Ideally located in the picturesque Sunny Isles Beach area of North Miami Beach, the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort features a beautiful oceanfront locale, world-class service and spacious one- and two-bedroom suites. Onsite amenities at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort include 500 feet of white-sand beach, restaurant, cafe, tiki bar, coffee shop, outdoor pool, hot tub, WaveRunner and beach cabana rentals, exercise room, business center, beachside playground and Seven Seas Spa & Salon. For more information about the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, visit www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Plan a dream vacation getaway to beautiful Miami – a tropical paradise that features great weather year round, white-sand beaches, incredible shopping opportunities and nonstop nightlife.
Traveling to Miami for a fall vacation getaway? For great deals on comfortable accommodations that provide easy access to Miami area attractions, restaurants, nightlife, shopping and outdoor recreation, check out Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort at www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Billed as “Florida’s premier, live music festival,” Festival Miami will take place between October 1 and November 4, 2011, and feature world premieres, symphonic concerts, chamber music, jazz performances and more. All performances will be held at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall located at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables Campus (unless otherwise noted). For more information about Festival Miami, visit www.festivalmiami.com.
Traveling to Miami for a fall vacation getaway? For great deals on comfortable accommodations that provide easy access to Miami area attractions, restaurants, nightlife, shopping and outdoor recreation, check out Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort at www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Abundant recreational opportunities exist in Miami and the surrounding beaches such as sunbathing, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, sailing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking, golfing and tennis. Biscayne National Park, the largest marine park in the National Park System, offers crystal-clear waters, living coral reefs, beautiful islands and ideal opportunities for snorkeling and scuba diving. Crandon Park, which is located on Key Biscayne, boasts one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, as well as a championship golf course, tennis courts, marina and Family Amusement Park. Miami also provides convenient access to Everglades National Park, the third-largest park in the country. The park includes campgrounds, hiking trails, picnic areas, boat tours, canoe and bike rentals, and observation towers.
Traveling to Miami for a summer or fall vacation getaway? For great deals on comfortable accommodations that provide easy access to Miami area attractions, restaurants, nightlife, shopping and outdoor recreation, check out Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort at www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Ideally located in the picturesque Sunny Isles Beach area of North Miami Beach, the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort features a beautiful oceanfront locale, world-class service and spacious one- and two-bedroom suites. Onsite amenities at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort include 500 feet of white-sand beach, restaurant, cafe, tiki bar, coffee shop, outdoor pool, hot tub, WaveRunner and beach cabana rentals, exercise room, business center, beachside playground and Seven Seas Spa & Salon. For more information about the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, visit www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Art Deco Historic District
Popular from the 1920s to 1940s, Art Deco style is one of the primary characteristics of Miami Beach architecture. Visitors can view many examples of the vibrant colors and uniquely stylized architecture that have made Miami Beach, particularly South Beach, synonymous with Art Deco style. To find your way around the Art Deco Historic District, stop by the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive for a guide map and information about guided walking tours and audiocassette tours. Ocean Drive itself is a great place to start your excursion with its 10 blocks of colorful hotels, now home to specialty shops, eclectic restaurants and cafes, and lively nightclubs.
Aventura Mall
With more than 2.3 million square feet of space and 250 specialty stores, the Mediterranean-style Aventura Mall is South Florida’s largest regional shopping mall. Aventura Mall also features restaurants, a Food Court, 24-screen AMC movie theater and large indoor playground.
Bayside Marketplace
A shopper’s paradise, Bayside Marketplace serves as Miami’s waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment center. Bayside Marketplace offers everything from popular national brands to specialty shops with unique collectibles, as well as more than a dozen eclectic restaurants and bars, an award-winning International Food Court, live entertainment daily and Millionaire’s Row sightseeing cruises. A visit to downtown Miami is not complete without a visit to Bayside Marketplace!
Biscayne National Park With 95 percent of its 173,000 acres covered by water, Biscayne National Park is the largest marine park in the National Park System. The park, which draws approximately 500,000 visitors annually, boasts crystal-clear waters, living coral reefs and beautiful islands. Recreational activities at Biscayne National Park include scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, boating and picnicking. Designated campgrounds can be found on Boca Chita Key, and Elliott Key (access by boat only). Canoe rentals and glass bottom boat tours, as well as scuba diving and snorkeling trips, can all be arranged at Biscayne National Park. Visit the Danta Fascell Visitor Center, which offers brochures, exhibits, park videos and books for sale.
CocoWalk A bustling outdoor shopping area in the heart of Coconut Grove, CocoWalk offers unique specialty shops, outdoor cafes, eclectic bistros, lively nightspots and a 16-screen cinemaplex.
