ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickles. The mark of a good Cuban sandwich is in its pressing. Sandwich-makers use a heavy, hot iron to heat and melt the sandwich ingredients.

  * * *

  < Miami

  3. Pérez Art Museum Miami

  A palette of cultures

  Located in bayside Museum Park, the PAMM focuses on modern and contemporary international art. The works – displayed in six galleries spread over three stories – highlight Miami’s position as a cross-cultural hub. The artists represented hail from both North and South America, as well as the Caribbean, reflecting the cosmopolitan make-up of the city.

  >> Practical Information

  >> Letting Off Steam

  >> Eat and Drink

  < Miami

  4. Miami Children’s Museum

  Kids playing grown-up

  Kids playing with the giant Pink Snail outside Miami Children’s Museum

  This museum immerses families in the worlds of finance, business, health, art, and Miami’s tropical beat. Become a rock star in the music recording studio, dress up as a policeman and hop on a motorcycle, operate an ATM machine, and cook in a Miccosukee Indian chickee (hut). Try to limbo dance aboard a cruise ship, then shop in a replica Publix supermarket. Do not miss the Castle of Dreams exhibit – possibly the biggest and most enchanting sand castle ever built. Children can climb into it, slide out of it, and feel the texture of sand from around the world.

  >> Practical Information

  >> Letting Off Steam

  >> Eat and Drink

  < Miami

  5. Jungle Island

  Parrots and monkeys and a liger? Oh, my!

  A colorful parrot at Jungle Island, home to a variety of birds from all over the world

  Begun as a parrot attraction in Coral Gables in 1936, Jungle Island has grown over the years, and now houses animals native to Florida and from around the world. Parrots and macaws remain a major focus, and families can feed and have their pictures taken with the brightly plumaged birds. There are also a lorikeet house, a petting farm, wallabies, penguins, kangaroos, and a liger – a cross between a lion and a tiger. The park hosts shows and keeper talks throughout the day.

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  >> Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Jungle Island mind games

  Invent names for more animal combinations like the liger. Can you draw your fantasy mushed-together animals?

  Did you see the sausage tree? You can’t eat the sausage-like seeds, but what kinds of food would you like to see grow on trees? Can you draw those trees?

  Critter cookbook

  Now that you know how to make a Cuban sandwich, think of recipes that the animals you met at Jungle Island and in Miami’s parks might like. The penguins at Jungle Island might like fish popsicles. How would you make them? Can you think of others? Find clues in the signs telling you what each animal eats, and while watching the feedings.

  * * *

  < Miami

  6. Miami Seaquarium®

  Huge water-critters for little squirts

  A performance at the Miami Seaquarium®

  The world’s longest-operating aquarium, the Miami Seaquarium® is the place where episodes of the 1960s TV show Flipper were filmed. Dolphins – along with killer whales, s
ea lions, and manatees – are still the star attraction here. The aquarium also houses sea turtles, crocodiles, stingrays, and sharks. See them in the exhibits that re-create their habitats and during the 10–20-minute shows and feedings. Special programs such as Dolphin Encounter and feeding sea lions bring kids up close to the animals. An elevated ropes course, a playground, fish aquariums, and remote-controlled boats and trucks provide further entertainment.

  >> Practical Information

  >> Letting Off Steam

  >> Eat and Drink

  >> Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Animal descramble

  Rearrange the letters below to find the names of Miami Seaquarium® animals: EOOLCRDIC

  ARKILELEHLW

  AENTEMA

  HPODLIN

  AHSKR

  >> Answers

  * * *

  < Miami

  7. Virginia Key Beach Park

  A park with a history

  This beach park was developed in the 1940s, before desegregation and before it was accessible by car, as a “Blacks-Only” beach. Some of the old structures, such as the covered Dance Floor, can still be seen at the main entrance, where there are also picnic areas, a playground, and a soccer field. The western entrance has more of a family feel, with thatch chickee umbrellas and another playground. Like all of the Virginia Key–Key Biscayne area, the park is extremely popular with cyclists.

