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BEST PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE

Miami Springs

BEST PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE Miami Springs Glenn H. Curtiss Memorial Circle and Westward Drive Demure, lovely Miami Springs is the kind of town you rely on for comfort after other South Florida neighborhoods have drained your wallet and soul. Its quiet elegance makes the city perfect for a peaceful, contemplative stroll. While it may seem obvious to use the Curtiss Parkway pedestrian trail, leave that for the bicyclists and skateboarders or for a longer ramble. Begin your walk at the historic Stadnik's Drugstore and wind your way around the traffic circle. Consider walking across the street to visit the Glenn H. Curtiss Memorial Circle (honoring the town's founder) where a gazebo is a focal point for many gatherings. When you reach Westward Drive, turn onto it. The median has a nice pedestrian walkway, and the traffic here is so light you can almost cross at will. Shops, cafés, and offices line this strip, but it is the intoxicating atmosphere that recalls how Miami was some 30 to 40 years ago that is the draw. At Esplanade Drive you can stop to feed the ducks roaming Cinema Park, or just turn around and return to your starting point. Believe it or not, the parking is free.

BEST PLACE TO ROAD BIKE

Key Biscayne

BEST PLACE TO ROAD BIKE Key Biscayne If you live in South Florida, you won't find climbs to help in your quest for the yellow jersey, but if you crave a challenge, ride toward Key Biscayne. The closest thing you'll find to Alpe d'Huez in Miami is the big bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway. It may not be much, but cyclists still use it to train for competition. Try pedaling up and down it a few times, and then see how energetic you feel. Beyond the bridge, the key itself has great bike lanes. You might encounter a motorist honking and yelling out the window ("get off the road" or words to such effect), but this breed of driver is less common in the Key Biscayne area than in, say, Kendall. Ocean views and mangrove forests line the way as you trek beyond the bridge. If you prefer a ritzier scene, travel through the streets of the island, where mansions and expensive cars abound.

BEST PLACE TO ROAD BIKE

Key Biscayne

BEST PLACE TO ROAD BIKE Key Biscayne If you live in South Florida, you won't find climbs to help in your quest for the yellow jersey, but if you crave a challenge, ride toward Key Biscayne. The closest thing you'll find to Alpe d'Huez in Miami is the big bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway. It may not be much, but cyclists still use it to train for competition. Try pedaling up and down it a few times, and then see how energetic you feel. Beyond the bridge, the key itself has great bike lanes. You might encounter a motorist honking and yelling out the window ("get off the road" or words to such effect), but this breed of driver is less common in the Key Biscayne area than in, say, Kendall. Ocean views and mangrove forests line the way as you trek beyond the bridge. If you prefer a ritzier scene, travel through the streets of the island, where mansions and expensive cars abound.

BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS

Miami-Dade Public Library System

BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS Miami-Dade Public Library System South Miami Branch

Anime Addicts Club

6000 Sunset Drive

South Miami

305-667-6121 It's hard to keep anything anime out of the hands of young people. Savvy librarians are hip to that. "It's really been the best way so far to get the kids into the library," says programming librarian Samantha Haber. The South Miami branch hosts a weekly club for anime enthusiasts thirteen and older to watch films, discuss graphic novels, and practice drawing in the Japanese style. The downtown branch also hosts a club for younger fans (ages nine and older). From Akira to Cowboy Bebop and Peach Girl to Ranma, there's plenty to check out and discuss at the library.

BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS

Miami-Dade Public Library System

BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS Miami-Dade Public Library System South Miami Branch

Anime Addicts Club

6000 Sunset Drive

South Miami

305-667-6121 It's hard to keep anything anime out of the hands of young people. Savvy librarians are hip to that. "It's really been the best way so far to get the kids into the library," says programming librarian Samantha Haber. The South Miami branch hosts a weekly club for anime enthusiasts thirteen and older to watch films, discuss graphic novels, and practice drawing in the Japanese style. The downtown branch also hosts a club for younger fans (ages nine and older). From Akira to Cowboy Bebop and Peach Girl to Ranma, there's plenty to check out and discuss at the library.

BEST FAMILY OUTING

Larry and Penny Thompson Park

BEST FAMILY OUTING Larry and Penny Thompson Park 12451 SW 184th Street

South Miami-Dade

305-232-1049 Two words: water slides. Six Flags Atlantis has been gone for more than a decade, and it's a long haul from Miami to West Palm Beach for a steep slide-induced wedgie and a close-to-drowning experience in the wave pool at Rapids Water Park. For an aqua-inspired good time that won't leave your wallet dry (five dollars for adults, four for children), drop into Larry and Penny Thompson Park and then drop down the slides a few times, or a few dozen times. In addition to the rapid hydro descents, you can take advantage of the campground and nature trails. The park, named after a long-ago Miami Herald columnist and his wife, boasts three water slides and other ways to get all wet: a beach, a freshwater lake, paddleboats. There's a snack stand with ice cream, hot dogs, and other fun food you'd expect, and a picnic area. This is a summer classic, the ice cream melting down your chin and the seriously soaking slips down the chutes washing away the steamy heat and the layabout doldrums.

