1. Miami Florida
Miami's Wild Sides - By Land, Sea and River
By: Hal Peat
Blessed with year-round mild climates and unrivaled ocean access,
America's southernmost resort city is also a sought-after international
recreation destination. Ranked the nation's #1 Healthiest City by Natural
Health Magazine in 2002, Miami caters to action-oriented visitors from around
the globe with some of the world's top golf, tennis and sporting facilities. Add
sparkling waters that are a magnet for boating enthusiasts, fishermen, divers
and water sports aficionados to the equation and it is easy to see why Miami is
a number one choice for active travelers of all ages and skill levels. But where
to start? Miami's streets are often busy, some of its attractions often attract
crowds, and a few days can leave more to choose from than you have time to
include, so knowing the active options in advance—and how to manage your
time and movements—is essential Miami planning. Making the best use of
what time you have by knowing where your points of interest are can help you
save more of your energy for the activities this city offers.
Best ways to play along, above or beneath the waves
This is a city closely bound up with the sea it sits besides, and no doubt
it's also those waters and miles of sand beaches that draw many to it. You can
get out on the water in a variety of ways in proximity to the city shores,
whether it be jet skiing in Biscayne Bay or sailing Miami Harbor. On practically
every beach you visit, you will find concessions operating water skiing; the
leading beachfront hotels along Collins Avenue offer parasailing lessons, and
many have jetski, windsurfing and other sport. If you are staying at a
beachfront property, check ahead with your hotel concierge about available
activities on their stretch of beach, or nearby operators that you can contact to
reserve equipment or sessions from.
Different locations in and around Miami produce some very different
conditions for water sport. Windsurfing, for instance: Biscayne Bay off

2. Rickenbacker Causeway has winds that usually blow side-onshore, and the
water stays fairly shallow, allowing even a beginner to walk his way back to
shore if necessary. If you want to go further afield, however, continue toward
Key Biscayne and spots like Hobie Beach, where operators like Sailboards
Miami can provide you a two-hour lesson if you are new to the sport for about
$70. After that, you can rent your own board by the hour. The drive down
toward Key Biscayne is itself an experience as you gain a fantastic view of
Miami's skyline and closer by beneath you, the water's surfaces alive with
sailboats of all kinds, jet skiers, or just people fishing from the boats. The
biggest collection of rental outlets for jet skis are to be found at Virginia Key on
the way to Key Biscayne.
A focal point for water action of all kinds on the Key is at Crandon Park:
this two-mile long public beach also has its own full service-marina and
restaurants a short drive from the beach. Not surprisingly, since the city itself
is also an easy drive, many people make a day of coming to this lovely but
accessible area. The Park is also a launching spot for some of the kayaking and
snorkeling outings organized by Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department
through its eco-adventure program. On some of these naturalist-guided trips,
you kayak out to various underwater preserves and wreck sites off the Key and
snorkel off to explore the diverse marine life that populates the dense sea grass
beds, sand flats and wreckage; local inhabitants you might observe hereabout
range from Spotted Leopard Rays to a Bottle-nosed Dolphins, soft corals,
sponges, damsel fish to enormous Pufferfish, and Gray Angelfish. Other kayak
and snorkeling expeditions you can do hereabouts will take you into fossilized
mangrove reef areas formed by petrified black mangroves over 1500 years
ago, or into the artificial reefs that have been created offshore to preserve and
enhance the marine eco-systems. Check ahead to book for these easy to
moderate adventures.
So you're up for some deeper and lengthier underwater exploration? The
scuba diving opportunities are also plentiful around Miami waters, thanks in
large part to the profusion of man-made reefs. Various dive shops around town
can get you out on organized weekend dives to the 10 designated offshore

3. artificial reef sites, along with explorations of some offshore wreck sites.
Actually, the Miami region has one of the largest artificial-reef programs in the
world in addition to the natural sites. Fish flock to the more than thirty ships,
tanks, concrete, limestone and other structures which have been sunk over the
past 20 years off Miami's coast, as far south as Florida City and north to Sunny
Isles Beach. Most are located just a few miles offshore, in less than 130 feet of
water, providing great diving for all levels. One of the most popular routes is
the Wreck Trek, located off Miami Beach, just north of the Art Deco District.
Here, divers can explore the 85-foot tug Patricia, the 100-foot steel fishing
vessel Miss Karline, and an old radio antenna welded into 19 pyramids.
Getting you on your way to either dive, surf, or windsurf adventure are
plenty of well-equipped private operators around the city and its outer areas.
South Beach Divers, for instance, is a renowned PADI Five Star facility located
in the heart of South Beach and within walking distance to most hotels; this
small but full-service shop provides diving gear and instruction from which
you can easily receive your certification over the course of a weekend. They've
also begun to cater extensively to the surfing crowd, with a full range of all the
top surfboards and accessories; they offer surf lessons as well and there’s
even a 24 hour surf report that is updated daily. If you already a die hard surfer
able to take off on your own, you will find that while this coastal area of south
Florida does not have the powerful waves and cross-currents to match those
along the Pacific coast, there are still some respectable surfing conditions out
there. Head just north of Miami Beach, where the swells at Haulover Beach and
South Pointe Beach are the largest and most popular. A little closer to the city,
some windy days can see five to seven foot waves roll in off the beach between
First and Third Streets in the South Beach area
Not all outdoor activity on water has to be done right out in the
neighboring Atlantic, of course—this is a city with its own urban and
suburban waterways and canals to paddle through: Miami-Dade Parks also has
canoe trips that explores some of the more interesting wildlife aspects of these:
for instance, with a trip into the historic Oleta River which forms the eastern

