Turns out it is the size of the boat and not the motion of the ocean that matters. Strap on a life jacket, skipper, and head over to the South Florida Boat Show to pick up a new summer toy. Along with all the big names in boating, there will be daily seminars about how to catch the big one. The show docks at the Miami Beach Convention Center (1700 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach) today from 4:00 to 10:00 and runs through June 6. Admission is eight dollars; four bucks for children. Call 954-946-6164, or visit www.soflaboatshow.com for a complete schedule. -- Kris Conesa
Blazing Trails
Hike on the wild side
SAT 6/4
Before 1966, there were few official hiking trails in Florida. When Jim Kern set out to make the Sunshine State safe for trekkers, folks from the Forest Service laughed and told him nobody would want to hike in our humid, overgrown state.
But thanks to the efforts of Kern and thousands of volunteers, more than 1000 miles of continuous trail wends down from the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola to Big Cypress National Preserve near Miami. Beginning today at 10:00 a.m., celebrate National Trails Day with the hale, hearty folks of the Florida Trail Association at Greynolds Park (17530 W. Dixie Hwy., North Miami Beach). Before you explore the wilderness, check out informative exhibits and brush up on your need-to-know skills. Wear comfortable shoes and bring drinking water, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Call 305-386-8559, or visit www.floridatrail.org. --Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Get Bento
Sushi on the run
SUN 6/5
Konichiwa, culture lovers and sports enthusiasts! Put on your running shoes and have some outdoor fun at today's Japan Summer Festival. Beginning at noon, enjoy taiko drummers and martial arts, and participate in an anime costume contest while you feast on cuisine from the Land of the Rising Sun. After the festivities, sweat off that sushi with a five-kilometer run/walk. Special guest participant Keizo Yamada won the Boston marathon in 1953 and returned to Beantown this year for his 303rd marathon. The South Florida heat taken into kind consideration, the race begins in the cool of the evening, at 6:00. It all goes down on Sunset Drive at Red Road, South Miami. Admission to the festival is free; the entry fee for the race is $25. Call 305-666-7223, or visit www.footworksmiami.com for race information. Call 305-530-9090 for the festival lowdown. --Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik