Recreation >>

• BEST FISHING HOLE
  Flamingo
  More a jumping-off point to any number of fishing holes, Flamingo, at the south end of Everglades National Park, provides access to hundreds of catching spots. Rent a canoe and paddle through the webs of mangroves while looking to hook a snook, outsmart a mutton or mangrove snapper and, bam,... More >>
• BEST BAIT SHOP
  A-OK Fish 'n' Bait
  Homestead is equal parts agricultural business headquarters, quaint tourist town, and Old South country village. Any guesses which category a shop called A-OK Fish 'n' Bait falls into? You can purchase most any kind of bait here: spinners and shiners, grubs and topwaters, even live shrimp. But... More >>
• BEST CHEAP THRILL FOR KIDS
  Sargassum fishing
  Experienced anglers know to check them for live baits, but the public is generally unaware that in clumps of yellow-brown seaweed exist miniature aquariums waiting to be unveiled. Sargassum floats (thanks to spherical growths full of carbon dioxide) on the ocean currents. Early summer, when the... More >>
• BEST PUBLIC PARK
  Crandon Park
  Here's one very enjoyable way to experience this 975-acre jewel of a county park, the lasting legacy of the Matheson family: On a weekend morning, load up the bikes and drive to Key Biscayne and the public parking lots on either side of Sundays on the Bay. (Parking here is free.) Unload the... More >>
• BEST PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL
  Larry and Penny Thompson Park
  While many would say the Venetian Pool at 2701 De Soto Blvd. in Coral Gables is the obvious winner, there's another spring-fed swimming hole in Miami-Dade that deserves attention and attendance. The 35-acre lake that serves as the centerpiece of the Larry and Penny Thompson Park boasts white... More >>
• BEST HOLE AT A GOLF COURSE
  Tenth hole

  Crandon Park Golf Course

  You've gotta have balls to play the tenth hole at this course, formerly known as the Links at Key Biscayne, and still known as Key Biscayne Golf Course, Crandon Park Golf Course, and Crandon Golf Course (all the same place, we promise): With water on both sides and frequent gusts of wind, the... More >>
• BEST SNORKELING SPOT
  San Pedro Archaeological Preserve
  Arrrr, mateys. Ya can join th' landlubbers over at Pennekamp or Biscayne National, sissy sinking it's called, or ya can have a real ol' time adventure down the way at San Pedro's grave. Way the hell back in 1733, a husky blow doomed a Spanish treasure fleet to Davey Jones's place, and another... More >>
• BEST DAY TRIP
  Miami Beach to Naples
  One of South Florida's natural bragging rights is the ability to see both sunrise and sunset over vast expanses of water. We cry for the people of Iowa and Kansas every time the purple and orange and yellow paint the horizon with fire. Try it: Find the precise sunrise and sunset times for any... More >>
• BEST SUMMERTIME CHILL
  Scott Rakow Youth Center
  After a costly two-year construction delay, the ice rink at the Scott Rakow Youth Center is finally open. The rink, at 125 feet by 60 feet, replaces the cramped one, which will be turned into a gymnasium as renovations continue. Most of the facility's, um, facilities are new. Because of the... More >>
• BEST BASKETBALL COURT
  Overtown Youth Center
  Overtown is a slum and the last place you'd expect to see real estate whiz, revered art collector, and poster man for the rich and powerful Marty Margulies. But there he was one day, noticing how kids on NW Fourteenth Street were hanging and banging, preparing for a future in dope slinging or... More >>
• BEST BEACH
  Haulover Beach Park
  Haulover took this award in 2002. Then, as today, it had competition, most of it from Key Biscayne. That island's eight-mile-long eastern shore offers the full range of amenities, from crowds and condos to seclusion and wilderness. (It has also won this honor twice.) South Beach, once a strong... More >>
• BEST ROAD RACE FOR RUNNERS
  The Komen Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Race for the Cure
  Considered one of the finest charities in the nation, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is a model of how a charity should work. Administrative costs are kept down while a significant percentage of funds raised through local affiliates remains in the communities where the money was... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO KAYAK
  Maurice Gibb Memorial Park
  This bayside park at the eastern terminus of the Venetian Causeway was recently renamed to honor the Bee Gee brother who died in January 2003. (The brothers' private recording studio is a block away. Maurice loved the park.) A free boat ramp and adequate parking make this a good place to launch... More >>
• BEST GAME FOR NEIGHBORHOODS WITH YARDS
  Wifflegolf