4. boundary of Greynolds Park. The trip includes a stop at a tropical hardwood
hammock and Tequesta Indian midden in East Greynolds Park. Another canoe
outing takes you through the Coral Gables Waterway--the same historic canals
that gondoliers once used to ferry guests from the Biltmore Hotel to the bay for
a day at the beach. Relive this experience where you may see a surprising
amount of wildlife. If you have the time to go further afield, then you might
look into the canoeing available on a day trip to the Everglades or Loxahatchee
River preserves which are just about an hour's drive from the city. Flamingo,
deep in Everglades National Park is another great spot for naturalist-led
adventures as well as world-class fishing on Florida Bay. The eight mile stretch
of Loxahatchee River that begins in Riverbend Park meanders through cypress
trees, while otters, turtles, and alligators are all resident in the waters here.
More than a third of Everglades National Park is made up of marine areas and
shallow estuaries, and that means thousands of acres of shallow water flats,
channels, and mangrove keys in which to fish for the plentiful snapper, sea
trout, redfish, bass and bluegill.
Land adventuring by foot, bike, or on blades
If you're in the Everglades area for the canoeing or other water action,
why not take advantage also of the extensive biking trails in the area? In fact,
Everglades National Park allows biking along the main park roads, on the
Shark Valley tram road, on the Old Ingraham Highway, on Long Pine Key
Nature Trail, and on the Snake Bight and Rowdy Bend trails at Flamingo. Much
of it gives you plenty of miles to pedal on: Miami-Dade Parks' 14-miles bike
hike along the Long Pine Key path traverses pineland and prairie habitat. Keep
an eye out for alligators slumbering along the sides of many of these trails--
they may be more alert than they seem. And if you're a competitive-minded
biker up for an local event while visiting Miami, then mark your calendar and
get ready for the MS 150/Breakaway to Key Largo Bike Tour which heads
south every year at the end of April, starting from the Miami Metro Zoo and
ending up down in the Keys.

5. For those who have to really limit their Miami sport and fitness to the
immediate areas of town, there are still some excellent outfits and hotspots to
get going with, either outdoor or indoor. You might not think of Miami as a
place to vertically challenge yourself for instance, but you can actually do so in
style at the Fitness Complex of Eden Roc Resort (day memberships available)
has a great 28 foot high indoor rock climbing wall, the only indoor rock
climbing on Miami Beach. Also in town is the Rock Climbing Center of Miami,
which offers safe indoor climbing with plenty of variety--there are 10,000
square feet of textured walls, with routes up to 60 feet in length; there is top
rope climbing, bouldering, lead rope climbing and more—and the instruction
available makes it great for beginners as well as experienced climbers. Making
the most of your time outdoors while absorbing Miami's human and
architectural sights is also simple with the 30 odd miles of white sand beaches.
Before you set off, remember to use sun block so you don't return with a
painful burn—something you need to do even during the winter months here.
Tropical Park is also the headquarters site for Miami Runners Club, the
third largest runner's organization in the country. Within the Park there are up
to 10 miles of paved running courses laid out by the Club. Enjoy some of the
scenery of one of the city's toniest old neighborhoods with a run along the 8.5
mile South Bay Bike Path that passes through Coconut Grove. Around the two
mile point, there is a mile-long bike path that leads into Matheson Hammock
Park and in turn connects to a 1.5 mile trail through some 100 acres of
mangrove wilds. And if you really want to tie in your running to a competitive
event in this part of the world, then consider the Rums of Puerto Rico 5-K that
takes place in June along the sands of Miami Beach. The after party with its
food is an event in itself, and if you are not so disciplined as to be running again
on your own the next day, the plentiful rum on hand is another highlight
beyond the finishing line. The other very SoBe active thing is of course,
rollerblading along world-famous Ocean Drive, which can tend to be more
about the body statement than the skating form you display. If you have no
skates with you then rent them from Fritz's Skate, Bike & Surf or the Miami
Beach Bicycle Center, then cruise the path that hugs the drive. The best

6. beachside skating is the section from 5th through 15th streets, where the other
plus is the cafes across the street that make a break convenient.
For the more traditionally athletic-minded, there are some 180 public
tennis courts covering the range of surfaces from clay to grass, and the prestige
of playing at the Key Biscayne Tennis Association; the state-of-the-art Crandon
Tennis Center hosts the NASDAQ-100 Tennis Championships each March,
while the rest of the year its immaculate courts are open to the public, along
with innumerable other well-kept tennis venues throughout Miami. Finally, if
you are one of those who refuse to leave the gym behind at home, then get a
taste of how Miami does it at the brand new Sports Club/LA opened in the new
Four Seasons complex in South Beach; among the amenities here are over 30
different fitness and recreational options ranging from a 10,000 square-foot
weight-training gym, three group exercise studios, a 100-piece cardiovascular
center, and even a destination "cityspa" with all the massage and treatment
varieties that can revive and reenergize you before or after a night on the town
or any other of Miami's day-time adventuring. * * *