Tropical-like weather, picturesque palm trees, and exotic wildlife and plant life characterize the "Sunshine State’s" prized-jewel, Dade County. This southernmost Florida County of white sand beaches and blue water coral reefs attracts residents and visitors to its sunny shores year-round. Dade County is home to Miami, one of the world’s most sought after beach destinations.
While Crandon Park Beach, Hobie Beach, North Beach, South Pointe Park, and Bal Harbour Beach are all popular beach resorts located in the county, Miami Beach and South Beach top the list. Rated Natural Health Magazine’s number one healthiest city in 2002, Miami is keen on outdoor activities. On shore, residents enjoy golf, tennis, and volleyball and in the blue, coral reef waters, residents enjoy boating, fishing, surfing, snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing, and scuba diving.
Just like its beaches, the streets of Miami are alive with culture and entertainment. Throughout Miami, Hispanic culture influences architecture, music, art, and food.
One place to experience this influence is in the area’s several art museums, including the Miami Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Frost Art Museum, and the Lowe Art Museum (located on the University of Miami Coral Gables campus). The Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami is a popular indoor and outdoor Bayside market place that features a myriad of shops and restaurants with Hispanic-inspired food and music. Miami also boasts a thriving nightlife filled with sizzling night clubs, chic restaurants, and trendy lounges.
Other destinations in Miami include the Miami Metro Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and the Florida Grand Opera.
For outdoor elegance, a recommended place to visit is the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables; built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry, the pool is a refreshing and beautiful place to swim in cool spring- fed water. Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park are two of the area’s most celebrated parks. Biscayne National Park is a popular place for camping, hiking, swimming, snorkeling amongst coral reefs, and observing exotic plant and animal life. In Biscaynes reefs, over 200 colorful and unique species of fish have been sighted. While in Biscayne National Park visitors can tour Florida’s oldest surviving lighthouse, Cape Florida Lighthouse; established in the early nineteenth century, the lighthouse was built to highlight the Florida Reefs for ships entering Biscayne Bay.
On 1.5 million acres, the Everglades National Park is the nation’s largest subtropical wilderness. There is no place in the world quite like the Everglades where daily visitors spot hundreds of wild animal species inhabiting lush wetlands of exotic plants. Examples of colorful wildlife living here include: pelicans, storks, flamingoes, whales, dolphins, armadillos, alligators, crocodiles, lizards, and turtles. In the Everglades, visitors can also enjoy canoeing, hiking, biking, fishing, and camping.
Miami International Airport provides air transportation to the county, while the Miami-Dade Transit, Metrorail, and Metrobus provide daily public transportation to residents.