Coral Castle How did one individual endeavor to procure and sculpt more than 1,100 tons of coral rock into a “fantasy world carved out of stone” using only homemade tools? The secrets still lie within Coral Castle, the bizarre masterpiece of obsessive genius Ed Leedskalnin, which was built over a 28-year period. An immigrant from Latvia, Leedskalnin (who was just over 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds!) somehow managed to singlehandedly build Coral Castle as a monument to his one true love, Agnes Scuffs, who shattered his dreams of marital bliss by unexpectedly leaving him at the altar. Known as “America’s Stonehenge,” Coral Castle offers guided tours and a gift shop. It is open daily year round.
Crandon Park
Crandon Park is located on Key Biscayne and boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! In addition to its inviting white-sand beach, Crandon Park features a Family Amusement Park with a historic carousel, outdoor roller skating rink, splash fountain and marine play sculptures. The park is open daily from 8 AM to sunset.
Deering Estate at Cutler
One of South Florida’s most unique parks, Deering Estate at Cutler is an “environmental, archaelogical, historical and architectural preserve” that encompasses 450 acres. Highlights include Indian burial grounds, various historic buildings and the Mediterranean Revival-style winter estate of famous industrialist Charles Deering. Guided tours of the property are available.
Everglades National Park
Designated an International Biosphere Reserve, Everglades National Park, which encompasses 1.5 million acres, is the third-largest national park in the continental United States and the only subtropical preserve in North America. A fascinating and fragile ecosystem, the Everglades feature mangrove and cypress swamps, sawgrass prairies, hardwood hammocks and pinelands. Wildlife that call the Everglades home include alligators, crocodiles, bottle-nosed dolphins, manatees, bald eagles, ospreys, wood stork, roseate spoonbill, great blue heron and snowy egrets. Everglades National Park includes three visitor centers, campgrounds, hiking trails, picnic areas, boat tours, canoe and bike rentals, and observation towers.
Fairchild Tropical Garden
One of the world’s most beautiful botanic gardens, Fairchild Tropical Garden is home to an impressive collection of rare tropical plants. The 83-acre garden includes a new 13,000-square-foot Visitor Center, museum of plant exploration, conservatory, outdoor tropical rainforest, sunken garden, walking paths, lakes and overlooks. Visitors to Fairchild Tropical Garden can take a narrated tram tour or self-guided tour. The onsite Garden Shop sells gardening books and eclectic gifts.
The Historical Museum of Southern Florida The Historical Museum of Southern Florida enables visitors to explore 10,000 years of history and culture that highlights South Florida and the Caribbean. Conveniently located in downtown Miami at the Metro-Dade Cultural Center Plaza, the museum features a permanent gallery, a gallery with rotating exhibits and a Research Center, as well as a store that sells an extensive selection of books, gifts and educational toys relating to Florida history.
Jungle Island Jungle Island is home to more than 1,100 tropical birds that represent approximately 360 species, as well as crocodiles, orangutans, reptiles and 2,000 varieties of flora and fauna. Located in the heart of Miami, Jungle Island boasts the “best trained bird show in the world!” – featuring trained parrots, macaws and cockatoos. First opened in 1936 as Parrot Jungle, Jungle Island has been recognized as one of the world’s premiere bird sanctuaries, wildlife habitats and botanical gardens.
Miami Art Museum Opened in 1984, the Miami Art Museum boasts world-class exhibitions and programs at its state-of-the-art facility, which is located at the Metro-Dade Cultural Center Plaza in downtown Miami. The museum’s onsite gift shop sells exhibition catalogues, art books, distinctive home and office furnishings, designer jewelry, stationery and cards, children’s books, toys and much more.
Miami Children’s Museum
Kids of all ages will enjoy the Miami Children’s Museum, which features numerous interactive exhibits within 12 galleries, classrooms, a Parent/Teacher Resource Center, 200-seat auditorium, Subway restaurant and educational gift shop. Interactive exhibits at the museum, which opened its brand-new facility in the fall of 2003, include The Castle of Dreams, Ocean Odyssey, Everglades Park, Meet Miami, Cruise Ship, All About Art, Television Studio, Supermarket and World Music Studio.
Miami Metrozoo More than 1,700 animals make their home at 300-acre Miami Metrozoo, which has been voted one of the 10 best zoos in the United States. The award-winning Miami Metrozoo is a “cageless zoo” where animals roam in settings similar to their natural habitats. Asian river otters, Komodo dragons, Bengal tigers, Cuban crocodiles, Asian elephants, Galapagos tortoises, gorillas, lions, zebras, giraffes, koala bears, kangaroos and squirrel monkeys are just a few of the animals visitors will encounter at the large, open-air exhibits. Metrozoo includes guided tram tours, behind-the-scenes tours, a monorail tour and dining areas located throughout the park. Kids will love the zoo’s playgrounds and water play areas, as well as the new Wildlife Carousel, which features 30 handcarved animals.
Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium The Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium, which first opened its doors in 1966, boasts a state-of-the-art planetarium with a SPITZ Space Transit Planetarium star projector, animated live star shows, laser light shows, Weintraub Observatory, hands-on exhibits and numerous education programs for all ages. The museum is also home to Jack Horkheimer’s Star Gazer, the world’s only weekly TV series on “naked-eye astronomy.”
Miami Seaquarium
Located on beautiful Biscayne Bay, Miami Seaquarium provides 38 landscaped acres full of marine-life shows, exhibits and educational programs. View tropical aquariums, dolphins, alligators, manatees, moray eels and other marine wildlife. The centerpiece of the Seaquarium is the Whale and Dolphin Stadium, home of Lolita the Killer Whale. At the Flipper Dolphin Show, the film location for much of the 1960′s Flipper TV show, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins demonstrate their grace, beauty and intelligence. The 750,000-gallon Tropical Reef Aquarium is home to a multitude of colorful tropical fish, loggerhead turtles and moray eels. Other highlights include the Sea Lion Show featuring Salty the Sea Lion, Top Deck Dolphin Show, Shark Presentation and Discovery Bay endangered mangrove habitat.
Miracle Mile
Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Coral Gables, Miracle Mile features specialty shops, art galleries, bookstores, eclectic restaurants, live theater and more. Billed as “one of South Florida’s most unique shopping destinations,” Miracle Mile is also home to the Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, which produces award-winning professional productions.
Monkey Jungle Visit Monkey Jungle – “Where Humans are Caged and Monkeys Run Wild!” One of the few protected habitats for endangered primates in the country, Monkey Jungle is home to more than 400 primates that run free on a 30-acre reserve. A total of 30 primate species are represented here such as spider monkeys, colobus, gibbons and guenons.
Sawgrass Mills Mall
Ideally located off the Sawgrass Expressway interchange just 2 miles North of interstates 75 and 595, Sawgrass Mills Mall features more than 270 outlet stores and name-brand discounters, as well as approximately 30 restaurants and the Sawgrass Regal 23 Cinema.
The Venetian Pool Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Venetian Pool is a beautiful, 820,000-gallon pool that was carved out of a coral rock quarry in 1923. Nestled within a residential area of Coral Gables and surrounded by Venetian-style architecture, the Venetian Pool is fed daily with crystal-clear spring water and features abundant waterfalls, grottos, caves made of coral and a diving platform. Note: Children under 3 are not admitted to the facility.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens A National Historic Landmark, Vizcaya is a beautiful Italian Renaissance-style villa built in 1916 by American industrialist James Deering. The luxurious 34-room winter estate contains one of the finest collections of 15 th- through 19 th-century furniture and decorative arts in the United States. Vizcaya is also surrounded by more than 10 acres of formal gardens, fountains and terraces. The onsite Vizcaya Café serves food and beverages in a unique setting overlooking the swimming pool. Outdoor seating is also available. The Vizcaya Gift Shop offers postcards, slides, videotapes along with Italian craft items such as ceramics, jewelry and tapestries.
For great deals on comfortable accommodations that provide easy access to Miami area attractions, restaurants, nightlife, shopping and outdoor recreation, check out Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort at www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
One of the country’s premier outdoor fine arts festivals, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival celebrates its 48th anniversary February 19-21, 2011. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival showcases the works of more than 360 of the finest artists and craftspeople in the world. The festival, which will take place from 10 AM to 6 PM, offers visitors the opportunity to meet with exhibiting artists, sample fine cuisine, enjoy live entertainment and take a walk through history. Admission is $10 per person per day. (Children 12 and under, Metrorail Golden Passport and Patriot Passport Holders are free. For more information about the 2011 Coconut Grove Arts Festival, visit www.coconutgroveartsfest.com.
Traveling to Miami for a vacation getaway? Check out the great deals at Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort! For more information about the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, visit www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
Ideally located in the picturesque Sunny Isles Beach area of North Miami Beach, the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort features a beautiful oceanfront locale, world-class service and spacious one- and two-bedroom suites. Onsite amenities at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort include 500 feet of white-sand beach, restaurant, cafe, tiki bar, coffee shop, outdoor pool, hot tub, WaveRunner and beach cabana rentals, exercise room, business center, beachside playground and Seven Seas Spa & Salon. For more information about the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, visit www.newportbeachside.westgatedestinations.com.
