Miami - From Dolphins Show to Dining Out

Bahamas Goombay Festival

22 - 24 Aug(annual)
The festival is spectacular for its contrasts. The junkanoo parades feature dancers in colourful paper creations moving to the sounds of whistles, cow bells, washboards and combs. Both on the street and on stage, the words of rappers compete with the music of steel bands. Surrounding this hive of activity are hundreds of stalls selling crafts and native food - the Bahama Mama's salads and conch fritters are legendary. Don't miss it.

Home Design & Remodeling Show

29 Aug - 2 Sep(annual)
Everything you could possibly want for your home is available at Miami Beach's Home Design & Remodeling Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center.As well as featuring hundreds of vendors, each show includes a number of designer vignettes, designed for media personalities, so that visitors can see what is possible in their own homes.

Annual International Ballet Festival

29 Aug - 13 Sep(annual)
The Annual International Ballet Festival of Miami takes place at a number of venues and reflects the city's multicultural status by presenting artists from a variety of backgrounds. This year, as always, it is presented by the Miami Hispanic Ballet.The brainchild of Pedro Pablo Pe?a, choreographer of Miami Hispanic Ballet, the festival has attracted many of the greats of the ballet world since its beginning in 1995

Photo by GabryPk

Florida Marlins - Major League Baseball

31 Mar - 28 Sep(annual)

Photo by James Good

Dolphins Stadium is home to the Florida Marlins Major League Baseball team and stages regular games from April to October.The Marlins compete in the tough National League East, which includes the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals and the New York Mets.

Miami Carnival

12 Oct (annual)
The Miami Carnival is one of the largest street festivals in the US. The highlight of the whole event is the carnival parade and festival on the final day at Bicentennial Park, but in the two weeks prior to this there are plenty of exciting events.The fun begins with the Mini Carnival and Jump-up Parade on Key Biscayne (23 September), with DJs, local personalities, mas bands and steel bands. As a warm-up to the carnival proper there is a mini-parade with costumed participants, Caribbean food, drinks and arts and crafts.The Carnival Parade has more than 25 bands.

Beaux Arts Ball

25 Oct (annual)
Miami Men look dapper and women dazzle in ethereal gowns at the annual Beaux Arts Ball, the oldest costume ball in South Florida, held at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami. All proceeds benefit the Lowe Art Museum.

Discovery of America Day

12 Oct (annual)
This outdoor music and food festival in Miami's Bayfront Park celebrates the landing of Columbus in the Americas. Live entertainment and folkloric groups from Spain and Latin America, a re-enactment of the momentous occasion, children's activities and arts and crafts are all part of the fun.The event is organised by Hispanic Hertiage council, a non-profit organisation, and forms part of festivities organised throughout the year to celebrate contributions made by Hispanics to the cultural and economic development of United States.

Hispanic Heritage Festival

Oct (annual)
An extraordinary range of events is arranged for this month-long festival in Miami, which began as a celebration of Columbus' discovery of America and is now a tribute to the Hispanic contribution to the culture of the country. Entertainments include a re-enactment of Columbus' landing, lectures and workshops with an educational feel, live performers and the Miss Latin America pageant, which is now televised all over the world.

Ramble

8 - 9 Nov (annual)
A garden festival that is over half a century old, Ramble celebrates outdoor living at the Fairchild Tropical Gardens.Events include a huge plant show and sale, music, food and unique gifts.Everything from culinary herbs to palms, flowering trees, heliconias, bromeliads and fruit trees is up for grabs.There is also an adjacent Garden Marketplace, with vendors offering various gardening items as well as advice on sick or mystery plants and what to do with them.

Miami Book Fair

9 - 16 Nov (annual)
Established in 1984, this week-long book fair at Miami-Dade Community College is one of the largest literary events in the US. Over 200 authors gather to give lectures about their work, read extracts from their latest books and host signings.

Miami Book Fair International. Photo by ImageMD

There are also booths representing over 300 international exhibitors and publishers, culinary demonstrations by famous cooks and book-related activities for children, all gathered into an enormous Street Fair - one of the biggest and best in the country.

Andiamo Brick Oven Pizza

Cuisine : Pizza
News Cafe, to turn a retro-style 1960s car wash into one of the city's best pizza places. The brick-oven pizzas are to die for, whether you choose the simple Andiamo pie (tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil). Pizzas come in three sizes -- 10-inch, 13-inch, and 16-inch. And while the pizza is undeniably delicious here, the most talked about aspect of Andiamo is the fact that while you're washing down slice after slice, for a fee, you can get your car washed and detailed at Leo's, the space's original and still-existing occupant, out back, killing two birds with one, uh, slice.

Balan's

Cuisine : Mediterranean
Balan's provides undeniable evidence that the Brits actually do know a thing or two about cuisine. A direct import from London's hip Soho area, Balan's draws inspiration from various Mediterranean and Asian influences, labeling its cuisine "Mediterrasian." With a brightly colored interior straight out of a mod '60s flick, Balan's is a local favorite among the gay and arty crowds. The moderately priced food is rather good here -- especially the sweet-potato souffl? with leeks and roasted garlic; fried goat cheese and portobello mushrooms; and the Chilean sea bass with roasted tomato. When in doubt, the restaurant's signature lobster club sandwich is always a good choice. Adding to the ambience is the restaurant's people-watching vantage point on Lincoln Road.

