World City Guide

Sport

Miami is an excellent city for spectator sports. Several major American teams hail from Miami, including basketball heroes, Miami Heat (website: www.nba.com/heat), who play at home between November and April, at the American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Boulevard (tel: (305) 577 4328 or 960 8500; website: www.aaarena.com). Miami’s top football team, the Miami Dolphins (website: www.miamidolphins.com), plays at the Pro Player Stadium, 2267 NW 199th Street (tel: (305) 623 6100), from August to December, as do baseball’s Florida Marlins (website: www.flamarlins.com). Their season runs from April to September.

Tickets to sporting events can be purchased direct from the venues or from Ticketmaster (tel: (305) 358 5885; website: www.ticketmaster.com).

Beaches: The public South Beach stretch from First Street to 15th Street is the wide, pristine sand that everyone refers to when they talk about Miami Beach. The Third Street Beach is popular with families, while the 12th Street Beach area is the gay-friendly section. Toplessness among women on public beaches is common and regarded casually. The only beach where clothing is entirely optional is north of Bal Harbour, at Haulover Beach Park, in North Miami Beach. Bill Baggs is the most spectacular of Key Biscayne beaches but Crandon Park draws equal numbers of sun worshippers to its shores even though it is a bit of a walk from the parking area to the sand.

Diving: The Biscayne National Underwater Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead (tel: (305) 230 7275; website: www.nps.gov/bisc), with over 72,400 hectares (181,000 acres) of marine habitat and live coral reefs, is popular for diving, snorkelling and glass-bottom boat rides. PADI-registered South Beach Divers, 850 Washington Avenue (tel: (305) 531 6110; e-mail: info@southbeachdivers.com; website: www.southbeachdivers.com), offers lessons, equipment and daily diving trips.

Fishing: Deep-sea fishing day trips are operated by a variety of companies, including the six-person vessel Therapy-IV, 10800 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: 305) 945 1578; website: www.therapy4.com), which starts at US$125per person. Reward Fishing Fleet, Miami Beach Marina, off the MacArthur Causeway (tel: (305) 372 9470; website: www.fishingmiami.com), includes all the necessary equipment. Rates start at US$35 per person.

Fitness Centres: Many hotels in body-conscious Miami provide some type of fitness centre. American chain fitness centres have several branches around Greater Miami and sell daily passes, which start at around US$25. These include: Crunch Fitness, 1259 Washington Avenue (tel: (305) 674 8222; website: www.crunch.com), with an array of aerobic, yoga and fitness classes, or Gold’s Gym, 1400 Alton Road, South Beach (tel: (305) 538 4653; website: www.goldsgym.com), with its serious weight-training focus. Local gyms, such as Ironworks, 1676 Alton Road, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 531 4743; website: www.southbeachironworks.com), have less expensive rates. Day spas are all the rage in Miami and can be found in many of the big hotels. Sundari Spa, owned by model Christie Turlington and situated in the Shore Club Resort, 1901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 695 3292; website: www.shoreclub.com), has received a lot of attention for its Asian Ayurvedic scrubs and soaks from its gorgeous rooftop locale. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Spa (see Hotels) is popular for its local algae treatments.

Golf: Florida is a golfer’s paradise, with favourable weather year round and more courses than any other American state. The Biltmore Golf Club, 1210 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables (tel: (305) 460 5364), is among Miami’s most beautiful courses. Green fees are US$120 before 1400 or US$100 after 1400 and include golf cart. Crandon Golf Course, 6700 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne (tel: (305) 361 9129), is one of America’s top-ranked municipal courses and home to the Royal Caribbean Classic golf tournament. Green fees are US$148 or US$39 after 1500. Doral Golf Resort and Spa, 4400 NW 87th Avenue (tel: (305) 592 2000; website: www.doralresort.com), boasts five 18-hole courses, each varying in difficulty, from the Great White course to the notorious Monster Blue. Green fees (depending on course and season) are US$195-275. All golf clubs mentioned are open to the public and do not require membership.

In-line Skating: Visitors can join the South Beach crowd and rent a pair of in-line skates from Fritz’s Skate and Bike Shop, 730 Lincoln Road (tel: (305) 532 1954), hires out skates hourly or daily. Free lessons are offered on Sunday.

Public Swimming Pools: Miami-Dade County operates three public pool/park facilities that are open year-round, and 14 operational during the summer months only. The A D Barnes Park, 3401 SW 72 Avenue (tel: 305 666 5883; website: www.metro-dade.com/parks/Parks/ad_barnes.asp) is a 65-acre park nestled in the heart of one of the busiest areas of Miami. The park offers a heated swimming pool and is home to The Sense of Wonder Nature Center and Trail set within one of the few remaining Pine Rocklands in Miami-Dade County. A complete list of public pools and their various operating hours of access can be found at www.metro-dade.com/parks/pools.asp.

Sailing: Miami Boat Charters, 542 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 673 3956; website: www.miamiboat.com), offers boat rentals and yacht charters, manned and un-manned, from Miami Bay, along with many other outfitters and charter companies that use the marinas and docks along the strip at Bayshore Drive.

Tennis: There are public courts at the North Shore Tennis Center, 350 73rd Street, Miami Beach (tel: (305) 993 2022), the Biltmore Tennis Centre, 1150 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables (tel: (305) 460 5360), and the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, 7300 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne (tel: (305) 365 2300), where the NASDAQ-100 Open is held. Crandon Park courts are illuminated for night play, although reservations are required.