As home to the Florida Grand Opera, the New World Symphony, and the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts, Miami’s cultural life is very much alive and kicking. The local newspapers are a good way for visitors to find out what is on: the
New Times (website:
www.miaminewtimes.com) or the Friday edition of the
Miami Herald are best. An excellent online events calendar (website:
www.miami.nightguide.com) also gives daily
listings of special events.
Tickets can be bought at the various venues or from
Ticketmaster (tel: (305) 358 5885; website:
www.ticketmaster.com).
Music: The
Florida Grand Opera (website:
www.fgo.org) is undergoing a renaissance, entertaining audiences with its repertoire of well-loved classics and lesser-known works, at the
Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale (tel: (954) 522 5334; website:
www.browardcenter.org). The
New World Symphony (website:
www.nws.org), America’s unique orchestral academy, plays from late September to early May in the historic
Lincoln Theater, 555 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 673 3331). The only symphony orchestra of its kind in the world, the New World Symphony, has been training gifted graduates for careers in music since 1987 and sometimes plays at the historic
Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 East Flagler Street (tel: (305) 374 2444; website:
http://gusmancenter.org), a renovated 1920s movie palace, which now stages a huge variety of arts events, including the annual Miami Film Festival. The
Concert Association of Florida, 1470 Biscayne Boulevard (tel: (305) 808 7446; website:
www.concertfla.org) prides itself on bringing world-renowned orchestras and performers to the South Florida community at a variety of venues. The
Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami, Suite 100, 1444 Biscayne Boulevard (tel: (305) 377 1220; website:
www.pacfmiami.org) will open the doors of a brand new facility for music and dance in the fall of 2006 and is representing all of the above mentioned organizations in the interim. Visitors might also enjoy an event at the
Miami-Dade Auditorium, 2901 west Flagler Street (tel: (305) 547 5414); a schedule of events is available by phone or at their box office.
Theater: The
Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts, 1700 Washington Avenue (tel: (305) 673 7300; website:
www.gleasontheater.com), is Miami Beach’s top artistic venue, showcasing Broadway shows, concerts and dance from the
Florida Philharmonic, the
Miami City Ballet, the
Concert Association of Florida and other celebrated productions. Also on South Beach, the intimate
Art Deco Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Road (tel: (305) 674 1026; website:
www.colonytheater.org), hosts an exciting and varied program of dance, theater, music and film. Other major theaters include the
Edge Theater, now at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, 2000 Convention Center Drive (tel: (786) 355 0976), noted for its comedies and its 20th-century classics, and the
Coconut Grove Playhouse, 3500 Main Highway, Coconut Grove (tel: (305) 442 4000; website:
www.cgplayhouse.com), nationally recognized for its innovative productions.
Dance: Florida’s internationally acclaimed dance company, the
Miami City Ballet (website:
www.miamicityballet.org), performs a wide repertoire of classical and contemporary works, at a variety of venues including the
Jackie Gleason Theater (see
Theater above).
Film: There are cinema complexes at every major shopping mall. IMAX thrill-seekers will find satisfaction at the Blockbuster
IMAX 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second Street, Fort Lauderdale (tel: (954) 713 0930; website:
www.mods.org), offering a a 300-seat 3-D movie-going experience, with a five story high screen and a 15,000 watt dynamic wraparound sound system. Arthouse aficionados should head to the
Bill Cosford Cinema, in the University of Miami’s Memorial Building, Coral Gables (tel: (305) 284 4861).
Miami’s film and entertainment industry has grown dramatically in recent years. Indeed, the city’s old reputation for brashness was built on the television series
Miami Vice in the 1980s, and the underbelly of the city still gets full exposure on current TV shows such as the popular
CSI: Miami. Miami is now the third largest center for film and TV production in America. Recent films set here include
Something about Mary (1998),
The Birdcage (1996),
Ace Ventura (1994),
True Lies (1994),
Get Shorty (1995) and the unsuccessful adaptation of Carl Hiaasen’s locally set novel,
Striptease (1996). Not forgetting the classics, such as
Citizen Kane (1941),
Key Largo (1948) and three James Bond movies -
Dr No (1962),
Live and Let Die (1973) and
Goldfinger (1964).
