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BEST DAY TRIP

Everglades National Park

As Uncle Sam is preparing to spend billions on restoring the River of Grass, Mr. Big Developer is licking his chops over the eastern fringes, so get to 'em while you can. Thank your lucky stars that you live so close to a spectacular, albeit unusual environment. A nearby, fun, and easy expedition is Shark Valley, a straight shot along the Tamiami Trail, twenty miles west of Krome Avenue. To traverse the fifteen-mile loop road, bring your own bike or rent one there (a tram ride is available, but you wouldn't really be communing with nature on the thing). During a visit this past January, easily 200 gators could be seen alongside the paths and waterways, catching some rays. To get out on the water, you need to go further afield, to Everglades City or Flamingo, to rent canoes or kayaks or, for the less energetic, take a boat tour. Walking enthusiasts should consider the trails that start at Long Pine Key, en route between the main park entrance and Flamingo. No matter what your fancy, it's best to avoid the park June through October, when the skeeter population grows exponentially as the mercury rises.

BEST PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE

Hollywood Beach boardwalk

As South Beach is to perfectly sculpted, hair-free human specimens, the beach at Hollywood is to everyone else. A stroll along the boardwalk (actually a paved path) is a perfect opportunity to let it all hang out and/or to marvel at others who do so with abandon. The scene can range from Canadian tourists roasting themselves on the sands before heading back to the great white north to shirtless, hirsute guys with mullet haircuts downing cheap brews at the open-air bars to local teens to small fry zipping along on rented bikes. Should you get hungry, you can choose from a variety of restaurants -- mostly inexpensive, open-air spots -- or a ton of ice cream purveyors along the way, where no one seems to mind that you're in your bathing suit. Daytime is more family-friendly. Nighttime has a slightly seedy edge, as any self-respecting boardwalk should. You want a fastidiously wholesome experience? Go to the Mouse House in Orlando.

BEST HOLE AT A GOLF COURSE

Eleventh hole

Doral Blue Monster

Doral Golf Resort and Spa

If you're asking yourself: Really, what am I doing on the links during wartime? the eleventh at the Doral's Blue Monster may be just the hole to assuage your guilty conscience. Or at least to make you feel you're engaged in a battle of your own. At just 363 yards, the eleventh is one of the shorter holes on the 7125-yard course, but it boasts nearly as many bunkers as the drive to Baghdad. Of the seven traps in your way, the biggest sits right in the middle of the driving zone, ready to swallow you and your little white ball whole. What's fun about that? The final seven holes will seem like a breeze. And if you survive, there's always a Swedish massage or Turkish body scrub waiting for the battle-weary back at the spa.

Readers Choice: Eighteenth at Doral

BEST PLACE TO DITCH THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS

Childrens Zoo at Metrozoo

The petting zone in the children's zoo, which is located just west of the aviary, has all these things young kids love: sheep, goats, pot-bellied pigs (who really dig little hands petting them), turkeys, chickens, ducks. So your little ones will be fascinated and occupied, and you can relax a little. At the moment management is installing a wildlife carousel so that kids will be able to mount and ride such exotic creatures as lions and tigers, and endangered species like wolves and rhinos -- not just the same old circus horses. No extra charge for the children's zoo, which is included with the price of admission ($12 adults; $7 children). A fossil-dig site has opened near the aviary, so your little darlings will get to feel the tactile sensations of eggs and bones, and learn that all present birds are descended from dinosaurs.

BEST PLACE TO KAYAK

Myakka River State Park

Why should anyone drive roughly three and a half hours from Miami just to put a kayak in the water? Because Myakka River State Park offers fantastic paddling unlike anything in these parts. This is Florida's largest state park (roughly 45 square miles), and the Myakka is a rare gem, one of only two state-designated "wild and scenic" rivers. It flows for fourteen miles through the park boundaries, with many more miles downstream through protected lands -- all the way to Charlotte Harbor. The stretch between Upper Myakka Lake and Lower Myakka Lake meanders through a gorgeous landscape of moss-covered oaks, palm groves, and reedy marshes. A bazillion alligators live here, including some true leviathans. Up-close encounters are common. Between the lakes and the river, an earnest paddler would need at least a couple of full days to get a good feel for the place. And the place is much more than water, of course, including 39 miles of hiking and biking trails, plus camping facilities that range from primitive to comfy (the five historic log cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s). So plan ahead, make reservations (cabins book well in advance), and take a long weekend to enjoy an unforgettable kayaking experience.