Chef Allen's

Cuisine : New World Cuisine
If anyone deserves to have a restaurant named after him, it's chef Allen Susser, winner of the esteemed James Beard Award for Best American Chef in the Southeast -- the Academy Award of cuisine -- and practically every other form of praise and honor awarded by the most discriminating palates. Chef Allen, the man, is royalty around here. Chef Allen, the restaurant, is his province, and foodies are his disciples. His platform? New World Cuisine and the harmony of exotic tropical fruits, spices, and vegetables. It is under Chef Allen's magic that ordinary Key limes and mangos reappear in the form of succulent salsas and sauces. A traditional antipasto is transformed into a Caribbean one, with papaya-pineapple barbeque shrimp, jerk calamari, and charred rare tuna. Whole yellowtail in coconut milk and curry sauce is a particularly spectacular entree. Unlike other restaurants where location is key, Chef Allen's, located in the rear of a strip mall, could be in the desert and hordes of people would still make the trek.

David's Cafe. Photo by brandon shigeta

David's Cafe

Cuisine : Cuban
The farthest thing from a trendy spot, David's Cafe's Cuban food is so good, cheap, and available 24 hours a day, that Michael Jackson even sauntered up to the outdoor counter to order a cafe Cubano. Enjoy supercheap breakfasts (two eggs, home fries or grits, coffee, and toast is $4.75), Cuban sandwiches (ham, pork, Swiss, pickles, and mustard), midnight arroz con pollo, fantastic cheeseburgers, a wonderful $4 grilled-cheese sandwich, ropa vieja Habanera (shredded sirloin and sauce), and pretty much anything you can think of -- even, oddly enough, brown rice. Hey, this is South Beach, what can you expect?

Wish Restaurant. Photo by SFBart

Wish

Cuisine : Eclectic, Brazilian, French
Wish, located in the stylish Todd Oldham-designed The Hotel, is one of the most beautiful, romantic outdoor restaurants in South Beach. Chef Michael Bloise has taken the restaurant to a new level of taste with a fabulous, funky cuisine that Bloise himself calls "unpretentious yet artful." He's spot on. Three of Wish's finest dishes are the five-spiced pork chop with roasted beets and a spicy sweet potato and edamame hash along with a crispy pastry cup filled with lemon-goat-cheese yogurt, the short ribs braised in Guinness beer with mushroom and coconut risotto wrapped in a cigar shaped phyllo, and the pan seared foie gras staked on roasted banana slices with black pepper marshmallow. Sounds outrageous, right? It is -- in a very, very good way!

Barton G. Photo by Matt Garland

Barton G. The Restaurant

Photo by Matt Garland


Dogma Grill in Miami.
Photo by studio 520

Cuisine : American
The Restaurant is the culinary ticket to creative and delectable salvation. That is a place that looks like a trendy restaurant but eats like a show. Take, for instance, the popcorn shrimp appetizer. Served on a plate full of, yes, popcorn, with field greens and the plump shrimp stuffed into an actual popcorn box, this dish is one of many awe-inspiring -- and tasting -- items you'll find in this, the most unique restaurant in Miami. while the bar area and outdoor courtyard is the place to be for the younger trendoids who appreciate what's on their plates as much as they do who's sitting next to them.

Dogma Grill

Cuisine : Hotdogs
A little bit of L.A. comes to a gritty stretch of Biscayne Boulevard in the form of this very tongue and cheeky hotdog stand whose motto is "A Frank Philosophy." Owned by a former MTV executive, Dogma will change the way you view hotdogs, offering a plethora of choices from your typical chili dog to Chicago style with celery salt, hot peppers, onions, and relish. The tropical version with pineapple is a bit funky but fitting for this stand, which attracts a very colorful, arty crowd from the nearby Design District. The buns here are softer than feather pillows and the hotdogs are grilled to perfection. Try the garlic fries and the lemonade, too.

The seafood platter at Joe's Stone Crab. Photo by copyrider

Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant

Cuisine : Seafood
you'll be waiting for those famous claws for up to 2 hours -- Whatever you wear, however, will be eclipsed by a kitschy, unglamorous plastic bib that your waiter will tie on you unless you say otherwise. Open only during stone-crab season (Oct-May), Joe's reels in the crowds with the freshest, meatiest stone crabs and their essential accouterments: creamed spinach and excellent sweet-potato fries. The fried chicken and liver and onions on the regular menu are actually considered by many as far superior -- they're definitely far cheaper -- to the crabs. Oh yeah, and save room for dessert. The Key lime pie here is the best in town. If you don't feel like waiting, try Joe's Takeaway, which is located next door to the restaurant -- it's a lot quicker and just as tasty.