  Wifflegolf is the generic title for the various forms of golf using plastic or rubber balls and not using a golf course. There are many types of plastic balls to choose from, some thin and some thick, some with no holes and some with big holes. The best course in Miami is Country Walk, but any... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO HIKE
  The Redland
  We're not recommending a specific trail or route through this historic agricultural district, but we do recommend you explore it on foot sooner than later. The building boom exploding throughout the southern part of the county means it's only a matter of time before the quiet back roads and... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO MOUNTAIN BIKE
  Amelia Earhart Park
  Maybe Oleta River State Recreation Area (3400 NE 163rd St., North Miami) is the perpetual winner in this category, but since Amelia Earhart won "Best Place To Mountain Bike" back in 1999 and then slipped a few notches, drastic improvements have been made, thanks mostly to the volunteer efforts... More >>
• BEST TOPLESS BEACH
  We searched long and hard for the best clothing-optional beach and came up empty. Well, maybe not empty, but without a winner. South Beach provided the hunting grounds. First it was off at Third and Ocean, where a bounty of bronzed Brazilians, in full splendor, were walking around wearing... More >>
• BEST URBAN BIKE RIDE
  South of the Wynwood industrial area at night
  To hard-core bikers, pedaling through ungentrified parts of a city is more an exercise for the imagination than for the body. And the south side of Wynwood, with its plethora of factory buildings, graffiti-covered walls, and commercial signage, offers plenty to think about. Begin at North Miami... More >>
• BEST MASTER OF THE MARTIAL ARTS
  Wei Lun Huang
  Since Wei Lun Huang won in 1998, the popularity of this "Best Ancient Chinese Secret" has spread far and wide (and word has probably even reached the Great Masters he studied with back in China). Master Huang's patience with students is legendary and his skills in the internal martial arts (tai... More >>
• BEST SNAKE HUNTING
  Pythons in the Everglades
  Various types of pythons have grown to be the most popular of serpent pets. To obtain a feral python, take a flight to sub-Saharan Africa, hire a guide, trek through the jungle, and pray. Or drive across the Tamiami Trail through South Florida's spectacular River of Grass. Yes, kids, there are... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BURN A BLUNT
  Bank of America
  Negotiate the labyrinthine and oddly designed parking garage until you reach the roof. Roll up the windows and roll up a fat spliff or fill a cigar wrapper with hydro. Take the elevator down to the first floor and stroll east on the paved pathway to the well-hidden area behind this gleaming,... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO KITEBOARD
  Hobie Beach
  The clichéd images of children struggling to launch their kites on a windy beach are charmingly sweet. But screw that. This is wild and sexy Miami. Kite surfing, or kiteboarding, a combination of surfing and parasailing, is quickly becoming the hottest trend in extreme sports. Imagine a... More >>
• BEST TENNIS COURTS (1 Comment)
  Sans Souci Tennis Center
  At the very least, one could say that Sans Souci has Miami's most loyal tennis players. For good reason: Along with easy parking, bright lighting, and fair fees, the camaraderie among players is so close-knit that some liken it to an extended family. The center has both hard and clay courts, a... More >>
• BEST PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL
  Miami Shores Aquatic Center
  Not quite a private pool, the Miami Shores Aquatic Center nevertheless is open only to residents of the village and their guests. It's also really two pools at one location. One is a competition-size, eight-lane pool designed for laps. The other is an activity pool known as Shipwreck Cove that... More >>
• BEST NATURAL HIGH
  Jumping off the Rickenbacker Causeway on a hot day
  Plunging into the cool waters of Biscayne Bay from the old Rickenbacker bridge (next to and below its replacement highway) is one trippy, exhilarating experience. When you just can't take another sweat bead from the summer swelter, can't tolerate the oozing burn meant for lobsters being cooked,... More >>
• BEST UNDERAPPRECIATED PARK
  Fuchs Park
  If you always spend rush hour grumbling to yourself and fruitlessly punching the buttons on your radio, you may never have noticed that the spot of trees on the corner of South Dixie Highway and SW 80th Street opens up into a considerably large park named after Holsum Bakery founder and city... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS
  Let's Scrap!
