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With its posh restaurants, art scene, and lively nightlife, Miami has much to offer during all hours of the day for people of all ages. But for those looking for a reason to pack the car and get out of the city for a day, the suburbs offer a multitude of attractions. The following are just some of the areas you might choose for a little day trippin’.

Key Biscayne

Crandon Golf Course

Just a short — and scenic — drive over the Rickenbacker Causeway sits Key Biscayne. Though small, it offers some of the area’s best beaches, and it’s sandwiched between Crandon Park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to the south. It also offers a nearby coastal barrier reef and the only federally recognized underwater archaeological trail in the United States. If the beach isn’t your thing, you may want to visit Crandon Golf Course or dine at one of the restaurants.

Homestead

 

Located 30 miles south of Miami, Homestead offers a small-town atmosphere with big-city amenities. It’s also home to the Homestead Miami Speedway, which has been open since 1995. Nascar has crowned its champions in all three of its premier series at the speedway for 16 straight years. This year, Ford Championship Weekend will be held Nov. 16-18.

If you’re looking for an authentic Florida experience, then visiting the Everglades Alligator Farm may be in order. You can take a guided airboat tour and alligator, snake, and wildlife shows are performed hourly. If you are in Homestead between November and mid-April, you may want to visit Knaus Berry Farm where you can buy pies, bread, and other items. But make sure to bring cash with you because it’s cash only.

Coral Gables

Venetian Pool in Coral Gables

With its Mediterranean influences and tree-lined avenues, Coral Gables is one of South Florida’s older and most historic areas. It’s also home to attractions that include the Venetian Pool, which was created in 1923 from a coral rock quarry. Thousands of people visit the pool each year to swim in its 820,000-gallon aqua blue swimming hole.

If culture is more your interest, you may want to visit the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, which has more than 17,000 objects, with collections of Renaissance and Baroque pieces, plus American, Native American, and Asian art. There’s also the Coral Gables Museum, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features 3,000 square feet of gallery space and a 5,000-square-foot plaza.

Pinecrest

Pinecrest Gardens

South of Miami, Pinecrest is an affluent suburb that offers some low-cost attractions to enjoy the outdoors. Pinecrest Gardens is a 20-acre park that features over 1,000 varieties of rare and exotic tropical plants and palm trees in a native tropical hardwood and cypress setting. For a $5 admission fee, you can explore the botanical gardens. The park also features movies, plays, and concerts.

Evelyn Greer Park is a 10-acre park with multipurpose athletic fields (softball and soccer), batting cages, a tot lot, gazebo, and a community center. Veterans Wayside Park is a passive 4.5-acre park with a freshwater lake, picnic tables, and open recreation areas.

Islamorada

Though it’s more than an hour’s drive from Miami, making the trek to Islamorada is well worth it. Encompassing six of the Florida Keys, the village is known for its coral reef and great fishing. If you want to feed the fish, then you can stop at Robbie’s Marina at Mile Marker 77. There, you can see 50 to 100 giant tarpons swimming around the dock in clear water only a few feet deep. For $3 you can buy a bucket of fish pieces to throw in the water.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Islamorada for the sunset, you can watch it from Lorelei Cabana Bar and Restaurant, which has an outdoor area with decks, chickee huts, and palm trees.

Hollywood

Gamblers may want to travel to Hollywood to visit the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. In addition to its over 100 tables and over 2,000 slots, it also has a 5,500-seat arena where live acts perform. Other places to visit include Downtown Hollywood, with a multitude of shops and restaurants and a monthly art walk. Hollywood Beach is known for its extensive Broadwalk (not a Boardwalk), where you can walk, jog, bicycle, or roller blade, or visit bars and restaurants.