Miami's Latest Community News

With consistently great winds, Hobie Beach -- aka “Windsurfer Beach” -- on Key Biscayne is an ideal place to learn the ropes of windsurfing or to practice your skills. New to the sport? Top notch instructors at Sailboards Miami guarantee to get you up and riding within a two-hour lesson.

The sport of windsurfing combines elements of both surfing and sailing. The rider stands atop a board about 6 to 12 feet long. The board is connected to the sail and boom via a rotating rig. By holding on to the boom and moving the sail, the rider is able to catch wind, propelling the board through the water.

Given the right conditions, avid windsurfers can reach speeds of 25+ knots along Hobie Beach. Naturalists love the feeling of harnessing power from the wind and adrenaline seekers go crazy for the thrill of speed.

Sailboard Miami equipment rentals are done by the hour, day or week. Local or plan to go often? Ask about the Sailboard Miami club card. Price

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Relish in your celebrity-like status as a Hummer arrives for your personal pick-up. Climb in, buckle-up and then hold on tight! This is one Everglades tour that will have your heart pumping hard -- even before you see the alligators.
 
Booking a tour could not be easier. Everglades Hummer offers tours 24/7. Simply call and design your own 4, 6, 8 or 10-hour adventure with a tour specialist, who will take care of every detail. All hummer tours include a thundering off-road experience through a panther reserve – your best chance to see one of the elusive Florida panthers.

Additional adventure options include venturing deep into the Everglades backcountry via airboat, holding a real alligator during a gator show, or flats fishing for tarpon, Red fish and Bone fish in the shallow waters of the Everglades.  Your hummer is your escort to all adventures, and lunch and non-alcoholic beverages are included on all tours.

For the off

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Come get a birds-eye view of the “magic city” aboard a Cessna 172 Seahawk seaplane. Miami Seaplane Tours offers breathtaking journeys above South Florida’s dramatic and ever-changing coastal skyline.

With no “minimum passenger” rules, you can book a private Miami skyline tour and cozy up with your sweetie as you fly over stunning highlights of the city: majestic cruise ships moored along the main ship channel, soaring high rises of downtown Miami, and the trendy streets of South Beach and Deco drive. Miami Sea Planes works closely with other venues, so you can plan a magnificent date night, complete with sunset dinner for two, seaside, while your seaplane floats nearby.
 
One distinct advantage of seaplanes over other aerial craft is their ability to cruise low, offering intimate sights of the abundant ocean life in the crystal clear waters offshore South Florida. You’ll be able to see exotic marine life like red star fi

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This July take some time to pamper yourself or someone that needs it. Just $99 provides massages, facials, manicures, or pedicures at some of Miami's most decadent spas.

The 2009 participants include the Spa at Icon Brickell, the Spa at the Setai, the Ritz-Carlton Spa at Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, and South Beach, Biltmore Spa, Emena Spa, mySpa at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Uhma Organic Spa, and many others.

At Emena Spa in the Design District, your $99 will score you a 55-minute custom organic facial and a 60-minute integrative massage. To receive the discount, RSVP to (305) 438-3777 and be sure to mention Miami Spa Month.

At the Intercontinental Hotel's mySpa, let your stress dissolve with a 60-minute massage and a 30-minut

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This county recreation area is considered a local treasure by native Miamians. It is a perfect spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a slice of nature. The park boasts a distinctive feature, a man-made atoll pool, which is kept fresh naturally by the tidal action of nearby Biscayne Bay. This circular lagoon offers a safe swimming area for children of all ages. Sandy stretches of beach and palm trees surround the atoll, so pack a picnic and come spend an afternoon!
 
Matheson Hammock Park also has a sizeable grassy area with a scenic lake, bordered by several coral rock picnic pavilions, each complete with picnic tables, benches and a charcoal grill. Every weekend, Miamians both young and old can be found here, celebrating birthdays, family get-togethers and other memorable events.
 
The park has both walking and biking trails through charming canopies of mangrove trees. There are also several spots for fishing; the most

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Brickell, just south of downtown Miami, is an area that's booming with business -- some are even calling Brickell the new South Beach. Also known as the Financial District, most of the skyscrapers in Brickell are owned by banks, including the relatively famous Bank of America Tower. The tower lights up red, white and blue on the 4th of July, orange on Halloween, red on Valentine's Day, and the rest of the year is either purple, white, yellow, green, blue, or a combination of colors. 

