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Las Vegas, NV:

Bellagio Fountains - Las Vegas NevadaSin City has never been better. See for yourself some of the cool things going on in the Nevada desert.

Los Angeles, CA

Rodeo Drive sign in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California has long been known as a trend-setting community. Check out all of the new things going on in this incredible mecca.

Miami, Florida

Come Out and Play in Miami

Miami Art deco (MIAMI) – The world's most famous fun in the sun playground, Greater Miami,
lures visitors year round with perfect weather and award-winning beaches, whimsical
architecture and a celebrity-driven nightlife scene that grooves to an only-in-Miami
beat. On any given day, however, many visitors to this urban tropical resort are far more
interested in where the fish are hiding out than in J Lo's purported whereabouts. In
perfect synch with all of its other charms, Miami is a sought after international recreation
destination by virtue of its mild climate and unrivaled water access.
In 2008, Miami ranked #1 on Forbes.com’s America's Cleanest Cities list, and the
#3 Fittest City by Self Magazine in 2005, 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.
Flanked by the mighty Atlantic and the beautiful azure waters of Biscayne Bay,
and warmed by yearly average temperatures in the 70s, visitors who want to get their
feet wet never need look far to organize a day on the bay. Meanwhile, landlubbers
have plenty of onshore activities from which to choose. In the mood for afternoon tee?
Courses created by the world's top designers make Miami a golfer's paradise. Tennis
more your racket? The Crandon Tennis Center hosts the Sony Ericsson Open each
March, while the rest of the year its immaculate courts are open to the public, along
with innumerable other well-kept facilities throughout Miami. Bicycle and jogging trails,
beachfront yoga classes, even ultra-light airplane rides beckon the playful child within.

Water, Water Everywhere
Whether it is from the deck of a 50-foot luxury yacht out for a pleasure cruise on
Biscayne Bay or astride a rented wave runner, Miami looks magnificent from the water.
Opportunities to experience this privileged vantage abound, with multitudes of marinas
and waterfront concessions offering visitors dozens of different ways to experience the
calm, tranquil waters of Biscayne Bay and the ocean beyond.
Miami boating If you have a passion for fishing, Haulover Beach Marina, home to the largest
charter/drift fishing fleet in South Florida is probably on your vacation agenda. Nestled
between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway in Sunny Isles Beach, the 180-
acre Haulover Beach Park also houses a popular kite rental concession, bicycle rentals,
a 9-hole golf course and tennis courts, with an underground walkway leading directly to
world-renowned Haulover Beach. Those who want to pilot their own course through
the waters will find plenty of choices at Miami's many marinas that dot the coastal
landscape. Here, knowledgeable old salts are quick to advise where the breezes are
blowing and the fish are hiding. Black Point Marina in Homestead provides access to
Biscayne National Park's treasure trove of wildlife, while Dinner Key Marina in Coconut
Grove and the idyllic Matheson Hammock in Coral Gables have popular cityside
access and amenities.
Want instant gratification? Rent a motorboat for a few hours and zip around
Biscayne Bay, exploring uninhabited islands and communing with local wildlife,
including dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds. Looking for a more long-term
commitment? Stop by the Miami Beach Marina and charter a sailboat, complete with
captain and provisions if you prefer, and set course for the Florida Keys or Bahamas. A
very special community is served by Shake-A-Leg Miami, South Florida's only adaptive
sailing program. Adults and youths with disabilities and at-risk youth, enjoy sailing
programs, while events like the World Blind Sailing Championships event bring
international attention to this important non-profit organization.
Perhaps the greatest testament to the city's love affair with the waters that
surround it is the yearly Miami International Boat Show. Taking place at the Miami Beach
Convention Center and other locations for over 60 years, the show brings together
more than 2,300 of the world’s leading marine industry manufacturers to display the
newest powerboats, engines and accessories. The latest in sailboats and related
accessories are on display at Strictly Sail Miami, the sail-only portion of the show.
Parasailing is a great way to see the city from above, while Key Biscayne's Hobie
Beach gets its name from the proliferation of Hobie catamarans and other multi-hull
sailboats that push off daily from the popular beachside launch. Thrill seekers have
many avenues for adventure: surfers catch waves at South Pointe Park at the tip of
South Beach and points further north, while kitesailing, a relatively new sport is catching
on like wildfire all over Miami. Requiring equal parts balance, skill and nerve, kitesailing
is the Gen X version of windsurfing. Kite boarders are pulled through the surf and sky,
riding the wind and manipulating a massive kite in to skim the water's surface at high
speed. One moment the board is on the water's surface, and the next moment the
boarder is aloft, hang-gliding over boats. Instruction and equipment rentals for both
windsurfing and kitesailing are available at locations throughout Miami.
Miami Speed BoatDivers and snorkelers are spoiled with the choice of a plethora of natural reefs,
as well as one of the largest artificial-reef programs in the world. Fish flock to the more
than 30 ships, tanks, concrete, limestone and other structures that 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. In shallow waters off of Key Biscayne, the Half Moon
and Germania form a fabulous underwater archeological preserve. Natural reefs are
also found off Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Surfside and Sunny Isles Beach.
Kayaking is another great way to navigate the waters of Biscayne Bay and
Miami's inland waterways. The Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department offers a
variety of naturalist-led eco-adventures. Key Biscayne is the setting for a wide range of
tours -- with hammock walks, kayak, snorkel and canoe trips, and bike trips for all age
groups and skill levels. Canoe trips are popular -- and there seems to be one for every
conceivable interest -- along the Coral Gables Waterway, at sunrise, sunset or by
moonlight, along the historic Oleta River and through hidden waterways of Key
Biscayne. For more information, visit www.MiamiDade.gov/parks/ecoadventures.asp.
For those with time to venture further from the city, there’s the option of traveling along
Everglade National Park’s 99-mile Wilderness Waterway. Adventurers can paddle all
day without seeing another soul, and spend the night camping out on remote chickees
– raised platform campsites accessible only by water.

