What To Do On Vacation In Miami
Enjoy Your Vacation

Miami is a cosmopolitan city in the center of paradise. A getaway to Miami can be everything you want it to be. You can fill the day in Miami with sports, culture, natural wonders and historical sights. Or you can relax in the sun, feast on the delicious cuisine, play and shop, and dance away the night. Miami is a memorable vacation spot for a long weekend, a romantic escape, a family vacation, a golf holiday, or an experience of nature.
Here's what to do on vacation in Miami.

1. Interesting Facts About Miami, Florida
2. How Miami Got Started
3. The Natural Setting of Miami, Florida
4. What's the Weather Like in Miami Florida?
5. What To Do in Miami: Professional Sports
6. What To Do in Miami: Performing Arts
7. What To Do in Miami: Miami Museums
8. What To Do in Miami: More Attractions
9. What To Do in Miami: Night Life
10. How To Get Around in Miami
11. Google Interactive Map of What To Do in Miami

Greater Miami and the Beaches welcome you to a unique vacation in a colorful setting. A Miami vacation offers white sandy beaches under sunny skies, pastel colored Art Deco buildings, professional sports, golf and deep-water fishing, year round events and festivals, top-notch museums, fabulous shopping and world-renowned cuisine. The Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and the Everglades invite you to explore the natural world. Miami is a joyful celebration, especially when you're on vacation. At the bottom of this page is an Interactive Map of Miami, Florida.

Interesting Facts About Miami, Florida

Miami is an important global city with an economy built upon finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. The impressive downtown skyscrapers are offices for many corporate headquarters and international banks. It is also an international center for all facets of the entertainment business, television, music, fashion, film and the arts. One study called Miami the richest city in the United States. Forbes Magazine called it America's Cleanest City because of good air quality, clean drinking water, clean streets, lots of green spaces and strong recycling program. The United Nations says that Miami is the fourth largest urban area in the United States, and with 6 million people living in the area, it's still growing. Miami is nicknamed The Magic City, because it has grown so fast.

While you are here, get out to all the exciting places in and around Miami, South Beach, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Downtown Miami. Miami is bordered by two national parks, Everglades National Park on the west, and Biscayne National Park on the east.

How Miami Got Started

The Miami area was first inhabited for more than one thousand years by the Tequesta Indians, but was later claimed for Spain in 1566 by explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. A Spanish mission was constructed here in 1567. In 1836, Fort Dallas was built. The Second Seminole War was fought in this area.

Julia Tuttle, local citrus grower, is the founder of Miami. She convinced Henry Flagler to entend his railroad to the area by sending him a bouquet of orange blossoms. Miami was incorporated as a city in 1896, when the population was about 300. The city has survived land booms and busts, hurricanes and the Great Depression, riots and drug wars. More land was created in Miami by dredging canals through the Everglades, converting swampland to orange groves. Miami is the adopted home of immigrants from Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands. Since the 1960s, thousands of Cuban immigrants have come to Miami from Castro's Cuba, making it a billingual community. There are also large French, French Canadian, German, Italian, and Russian communities. Newcomers find compatriots in the ethnic communities of Miami, such as Little Haiti, Little Havana, Little Managua, Little Brazil, Little Moscow, and so on.

Miami has a strategic port, a tropical climate suitable for agriculture, and a diversified economy. Miami is called the Cruise Capital of the World, with many cruise ships lined up in port. Tourism and conventions are also important to the economy. Over 12 million visitors come here every year, spending $17.1 billion.

The Natural Setting of Miami, Florida

Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad flat plain between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east. The city is only 6 feet above sea level on average. The city rests on limestone bedrock that is only 50 feet thick above the water. Below it flows the Biscayne Aquifer, the natural underground source of fresh drinking water in southern Florida. Most of Miami faces Biscayne Bay and hundreds of barrier reef islands along the coast. The cities of Miami Beach and South Beach lie offshore on one of these barrier islands.

What's the Weather Like in Miami Florida?

Miami has a true tropical climate with hot summers and warm winters. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, keeps the climate warm and mild all year, just like a Caribbean island. The weather is ideal for your vacation activities. On summer days, the temperature is in the high 80s or low 90s. On a winter afternoon, the temperature is often 70 to 80 degrees. The wet season lasts from May to October. The temperature in Miami has never gone higher than 98 degrees F, and never below 30 degrees F.

What To Do in Miami: Professional Sports

Miami has lots of action for fans of professional sports. Include a game in your vacation plans. The Miami Dolphins play NFL football and the Florida Marlins play major league baseball, both at the Pro Player Stadium. The Miami Heat play NBA basketball at the American Airlines Arena, and the Florida Panthers NHL hockey team plays nearby in Broward County. The Miami FC play professional soccer. As well as having all major professional teams, Miami is home to other sports teams and activities. Include in your vacation activities like the Sony Ericsson Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, Jai-Alai venues, and golf courses. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center.

What To Do in Miami: Performing Arts

The new Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States, presents symphony concerts, ballet, theater and opera. There are many other venues for the performing arts: the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Colony Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, New World Symphony House, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Jackie Gleason Theatre, Manuel Artime Theater, Ring Theatre, Playground Theatre, Wertheim Performing Arts Center, the Fair Expo Center and the Bayfront Park Amphitheater for outdoor music events.

What To Do in Miami: Miami Museums

The city is home to numerous museums, many of which are in Downtown. These include the Bass Museum, Frost Art Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum and the Miami Cultural Center, home of the Main Miami Library.

What To Do in Miami: More Attractions

Other popular vacation attractions in the area include Jungle Island, Miami MetroZoo, Miami Seaquarium, Coral Castle, St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church, and Charles Deering Estate.

There are over 80 parks in Miami. The largest and most popular parks are Bayfront Park and Bicentennial Park, both Downtown, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Tropical Park, Watson Island, Morningside Park and Key Biscayne.

What To Do in Miami: Night Life

Miami is a lively spot for nightclubs, music and dance. The diversity of cultures brought a diversity of music, the conga and rumba from Cuba, the merengue and bachata from the Dominican Republic, vallenato from Colombia. Caribbean immigrants brought their native music, reggae, soca, calypso and steel pan. Fans of disco, punk, metal and hip hop will find their music, too.

How To Get Around in Miami

You'll probably fly into the convenient Miami International Airport, or arrive at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport north of Miami. Or come by Amtrak to the Miami Station.

For ground transportation during your vacation, Metrobus serves Miami airport and the rest of the city. Coral Gables Trolley is a free service which travels the Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Tri-Rail is the way to travel from Miami to West Palm Beach. The Metrorail rides an elevated track over 22 miles of the city from kendall to Medley for only $1.50. The Metromover is a free, elevated people mover through the Miami business district. Public buses, called Metrobus, are also reliable transportation. About 17% of Miami's population uses public transit every day.

Google Interactive Map of What To Do in Miami

To Zoom In, Double-Click Your Left Mouse Button
To Zoom Out, Double-Click Your Right Mouse Button
To Move Around, Click on the Map and Drag It

I hope you have a memorable vacation in Miami.
I wish you a very happy day.

Jeff, Vacation Welcome

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