South Beach
In South Beach, Miami’s answer to Cannes, you can play at being a star or keep an eye out for one sauntering down Ocean Drive. In the Art Deco District, Technicolor architecture straight out of the 1930s goes hand in hand with the next in high fashion and furbelows. It’s the American version of the tropics — a clean, breezy haven with street side cafes where people-watching is de rigueur. It boasts the sauciest beach and nightlife north of Rio. Get the story behind the sherbet-shaded façades from the Art Deco Welcome Center (1001 Ocean Drive; 305-531-3484). Then rent a scooter, and cruise Lincoln Road, locus of cutting-edge visual and performing arts. Finally, hit the clubs. By the time the sun rises over the blue bay, it will become clear why this is Miami’s coolest hot spot.

Hit the Road
Once one of the most elegant shopping streets in the country,
Lincoln Road was redesigned in the 1960s by architect Morris Lapidus as America’s first pedestrian mall. Today, it is the center of the new Miami Beach. The eight-block district offers nearly 200 shops, more than 20 art galleries and artists’ studios, and some 50 restaurants, cafes and eateries — not to mention cultural attractions such as the Colony Theater, New World Symphony and the Art Center/South Florida. Frequent special events include a gallery walk, farmers market, antiques and collectibles market and live music. Call (305) 531-0038 for more information.

If These Walls Could Talk
Built between 1133 and 1141 in Segovia, Spain, the Church of St. Bernard de Clairvaux (16711 W. Dixie Hwy.; 305-945-1461, www.spanishmonastery.com), better known as the Ancient Spanish Monastery, has a colorful past. Occupied by Cistercian monks for nearly 700 years, it was seized and turned into a granary and stable during the 1830s. William Randolph Hearst bought the monastery in 1925, intending to use it to house a swimming pool on his estate in California, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantined the dismantled building upon its arrival into the United States. The 11,000 crates remained in a Brooklyn warehouse until 1952, when the monastery was reconstructed in its new spot.

Ethnic Enclave
Little Havana’s name conjures up a feast of sights, sounds and smells: the aroma of just-brewed, sugary shots of Cuban coffee, the raucous sounds of card games and dominoes hitting the tables in Domino Park, the color and sizzle of palomilla steaks. These days, there’s more to savor than just a taste of Cuba. A stroll down Calle Ocho (S.W. 8th St.) tells the story of a changing neighborhood and its colorful Latin quarter is perfect for shopping, dining or an evening’s entertainment. For more information, call the Little Havana Visitor’s Center at 305-857-0078.

How Does Your Garden Grow?
A treasure since 1938, Fairchild Tropical Garden (below; 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables; 305-667-1651, www.fairchildgarden.org) is the largest tropical botanical garden in the continental United States. Home to 83 acres of plants from around the world, the garden is a tourist Mecca and photographer’s delight. Here you’ll find everything from 740 species of tropical, flowering trees to a two-acre rain forest where orchids, bromeliads and ferns perch in trees. Other highlights include a sunken garden with a waterfall and a 560-foot vine pergola. A tram tour takes visitors all over the beautiful grounds, which are dotted with 11 lakes..