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  >> Eat and Drink

  < Miami

  8. Crandon Park

  Fun for all the family

  Most tennis fans will probably recognize Crandon Park as the host of the Sony Ericsson Open, an annual tennis tournament. This expansive park takes up a third of Key Biscayne and offers an 18-hole golf course, a marina, cycle paths, a carousel and amusement area, a playground, 3 miles (5 km) of gorgeous beach, a garden, nature trails, a nature preserve, and a nature center. It also hosts a number of recreational and environmental programs.

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  >> Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Crazy plants

  South Florida grows some funny plants found nowhere else in the US. Their names often give away what they look like. On the trails at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, and at the beach, see if you can spot the Spanish Bayonet, with dagger-like leaves, and the Strangler Fig, which wraps around leaves.

  Critter bingo

  Divide a sheet of cardboard or paper into nine squares by drawing two lines across and two lines up and down. In each square, write the name of one of the animals below, which you might see on Key Biscayne – in captivity or the wild. When you do see one, put an X in the box. When you have three boxes with Xs across, up and down, or diagonally, call out “BINGO!” Squirrel

  Clown fish

  Osprey

  Zebrawing butterfly

  Moray eel

  Sea lion

  Manatee

  Shark

  * * *

  < Miami

  9. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

  Come one, come all

  Inside the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

  Often listed among America’s top beaches, the park’s beach remains relatively uncrowded because of the causeway toll and park entrance fee. There is plenty to do here: renting bikes and kayaks, eating at the two restaurants, hiking the nature trail, running around in the playground, and climbing the 109 steps to the top of its Cape Florida Lighthouse, which was built in 1825. The park has been designated part of the National Underground Railway Network to Freedom due to its role in helping slaves escape to the Bahamas.

  >> Practical Information

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  >> Eat and Drink

  < Miami

  Miami Beach and around

  Boats anchored at the Bill Bird Marina in Bal Harbour

  A long barrier island, Miami Beach stretches from hip South Beach to high-rise communities at the north end. Locals refer to the central part of the island as Middle Beach. Visitors will find a contrast to the mainland’s big-city vibe in the wide white sands that carpet Miami Beach’s waterfront. Still, the various island communities offer plenty of shopping and dining options that have all the sophistication of the mainland. Haulover Park in North Miami Beach offers a wide variety of watersports. Lummus Park, located in bustling South Beach, is also a popular destination, while to its south, South Pointe Park, with an ocean-themed playground, is quieter.

  1. South Beach

  2. Middle Beach, Bal Harbour, North Miami Beach

  3. Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park

  4. Oleta River State Park

  5. Ancient Spanish Monastery

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  >> Sights & Restaurants Map

  >> Where to Stay

  < Miami

  1. South Beach

  SoBe it

  Detail of an Art Deco building, South Beach

  Boom and bust best describes the history of South Beach, nicknamed SoBe. A well-developed neighborhood before the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was later resurrected as a showcase of Art Deco architecture. In the 1980s, when developers wanted to raze decrepit buildings, activists began a campaign that turned South Beach into America’s Riviera. Besides admiring its preserved Art Deco buildings, families can enjoy relaxing on sandy beaches and great shopping.

  Key Sights

  1. Bass Museum of Art Although it mainly hosts temporary exhibitions of modern art, the museum also has a permanent collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts – including mummies and sarcophagi – that will fascinate kids.

  2. Lincoln Road South Beach’s main shopping stretch is a pedestrian mall that contains elements of its past and present, including galleries and historic theaters.

  3. Española Way This pretty little tree-shaded lane is lively, and lined with Spanish-style buildings housing restaurants, shops, and bars, several of them Latino.

  4. Ocean Drive South Beach’s fabled runway for aspiring models, this street extends over 15 blocks of Art Deco hotels, with cafés and bars spilling onto sidewalks.

  5. Wolfsonian Museum Devoted to the decorative arts from 1885 to 1945, this museum’s retro vibe fits in well with South Beach’s Art Deco orientation. Displays range from sculptures to household items.