Cultural Events: The
Art Deco Weekend (website:
www.artdecoweekend.com) is the world’s largest annual festival dedicated to the preservation of this unique style. It takes place every January, with a huge program of street theater, big band concerts and processions in South Beach. The
Miami International Film Festival (website:
www.maimifilmfestival.com) is a 10-day event (February), which showcases films and videos from international and US filmmakers, with a special focus on Iberno-American cinema and a forum for smaller, independent works. The
Miami Book Fair International (website:
www.miamibookfair.com) takes place in mid-November, leading up to American Thanksgiving, with night readings, lectures and workshops with top authors, as well as a book fair.
Literary Notes: Miami itself has little literary history. However, over the years, numerous writers have made Florida their home, in particular Key West. Among them were Ernest Hemingway (1899-1960), author of
A Farewell to Arms (1929),
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) and
The Old Man and the Sea (1952); Elizabeth Bishop (1911-79), one of the most celebrated American poets of this century; and Tennessee Williams (1911-83), playwright and author of
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1944) and
A Streetcar Named Desire (1955). Hemingway (the rough, tough, local novelist) built his reputation in the bars of Key West (see
Excursions). The beautiful Spanish colonial-style house, 907 Whitehead Street (tel: (305) 294 1136; website:
www.hemingwayhome.com), where he wrote some of his finest works, is open to the public. The contemporary American novelist, Alison Lurie, also has a house in Key West and set one of her novels,
The Truth about Lorin Jones (1989), there, while novelist Carl Hiaasen traditionally sets his works such as
Skin Tight (1987),
Tourist Season (1987),
Sick Puppy (2001), etc, in Florida, Miami in particular. Mario Sanchez is among a new generation of Cuban ex-pat writers who call Miami home and brings a humorous and sartorial tone to his acclaimed work
Miami, Only Worse (2002).
Sport:Miami is an excellent city for spectator sports. Several major American teams hail from Miami, including basketball heroes,
Miami Heat (website:
www.nba.com/heat), who play at home between November and April, at the
American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Boulevard (tel: (305) 577 4328 or 960 8500; website:
www.aaarena.com). Miami’s top football team, the
Miami Dolphins (website:
www.miamidolphins.com), plays at the
Pro Player Stadium, 2267 NW 199th Street (tel: (305) 623 6100), from August to December, as do baseball’s
Florida Marlins (website:
www.flamarlins.com). Their season runs from April to September.
Tickets to sporting events can be purchased direct from the venues or from
Ticketmaster (tel: (305) 358 5885; website:
www.ticketmaster.com).
Beaches: The public South Beach stretch from First Street to 15th Street is the wide, pristine sand that everyone refers to when they talk about Miami Beach. The
Third Street Beach is popular with families, while the
12th Street Beach area is the gay-friendly section. Toplessness among women on public beaches is common and regarded casually. The only beach where clothing is entirely optional is north of Bal Harbour, at
Haulover Beach Park, in North Miami Beach.
Bill Baggs is the most spectacular of Key Biscayne beaches but
Crandon Park draws equal numbers of sun worshippers to its shores even though it is a bit of a walk from the parking area to the sand.
Diving: The Biscayne National Underwater Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead (tel: (305) 230 7275; website:
www.nps.gov/bisc), with over 72,400 hectares (181,000 acres) of marine habitat and live coral reefs, is popular for diving, snorkeling and glass-bottom boat rides. PADI-registered
South Beach Divers, 850 Washington Avenue (tel: (305) 531 6110; e-mail: info@southbeachdivers.com; website:
www.southbeachdivers.com), offers lessons, equipment and daily diving trips.