BEST FAMILY OUTING

Larry and Penny Thompson Park

BEST FAMILY OUTING Larry and Penny Thompson Park 12451 SW 184th Street

South Miami-Dade

305-232-1049 Two words: water slides. Six Flags Atlantis has been gone for more than a decade, and it's a long haul from Miami to West Palm Beach for a steep slide-induced wedgie and a close-to-drowning experience in the wave pool at Rapids Water Park. For an aqua-inspired good time that won't leave your wallet dry (five dollars for adults, four for children), drop into Larry and Penny Thompson Park and then drop down the slides a few times, or a few dozen times. In addition to the rapid hydro descents, you can take advantage of the campground and nature trails. The park, named after a long-ago Miami Herald columnist and his wife, boasts three water slides and other ways to get all wet: a beach, a freshwater lake, paddleboats. There's a snack stand with ice cream, hot dogs, and other fun food you'd expect, and a picnic area. This is a summer classic, the ice cream melting down your chin and the seriously soaking slips down the chutes washing away the steamy heat and the layabout doldrums.

BEST TENNIS COURTS

Fisher Island Tennis Center

BEST TENNIS COURTS Fisher Island Tennis Center 7 Fisher Island Drive

Miami

305-535-6000 Boris Becker lived and played here; so did Jim Courier. Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis drop by to hit a few as well. And when Andre Agassi lands in Miami for the NASDAQ-100 Open during March, there's one place you can be sure to find him -- practicing his famous base-line returns on the courts at Fisher Island. Rated among the top 50 tennis centers in the U.S. by Tennis Magazine, the eighteen courts come in three flavors -- two grass, two hard, and fourteen clay. Each is so well maintained you'd swear the staff used tweezers to keep everything in shape. Tennis center director and resident pro Jon Hainline teaches the nuances of the game, but not to just anybody. For a chance to charge the nets at the private club you first have to buddy up with a member or resident who will deign to offer you an invite. That, or pony up the $4500 initiation fee and the $6500 annual dues (plus taxes). Either way, there are no better lines, nets, or surfaces in town.

Readers´ Choice: Sans Souci Tennis Center

BEST TENNIS COURTS

Fisher Island Tennis Center

BEST TENNIS COURTS Fisher Island Tennis Center 7 Fisher Island Drive

Miami

305-535-6000 Boris Becker lived and played here; so did Jim Courier. Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis drop by to hit a few as well. And when Andre Agassi lands in Miami for the NASDAQ-100 Open during March, there's one place you can be sure to find him -- practicing his famous base-line returns on the courts at Fisher Island. Rated among the top 50 tennis centers in the U.S. by Tennis Magazine, the eighteen courts come in three flavors -- two grass, two hard, and fourteen clay. Each is so well maintained you'd swear the staff used tweezers to keep everything in shape. Tennis center director and resident pro Jon Hainline teaches the nuances of the game, but not to just anybody. For a chance to charge the nets at the private club you first have to buddy up with a member or resident who will deign to offer you an invite. That, or pony up the $4500 initiation fee and the $6500 annual dues (plus taxes). Either way, there are no better lines, nets, or surfaces in town.

Readers´ Choice: Sans Souci Tennis Center

BEST PLACE TO MOUNTAIN BIKE

Markham Park

BEST PLACE TO MOUNTAIN BIKE Markham Park 16001 W. State Road 84

Sunrise

954-389-2000 The words mountain and Florida rarely come up in the same sentence -- unless you're an upwardly mobile biker who has found the next best thing to an actual mountain range: Markham Park. It may not be the Rockies, but Markham provides intense trails for serious riders. Amateurs beware: If you're not the type who can find an upside to falling down, stick to Oleta River State Recreation Area. "I don't recommend Markham for beginning riders," says Carlos Yulee, who leads group treks at several South Florida parks. He says Oleta is great for a workout and is safer, but for a real challenge he'll take Markham. The park has long steep climbs and even better drops, the latter branded with names like Big Gulp and the oddly (mis)spelled Fred's Foly (which riders have also dubbed Fudge Brownie because it's all dirt the color of bittersweet chocolate). Rider John Sabatier says he likes Markham's variety, adding, "Oleta is technical, Markham is fast and technical."

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