Miami a Premier Tourist Destination

The most exciting city in Florida, Miami is a stunning and often intoxicatingly beautiful place.

Miami has long been a premier tourist destination, acclaimed for its physical beauty and its excellent climate.

This colourful city in southwest Florida is not just Americas favourite vacation. It is also the gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and the hub of a vibrant cruise industry, its port jammed constantly with sleek passenger liners.

The whole area has an exotic Latin feel to it from the delightful architecture in pastel coloured Coral Gables to the genuine Cuban community in Little Havana. Families will appreciate miles and miles of pristine beaches, year round warm weather and attractions such as the Seaquarium, Gator Park and Metrozoo. Raging nightlife will keep the young and lively up till all hours and the shopping is to die for. South Beach is home to numerous nightspots, frequented by the rich and famous.

The best place to base yourself in Miami has got to be South Beach stunning Art Deco architecture and best place to shop, eat, drink and enjoy the sunshine. The area has seen a lot of regeneration over the last decade and most buildings have been restored to their 1930s splendour. Try Lincoln Road for shopping, Ocean Drive for people watching and if your ready for those infamous huge portions pay a visit to The Big Pink a funky diner on Collins Avenue.

This town once had the highest murder rate in the US and a majestic coke habit. It is hard to picture that now on South Beach, with its restored glory of Art Deco buildings a string of cake coloured blocks piped with neon and soothingly curved edges that basks in the more natural shades of the sand, palm trees and sunset. This is the heart of a trip to Miami its sassy and often sleazy altar to the sun.

Tourism is the mainstay of the local economy; each year millions of visitors use the hotels and tourist facilities of the city and its offshore island beaches.

North of the city miles of beautiful sandy beaches are hemmed in by southeast Floridas major tourist resorts along the Gold Coast, like Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach and Palm Beach.

Notably food includes rice and beans, fried plantains and shredded pork sandwiches and is found in every neighbourhood. It is, however, complemented by sushi bars, American home style diners, Haitian restaurants, Italian eateries and Indian venues, among a handful of other ethnic cuisines.