With the business boom in Brickell has come the real estate boom. Apartment buildings are filling up quickly as young urban professionals rush closer to downtown. Competition from condominiums has left some hauntingly empty, while some are bursting at the seams. New restaurants and bars are opening faster than residents can try them. 

Public Transportation:

The Read More >>

Coral Gables's tagline is "The City Beautiful," and it is quite appropriate. Many of the Coral Gables resident have aesthetic restrictions on their property to keep the city's "look" consistent. Most of the city remains a "Mediterranean Revival" style.

Coral Gables houses several of Miami's well-known landmarks, including the lovely Venetian Pool, the refreshing Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, the historic Read More >>

Coconut Grove is one of the most environmentally aware areas of Miami. The Grove's Farmers Market happens every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. no matter what the weather. CocoWalk, the neighborhood's open air mall, is a fun place to spend a day shopping, eating, drinking and mingling.

Public Transportation:

You can get to Coconut Grove by the Metrorail, at either the Douglas Road Station, the Coconut Grove Station or the Vizcaya Station. Single rides are $2, and a day pass is $5.Education and Culture:

Public schools in Coconut

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Just two miles west of the high rises in downtown Miami is the well-known neighborhood of Little Havana. Named after the capital of Cuba, Little Havana is an area brimming with Cuban culture.

In the 1960’s, many Cuban refugees fled to Miami, freeing themselves of Fidel Castro’s regime and finding comfort in and around Calle Ocho (Spanish for 8th street). Today, the heart of Little Havana lies between 14th and 17th Avenues along Calle Ocho. Here, you can witness a myriad of Cuban traditions, including: games of chess or dominos in Domino Park, cigar rolling, men sporting linen guayaberas - a traditional Cuban, button-up shirt, and locals gathering outside Cuban coffee cafeterias to discuss politics.

A great time to head over to Little Havana is the last Friday of every month, for a festival called “Viernes Culturales”  or Cultural Fridays. This monthly event showcases talented Latino artists, musicians and e

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Since 2006, Ada Merritt K-8 Center has received an "A" Performance Grade every year. The magnet school prides itself on its multilingual programs. Students receive extensive training in different languages, including English and either Spanish or Portuguese. 

The school is a special breed. It's the first tri-county school in the area, and students commute from Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. To apply, fill out the necessary form by the deadline, and then call the school to make an appointment for an interview. 

Ada Merritt has received m

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In 2009, FIU had 40,000 students attending. Incoming students that same year averaged a 26 on the ACT and a 3.8 high school grade point average. There are two main campuses belonging to FIU -- Modesto A. Maidique (MMC) southwest of downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami. According to FIU, half of Miami-Dade county teachers have degrees from their university. 

 

FIU's mascot is the panther and their colors are blue and gold. The panthers play football, baseball, softball, volleyball, women's golf, track and field, basketball and soccer. 

Florida Senator Ernest Graham expressed south Florida's need for a public university in the 1940s. It took twenty years for the bill to be signed into law, and 1965 marks the official founding of Miami's first public university. The first students walked the halls of FIU in the fall of 1972.
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Nova Southeastern University began in 1964 with programs in physical and social sciences. Then it was known simply as Nova University. In 1994 the school officially merged with Southeastern University of Health and Sciences, and now is known as Nova Southeastern University. 

The university is a not-for-profit, private institution. Nova is a school where off-site learning is prevalent; the university offers field-study programs throughout Florida and 23 other states. NSU's campus is stretched across 300 acres in Fort Lauderdale. 

As of 2010, 29,000 students are enrolled at Nova, with about 127,000 alumni. The school has more than 40 degrees for undergraduates, as well as a Dual Admission Program, which holds graduate seats for qualified students as they work to finish undergraduate courses. Students can also attain graduate degrees and professional degrees from Nova. Professional degrees include law, pharmacy, optometry, dental medicine, clinical psyc

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The University of Miami Hurricanes (or "Canes," as known by the students and locals), proudly sport their green and orange at athletic games and throughout campus. The main campus is in Coral Gables, the medical campus is located in downtown Miami, and a UM marine research facility is housed on Key Biscayne. The private university opened its doors in October 1926.

The 260 acre campus is lush with greenery. The many palm trees, flowers, bushes and shrubs provide a lovely setting for learning and studying. The arboretum at UM houses many colorful plants with identifying labels. The lake in the middle of campus is surrounded by the school's pool, The Rathskeller, the campus's popular bar and restaurant, and the University Center, which houses the food court, bookstore, a kosher deli, common areas, a radio station, a convenience store, club offices and more.

Academics at UM include the colleges of engineering, arts and sciences, communication, education, nursin

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