BEST PLACE TO BIRDWATCH

Everglades National Park

According to no less an authoritative source than the Tropical Audubon Society, the southern portion of Everglades National Park is "one of the best winter birding locations in the United States." Check out Tropical Audubon's Website (www.tropicalaudubon.org) for a comprehensive list of species and specific locations, but suffice it to say that the sightings run from warblers (more than twenty species) to the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow to flamingos (real ones) to impressive natives such as bald eagles and every subtropical wading bird imaginable.

BEST UNDERAPPRECIATED PARK

A.D. Barnes Park

At 62 acres it is much more than just a neighborhood park, but not enough people outside the immediate vicinity make the effort to seek out A.D. Barnes. Their loss. Besides the amenities you'd expect at a park this size (swimming pool, basketball courts, barbecue huts, picnic pavilions), Barnes can boast two attractions that distinguish it: elaborate accommodations for the handicapped (including a wheelchair-accessible tree house) and an "urban nature preserve." Located in the northeastern section of the park, the preserve is a thickly wooded slice of untamed nature in the middle of suburbia. A network of cleverly designed hiking trails lead you through the forest primeval and among the many creatures that inhabit it. Keep your eyes open for everything from raccoons and nesting birds to colorful insects and spiders.

BEST POWERBOAT RENTAL

Club Nautico

Miami Beach Marina

In Miami anything can be arranged -- for a price. For example, if you have an uncontrollable urge to race over the ocean in an ear-splitting, teeth-rattling go-fast boat, the folks at Club Nautico on Miami Beach could make it happen. Of course, owing to steep insurance costs and the need for an experienced skipper, you'll have to put up your firstborn and your house as collateral. Instead the Club Nautico agents suggest their 29-foot Bowrider, a sleek little wave skimmer that will get your adrenaline pumping at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. Also available -- and highly recommended -- is their larger and more luxurious 450 Sundancer, a speedy yacht with two spiffy staterooms and space for six cruisers. More than a dozen boats are on hand at Nautico for half-day or full-day charters at prices ranging from $300 to $3500. To hire a captain, add roughly $100 per four-hour rental period.

BEST PLACE TO GO FLY A KITE

Crandon Park

It's spacious (no throngs of sunbathing tourists) and it's always windy as hell. What else does a kite-flying enthusiast need? Sure, there are wide-open spaces in barren parts of Miami-Dade, but we don't want to send you to the middle of nowhere. Crandon Park is easily accessible, and provides beautiful scenery when you're not looking up. But we also don't recommend taking your eyes off your kite for too long. Wouldn't want to hit a little kid or something. The grassy athletic field between the north and south parking areas is an ideal spot to catch the prevailing southeasterly wind and unspool a few thousand yards of string.

BEST GUERRILLA SKATEBOARDING

Florida International University

University Park Campus

Guerrilla skaters here regularly used to be escorted out by campus security, but today, thanks to Gov. Jeb Bush, a thrasher can ride for hours without being snagged. Simple reason. According to administrators, state funding cuts (the Bush connection) have forced a reduction in the campus security force of about twenty percent. Bad for late-night student stragglers trekking to their car in a distant parking lot. Good for thrashers. FIU's smooth concrete meanders throughout the center of the campus, with an angled descent into a central patio. The rest of the sprawling university is loaded with rails, small steps for wicked Ollies and McTwists, and plenty of handicap ramps. The courtyard area's smooth finish is perfect for smaller freestyle wheels and trucks, but if you want to go retro like a Z-boy, gleam the cube with an old-school, single-dip Vision or Santa Cruz board. Just don't eat it without a helmet. The health-and-wellness center is understaffed too. Thanks, Jeb!

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®

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