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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 surfboard that can ride the wind on its parachute sails as well as it rides the waves. No, don't imagine it, live it. Hobie Beach is the place to check out kite surfers turning more heads than the topless bathers of South Beach. In the way of those who indulge in potentially dangerous sports, kiteboarders are a close-knit but friendly group. Visit www.kiteflorida.com to check out the Florida Kite Surfing Association. They'll help you with the essentials to get going; Hobie provides the wind and the water.

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 surfboard that can ride the wind on its parachute sails as well as it rides the waves. No, don't imagine it, live it. Hobie Beach is the place to check out kite surfers turning more heads than the topless bathers of South Beach. In the way of those who indulge in potentially dangerous sports, kiteboarders are a close-knit but friendly group. Visit www.kiteflorida.com to check out the Florida Kite Surfing Association. They'll help you with the essentials to get going; Hobie provides the wind and the water.

BEST TENNIS COURTS

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 well-stocked pro shop, and it offers instruction, tournaments, and even field trips. Bring your own balls.

BEST TENNIS COURTS

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 well-stocked pro shop, and it offers instruction, tournaments, and even field trips. Bring your own balls.

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 features several slides pouring out of a tower into a shallow pool. Definitely a good reason to cultivate friends in Miami Shores. Maybe wait a few days before asking about the pool to hide your true motivation.

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 features several slides pouring out of a tower into a shallow pool. Definitely a good reason to cultivate friends in Miami Shores. Maybe wait a few days before asking about the pool to hide your true motivation.

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, then taking a dive is your solution. Liberating -- you're flying! -- and mind-blowing -- what if it's only two feet deep? -- the bridge free fall is the splash that refreshes. From the bridge you plummet about twelve feet into the sea, scaring hell out of any fish in the area. Time freezes, you feel gravity's mighty pull, bubbles surround you. Exhale, sink as far as your lungs allow. The yawp of the howling teens watching from the bridge is muffled, creating a psychedelic underwater soundscape. Nearby you hear the splash of another bridge jumper. You surface for air. You grin, no smile. No, you beam like a little kid catching his first fly ball. The sun bakes your marinated skin. You swim to the shoals at the foot of the bridge (sneakers while jumping are recommended) and run around to the ledge. A few more times and magically you are carefree, fresh, and feeling like the crazy kid you're behaving like.

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, then taking a dive is your solution. Liberating -- you're flying! -- and mind-blowing -- what if it's only two feet deep? -- the bridge free fall is the splash that refreshes. From the bridge you plummet about twelve feet into the sea, scaring hell out of any fish in the area. Time freezes, you feel gravity's mighty pull, bubbles surround you. Exhale, sink as far as your lungs allow. The yawp of the howling teens watching from the bridge is muffled, creating a psychedelic underwater soundscape. Nearby you hear the splash of another bridge jumper. You surface for air. You grin, no smile. No, you beam like a little kid catching his first fly ball. The sun bakes your marinated skin. You swim to the shoals at the foot of the bridge (sneakers while jumping are recommended) and run around to the ledge. A few more times and magically you are carefree, fresh, and feeling like the crazy kid you're behaving like.

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 leader Charles T. Fuchs. It contains the usual South Miami park amenities such as a picturesque lake (with a fountain maintained by a snorkeling park employee and a bounty of fish, including bass), fairly new tot lot, a gazebo fit for a family reunion, and, bizarrely enough, a pro beach volleyball area constructed far from any beach. This charming park also displays miniature versions of Miami-Dade's natural environments. Three years ago extensive restoration resulted in urban versions of hardwood hammocks, wetlands, and maritime woodlands. Again, the park's maintenance crew and the South Miami city commission chose wisely by planting native species during the restoration. Serenity in the middle of worldly clamor helps make Fuchs a perfect rest stop for weary travelers. Or a great gathering spot for weekend partiers.

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 leader Charles T. Fuchs. It contains the usual South Miami park amenities such as a picturesque lake (with a fountain maintained by a snorkeling park employee and a bounty of fish, including bass), fairly new tot lot, a gazebo fit for a family reunion, and, bizarrely enough, a pro beach volleyball area constructed far from any beach. This charming park also displays miniature versions of Miami-Dade's natural environments. Three years ago extensive restoration resulted in urban versions of hardwood hammocks, wetlands, and maritime woodlands. Again, the park's maintenance crew and the South Miami city commission chose wisely by planting native species during the restoration. Serenity in the middle of worldly clamor helps make Fuchs a perfect rest stop for weary travelers. Or a great gathering spot for weekend partiers.

  • 6410 SW 80th St., South Miami, 33143 Map

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