Tee Time
Golfers from all four corners of the globe are making a beeline for Miami Beach,
eager to check out the Miami Beach Golf Club. Designed by Arthur Hills, one of
America's foremost golf course designers, the course features papsalum turf, the
perfect ecological answer to Miami Beach's sand-and-salt-heavy topsoil. The
challenging course features plenty of hazards, however the wide fairways, groomed
roughs and gentle breezes make a trip to these links memorable.
Golf is the main event at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, which won Travel +
Leisure Golf magazine's 2006 "Best of Florida Golf Resort" award and hosted the 2008
World Golf Championship. The 650-acre resort offers five 18-hole championship golf
courses that can cater to golfers at every skill level. The renowned Blue Monster, host to
the PGA Tour since 1962, is considered one of the most difficult courses in the world. The
Greg Norman-designed "Great White," opened for play in 2000, features the only triple
green in South Florida -- holes 11, 13 and 17 share a putting surface of 25,000 square
feet. The Silver, Gold and Red (host to LPGA event) Courses complete the equation,
while professional instruction provided by the Jim McLean Golf School is considered
among the tops in the nation.
Fisher Island, a private residential and resort community just a half mile south of
Miami Beach, is one of Miami's most exclusive environments, accessible only by boat,
helicopter, seaplane or auto ferry. Here, golfers can luxuriate at The Links at The Fisher
Island Club on a par-35, nine-hole golf course, designed by architect P. B. Dye. Don
Shula's Hotel & Golf Club in Miami Lakes boasts two tree-lined courses complemented
by native plants and wildlife that are accessible to all levels of golfers. The landmark
Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables has its own 18-hole, par-71 course, which first opened in
1925 and has since been redesigned by renowned golf architect Donald Ross with a $5
million upgrade completed in 2007. In Aventura, the 300-acre Turnberry Isle Resort and
Club is a world onto itself. Golfers can choose from two Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed
courses, notable for graceful fairways and deceitfully tranquil hazards and traps.
Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department operates several top-notch
public golf courses, including the Crandon Park Golf Course. With water views, the
course is considered one of the most beautiful and difficult par-72 courses in the state
and has been rated in the top 10 courses by Golfweek and one of America's top 75
upscale courses by Golf Digest. Other public courses include International Links and
Miccosukee Golf Club in South Dade and Greynolds and Haulover, further north.

Tennis Anyone?
Tennis ranks with golf as a top recreational pursuit in Miami. Indeed, many of the
world's top ranked players got their starts early through youth tennis programs at the
many fine public facilities throughout the county. Foremost among them, the Crandon
Park Tennis Center is home to the U.S. Tennis Association's Player Development Program
and the National Junior Tennis Team. The Sony Ericsson Open draws thousands of visitors
when it plays host to the world's top players every March.
Over 50 locations operated by the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation
Department offer more than 200 courts to serve every corner of the county with
amenities that encompass private and group lessons, courts lit for nighttime play and
pro shops offering equipment rentals and sales. People with disabilities can also enjoy
playing wheelchair tennis at various locations.
For visitors who stay at one of Miami's luxury resorts, there is no need to leave the
premises to enjoy top-notch tennis facilities and instruction. Among the many upscale
properties that make scheduling court time as easy as ordering room service: Grove Isle
Resort in Coconut Grove, the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, the Fairmont Turnberry Isle
Resort & Club, the Mandarin Oriental, and Acqualina Resort & Spa in Sunny Isles Beach.

At the Races
Those with a "need for speed" will want to check out the races at the
Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dedicated in 1995, the 1.5-mile oval race track on 600
acres has grandstands that hold 65,000 and a Champions Club Tower that has 16 luxury
skyboxes. The speedway is home to the Ford Championship Weekend, where NASCAR
crowns its season champions. The Ford 200/Craftsman Truck race runs on Friday, the
Ford 300/Nationwide on Saturday and the weekend culminates with Sunday's Ford 400
– the final race in the chase for the NASCAR SPRINT Cup.

(Courtesy of The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). For a vacation
guide, visit our website at www.MiamiAndBeaches.com or call 1-888-76-Miami
(US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777.



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