Fishing: Deep-sea fishing day trips are operated by a variety of companies, including the six-person vessel
Therapy-IV, 10800 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: 305) 945 1578; website:
www.therapy4.com), which starts at US$125per person.
Reward Fishing Fleet, Miami Beach Marina, off the MacArthur Causeway (tel: (305) 372 9470; website:
www.fishingmiami.com), includes all the necessary equipment. Rates start at US$35 per person.
Fitness Centers: Many hotels in body-conscious Miami provide some type of fitness center. American chain fitness centers have several branches around Greater Miami and sell daily passes, which start at around US$25. These include:
Crunch Fitness, 1259 Washington Avenue (tel: (305) 674 8222; website:
www.crunch.com), with an array of aerobic, yoga and fitness classes, or
Gold’s Gym, 1400 Alton Road, South Beach (tel: (305) 538 4653; website:
www.goldsgym.com), with its serious weight-training focus. Local gyms, such as
Ironworks, 1676 Alton Road, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 531 4743; website:
www.southbeachironworks.com), have less expensive rates. Day spas are all the rage in Miami and can be found in many of the big hotels.
Sundari Spa, owned by model Christie Turlington and situated in the Shore Club Resort, 1901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 695 3292; website:
www.shoreclub.com), has received a lot of attention for its Asian Ayurvedic scrubs and soaks from its gorgeous rooftop locale. The
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Spa (see
Hotels) is popular for its local algae treatments.
Golf: Florida is a golfer’s paradise, with favorable weather year round and more courses than any other American state. The
Biltmore Golf Club, 1210 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables (tel: (305) 460 5364), is among Miami’s most beautiful courses. Green fees are US$120 before 1400 or US$100 after 1400 and include golf cart.
Crandon Golf Course, 6700 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne (tel: (305) 361 9129), is one of America’s top-ranked municipal courses and home to the Royal Caribbean Classic golf tournament. Green fees are US$148 or US$39 after 1500.
Doral Golf Resort and Spa, 4400 NW 87th Avenue (tel: (305) 592 2000; website:
www.doralresort.com), boasts five 18-hole courses, each varying in difficulty, from the Great White course to the notorious Monster Blue. Green fees (depending on course and season) are US$195-275. All golf clubs mentioned are open to the public and do not require membership.
In-line Skating: Visitors can join the South Beach crowd and rent a pair of in-line skates from
Fritz’s Skate and Bike Shop, 730 Lincoln Road (tel: (305) 532 1954), hires out skates hourly or daily. Free lessons are offered on Sunday.
Public Swimming Pools: Miami-Dade County operates three public pool/park facilities that are open year-round, and 14 operational during the summer months only. The
A D Barnes Park, 3401 SW 72 Avenue (tel: 305 666 5883; website:
www.metro-dade.com/parks/Parks/ad_barnes.asp) is a 65-acre park nestled in the heart of one of the busiest areas of Miami. The park offers a heated swimming pool and is home to The Sense of Wonder Nature Center and Trail set within one of the few remaining Pine Rocklands in Miami-Dade County. A complete list of public pools and their various operating hours of access can be found at
www.metro-dade.com/parks/pools.asp.
Sailing: Miami Boat Charters, 542 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 673 3956; website:
www.miamiboat.com), offers boat rentals and yacht charters, manned and un-manned, from Miami Bay, along with many other outfitters and charter companies that use the marinas and docks along the strip at Bayshore Drive.
Tennis: There are public courts at the
North Shore Tennis Center, 350 73rd Street, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 993 2022), the
Biltmore Tennis Center, 1150 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables (tel: (305) 460 5360), and the
Tennis Center at Crandon Park, 7300 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne (tel: (305) 365 2300), where the NASDAQ-100 Open is held. Crandon Park courts are illuminated for night play, although reservations are required.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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