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destination feature
Attend The Sport Of Kings Understanding the ins and outs of polo isn’t needed to experience the excitement of world-class tournament play on the interna-
tionally famous fields of the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in nearby Wellington. Although the players tend to be exclusive and very rich, it takes the general public to fill the Club’s stadium with 3,000 box seats and the metal bleachers opposite them every season from January through April. The sport is not the only attraction. People-watching is also fun, and sometimes, a British royal like Prince Charles or a celebrity like Sylvester Stallone may appear. Dress code is casual, with shorts and shirt (polo, of course) the norm for warm weather. www.palmbeachpolo.com
3Explore America’s Venice
More famous for its 37km of clean white
beaches, Fort Lauderdale is also known
as the “Venice of America”. Explore its 4
483km of wet streets aboard the Water Bus, which makes 11 regular stops at attractions, bars and restaurants including the open-air mall at the Las Olas Riverfront. Or saunter over to the more exclusive stores on Las Olas Avenue. A water taxi is a carefree way to travel here, with no worries about getting lost or finding a parking place. www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale/ FLLMap.Asp
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Go Beach Bumming
Arguably the best beach in Miami is Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, recently ranked one of the Top 10 US beaches. After suntanning, hike the short nature trail
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South Florida’s oldest building. Climbing the 109 steps up – and down – usually works up an appetite. The Boater’s Grill overlooking No Name Harbor features two Miami area specialties: Cuban cuisine and fresh seafood. Expect weekend crowds here. www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/default.cfm
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groves, then climb to the top of the old Cape Florida lighthouse,
5Art Appreciation
Miami’s most exciting cultural and nightlife scene is in the famed South Beach’s fanciful Art Deco District, an area of some 800 build- ings from the 1920s and 30s built in a futuristic design with rounded corners and geometric ornamentation, all painted in bright pastels.
At first sight, you may feel like you’ve landed on the set of an old sci-fi movie
from the 40s and 50s, but the popular South Beach (SoBe) is not only the chicest
place to be in Southeast Florida, it’s the only Art Deco National Historic District
in the US. View the hotels along Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th streets in the
morning to fully appreciate the mind-boggling variety of designs and colours,
but return after dark to see the place come alive with neon lights and all the
pretty people partying. Then join in. www.miamibeachfl.gov South Beach’s Art Deco District
A diver exploring the forward deck of the USS Spiegel Grove, off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Go Native
Miami is most famous as a city by the sea but it also sits at the edge of the Everglades, one of the world’s great wilderness areas. Just 30 to 45
minutes west of Miami, Miccosukee Indians will take you over the famous “river of grass” on shallow draft airboats powered by an airplane-type propeller. You may achieve speeds of up to 80kph and view alligators and water birds before arriving at a genuine hammock-style Indian camp. Learn Miccosukee ways at the Miccosukee Indian Village and why they migrated to Florida. Afterwards, watch a uniquely Florida sport, alliga- tor wrestling. Try native foods in the Miccosukee restaurant and bring earplugs for the airboat ride. www.micosukeeresort.com/mivillage
12 ENDLESS VACATION
Photo: Visit Florida
Photo: Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO
Photo: Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Photo: Andy Newman/TDC