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Miami
About Miami
Visit the Miami stopover website, www.volvooceanracemiami.org for more information.
Miami is one of the most iconic cities in the world, brimming with character and babbling away in more than 60 different languages.
Its nightlife is as good as anywhere in the country, the 15 miles of beaches are crammed with all manner of flamboyant souls, and there is enough drama behind closed doors to inspire numerous television series. Specifically, South Beach is great for shopping and parties – and, for that matter, it inspires much of the drama on TV– with more than 150 clubs and bars.
When the pace and thrill of Miami gets too much, it is reassuring to know there are more than 800 parks in and around the city, including the Biscayne and Everglades national parks. The Everglades, particularly, makes for a spectacular tour. It contains 1.5 million acres of swamps, saw-grass prairies and sub-tropical jungles, along with 14 rare and endangered species. A large chunk of the park is difficult to reach and explored only by researchers, but there are great packages available for walking, camping and canoe expeditions.
The Miami Metrozoo is also a good place to spend some time. Given Miami’s charming climate, the zoo is able to accommodate animals from Asia, Australia, and Africa and, unlike many other zoos, it is “free-range” in that the animals are cageless (obviously the landscape prevents lions eating the guests).
For those who want to enjoy a little more seclusion, it boasts one of the best wreck-diving scenes in the world. The NFL season finishes in February, so a trip to Miami Dolphins is out, but Miami Heat in the NBA are well worth a visit for sports fans.
As far as sailing is concerned, the local scene is thriving. In fact, a Google search for “sailing in Miami” returns over 2.8 million results. The annual Rolex race week in Miami is one of the most popular on the sailing calendar, routinely drawing the best talent from around the world. In that respect, the in-port races will probably offer few advantages to anyone in particular in terms of local knowledge.
Did you know: According to research by the United Nations Development Program in 2004, Miami ranked first in the world in its number of foreign-born residents.
Things to do in Miami
So many things to do and see in Miami…
Sea
You can swim with the dolphins, go scubadiving at the coral reefs off Miami Beach, jetskiing, kitesailing, canoeing, kayaking or fishing…
Sky
See the city of Miami from a hot air balloon up in the air, or go gliding, parasailing, learn to fly, or just jump out of a perfectly good aircraft in a skydive!
City
Tour the Miami Beach Art Deco district - on foot, by bus, bike or Segway, see the best NBA teams and concerts at the Miami American Airlines Arena, enjoy great dining and Miami nightlife in South Beach, and go on the Miami Duck Tour to see the city on wheels and then from the waters of Biscayne Bay.
Nature
Explore the subtropical wilderness of the Florida Everglades National Park, visit Biscayne National Park or the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
Secondary Content
Local Info
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By Car
Finding your way here from other points in the USA is not hard; follow any other major Interstate to I-95 south, which will eventually take you directly into Downtown Miami. From New York, expect a 19-hour trip without stops. And remember that speed limits change from state to state.
By Bus
Miami's bus system covers the entire county and connects to bus lines serving Broward County and the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. Recent developments have made the bus system more reliable than in the past. Many of the major bus routes operate 24 hours a day, seven days week, including the Route S bus, which connects downtown Miami to all of Miami Beach, terminating at Avenutra Mall in north Miami-Dade.
By Train
The main train terminal is Amtrak www.amtrak.com which connects the city with the rest of continental USA and Canada. But for around Miami the Metromover www.miamidade.gov/transit, equal parts bus, monorail and train, is great to travel around the Downtown area.
Metrorail www.miamidade.gov/transit, meanwhile, is a 21-mile-long heavy rail system that has one elevated line running from Hialeah through Downtown Miami and south to Kendall/Dadeland.
The regional Tri-Rail www.tri-rail.com double-decker commuter trains run the 71 miles between Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
By Plane
Miami is served by all major carriers via two main airports: Miami International Airport (MIA) www.miami-mia.com 6 miles west of Downtown and the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL), 30 mile to the north off the I-95. FLL often serves as a lower-cost alternative to MIA, especially because it’s serviced by low cost flyers including Southwest Airlines and JetBlue.