Morton's of Chicago

Cuisine : Steak
A vast menu includes a wide variety of excellent steaks and an award-winning menu consisting of shrimp Alexander, oysters on the half shell, sea scallops with apricot chutney, swordfish medallions with b?arnaise sauce, and a dense, hot Godiva-chocolate cake that's out of this world. Private dining rooms are perfect to carry on clandestine conversations and romantic liaisons. The open kitchen is probably the only thing here that's not private. At lunchtime, the power is tangible as business deals are sliced and diced as often as the steak is. At night, the scene is more elegant, attracting older sophisticates and pre- and post-theater crowds.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Cuisine : Seafood
Inspired by the Tom Hanks megahit Forrest Gump, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. likens life not to a box of chocolates, but rather to a bucket o' shrimp. Located right on the water, this place offers lots of affordable, oddly named shrimp specials. For starters, try the Run Across America Sampler, which includes Bubba's Far Out Dip and Chips, New Orleans Peel 'n' Eat Shrimp, Texas Wild Wings, and Alabama Fried Shrimp for only $13. The Bubba's After the Storm Bucket of Boat Trash will trash your arteries with a deep-fried, albeit tasty, mix of shrimp, slipper lobster, and mahimahi. Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp is a delicious concoction of shrimp in bourbon sauce with spicy sausage and garlic mashed potatoes. A number of shrimpless salads and sandwiches are also on the menu. It's a fun place to bring the kids on a sunny afternoon. If you haven't stuffed yourself on shrimp, you may want to try the overly caloric Jenny's Strawberry Dream -- pound cake layered with vanilla ice cream, surrounded by Jenny's "special sauce," and topped with fresh strawberry pur?e and whipped cream.

Dolphins (Dauphins) @ Miami Seaquarium. Photo by Bertrand Duperrin

Miami Seaquarium

You'll need at least 3 hours to tour the 35-acre oceanarium and see all four daily shows starring a number of showy ocean mammals. You can cut your visit to 2 hours if you limit your shows to the better, albeit corny, Flipper Show and Killer Whale Show. The highly regarded Water and Dolphin Exploration Program (WADE) allows visitors to touch and swim with dolphins in the Flipper Lagoon.

Tropical Boat Tours

Private boat trips on 22-foot power boats are a fantastic way to explore the bay-ways and waterways of Miami if you can afford it. There are also beautiful yachts and catamarans for rent, too. Among the best tours: Islands of the Rich and Famous in which you cruise past Star Island, Hibiscus Island, Fisher Island and Palm Island. A sunset cruise of Miami is also highly recommended.

Monkey Jungle

Monkey Jungle.
Photo by Dave Malkoff


Jungle Island. Photo by daecks


Coral Castle. Photo by paparutzi


Venetian Pool.
Photo by 8lettersuk


Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach.
Photo by Scurzuzu


Miami Art Museum. Photo by ImageMD

You'll see rare Brazilian golden lion tamarins and Asian macaques. People who go here are not monkeying around -- many of the park's frequent visitors are scientists and anthropologists. In fact, an interesting archaeological exhibition excavated from a Monkey Jungle sinkhole displays 10,000 year old artifacts including human teeth and animal bones.

Jungle Island

This Miami institution took flight from its lush, natural South Miami environment and headed. The new, overpriced 19-acre park features an Everglades exhibit, a petting zoo, and several theaters, jungle trails, and aviaries. Watch your heads because flying above are hundreds of parrots, macaws, peacocks, cockatoos, and flamingos.Also a pleasant surprise here is the Ichimura Miami Japan Garden.There are also tortoises, iguanas, and a rare albino alligator on exhibit.

Coral Castle

There's plenty of competition, but Coral Castle is probably the strangest attraction in Florida. Apparently, experts have studied this phenomenon to help figure out how the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge were built. An interesting 25-minute audio tour guides you through the spot, now in the National Register of Historic Places. Although Coral Castle is overpriced and undermaintained, it's worth a visit when in the area, which is about 37 miles from Miami.

Venetian Pool

Miami's most beautiful and unusual swimming pool, dating from 1924, is hidden behind pastel stucco walls and is honored with a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. During summer, the pool's 800,000 gallons of water are drained and refilled nightly thanks to an underground aquifer, ensuring a cool, clean swim.For a modest fee, you or your children can learn to swim during special summer programs.

Holocaust Memorial

This heart-wrenching memorial is hard to miss and would be a shame to overlook.You can walk through an open hallway lined with photographs and the names of concentration camps and their victims. From the street, you'll see the outstretched arm, but do stop and tour the sculpture at ground level.

Miami Art Museum at the Miami-Dade Cultural Center

The Miami Art Museum (MAM) features an eclectic mix of modern and contemporary works by such artists as Eric Fischl, Max Beckmann, Jim Dine, and Stuart Davis. Rotating exhibitions span the ages and styles, and often focus on Latin American or Caribbean artists. There are also fantastic themed exhibits. Almost as artistic as the works inside the museum is the composite sketch of the people -- young and old -- who attend these events.