  Walk into Let's Scrap! on any given day and there they are: mesmerized kids measuring, cutting, gluing, painstakingly putting together pages of photographs, text, stickers, paper cutouts, ribbon, glitter. Filling volumes that document almost every stage or event in their still-short lives, the... More >>
• BEST OLD SPORT TO BRING BACK
  Skimboarding
  Those kids you see on those fancy boards sliding across the shallows at South Beach are not skimboarding. They're just dabbling in the latest extreme sport, spending their cash on a fad that's been dressed up with designs, paint, and lots of publicity -- which is true of most extreme sports. For... More >>
• BEST RURAL BIKE RIDE
  Loop Road
  For most people around here, a rural bike ride starts with a car trip. If you're going to load up the bike and drive, you may as well drive far enough from the city to make it worthwhile. That's where the Loop Road comes in. Almost any time of year, under almost any conditions, it's a treat.... More >>
• BEST PLACE FOR FIVE-YEAR-OLDS TO FISH
  The ponds of Tamiami Trail
  Dad always beat the sun up, even on weekends when he didn't have to hustle down to the factory, the office, that mysterious place where he spent the day while you went to school or day care or maybe stayed home with Mom. Even on weekends he was up early, to fix the car or take the dog to the vet... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO GO FLY A KITE
  Margaret Pace Park
  This partly hidden bayfront park underwent extensive renovations but remains, fortunately, something of a mystery to the public, which tends to neglect the outstanding space. Not for long, though. As soon as all the condos scheduled for development along the neighboring Biscayne Boulevard... More >>
• BEST STROLL
  Miracle Mile on Saturday
  Between early January and the end of March a farmers' market fills the circle in front of city hall, where bells chime the time in the maligned city Merrick built. Coral Gables has many an asset. The market includes a farmer named Richard Lyons who speaks Latin, or at least offers up... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO ROLLERBLADE
  Control Skate Park
  Anyone can skate Ocean Drive, but it takes a real thrasher to backflip off a ten-foot ramp and land, grinding, on a rail. Monday is BMX night and Saturday draws crowds, but every other night Control Skate Park is in the business of letting skateboarders and rollerbladers jump quarter-pipes,... More >>
• BEST DOG PARK
  David T. Kennedy Park
  Coconut Grove's jewel of a public space, David T. Kennedy Park, accommodates people-accompanied dogs on leashes with verdant paths through palm groves and ad-hoc soccer sessions (dog chases ball, kids laugh). The northeast corner of the park provides the ultimate, though, with a lovely fenced... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BIRDWATCH
  Frog Pond Wildlife Management Area
  The local avian population has been spreading wings with excitement spawned by the people-watching at the Frog Pond lately. There's been so much activity, they've been inviting their out-of-town cousins to the area for an aerial glance. Actually "Lucky Hammock," as it's known to birders, is a... More >>
• BEST PLACE FOR PUBLIC SEX
  Between Collins and Washington avenues on Fourteenth Street
  Public sex is both decadent and depraved, a violation of the social contract, and sometimes as grimy as eating from garbage cans. There's really nothing sensual or romantic about outdoor lewdness. That said, bypass playing-it-safe spots like a park bench secluded by foliage, a dark corner in one... More >>
• BEST PICNIC SPOT
  Bicentennial Park
  Hurry, you won't have this opportunity for long. At the eastern edge of this forlorn city park you can spread a blanket, open the picnic basket, pop a cork, and kick back to take in a spectacular view. Directly ahead lies Biscayne Bay, glittering brightly in the sunshine. As your gaze rises,... More >>
• Personal Best
  Master Wei Lun Huang
  Master Wei Lun Huang began training in tai chi when he was a child growing up in Guangzhou, China, under the instruction of Lu Zi Ling, himself a student of Yang Cheng Fu, and Ou Yong Ju, president of the Foshan Wushu Academy. Master Ou and Master Wang So Ting of Shanghai also taught Wei Lun... More >>