Frommer's Favorite Experiences

Driving Along Florida A1A: This oceanfront route, which runs north up Miami Beach, through Sunny Isles and Hollywood, and into Fort Lauderdale (starting at Ocean Dr. and First St. in Miami and merging onto Collins Ave. before running north), embodies the essence that is South Florida. From time-warped hotels steeped in Art Deco kitsch to multimillion-dollar modern high-rises, A1A is one of the most scenic, albeit heavily trafficked, roads in all of Florida.

Experiencing South Beach Nightlife: If you can handle it, you can boogie down until the sun comes up in cavernous, pulsating dance clubs, which are considered amongst the best in the world. Lounges aren't too shabby either. There's Privé, where the likes of Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson and Paris Hilton, Kid Rock, Courtney Love and members of Mötley Crüe mix with a colorful crowd of local and international hipsters and then there's Skybar, Prive, Mansion, Opium, the Setai, The Forge, and, well the list goes on. Where else can us ordinary folk brush elbows with -- or spill Cosmopolitans on -- Hollywood starlets, entertainment moguls, and living legends but in South Beach's hot clubs, bars, and restaurants, many of which don't get going until the crack of dawn?

Seeing a Moonlight Concert at the Barnacle State Historic Site: Once a month, on or near the full moon (except during July and Aug), the Barnacle State Historic Site hosts a concert in the backyard of their charming 1908 Coconut Grove bungalow built on 5 acres of waterfront property. Listeners are welcome to picnic and bask in this sublime setting for a mere $5.

Watching the Cruise Ships Set Sail from South Pointe Park: Unless you're already on a boat, you can't get a better view of the monstrous cruise ships leaving the Port of Miami than from South Pointe Park, located at the southern tip of South Beach. If you stare long enough, you will feel like you're moving, which is almost as much fun as being on board.

Lunching at News Café on Ocean Drive: The quintessential South Beach experience, lunching at News Café is more of a spectator sport than a dining experience. What the Big Mac is to McDonald's, people-watching is to News Café, whose Ocean Drive location is one of the best sidewalk spots from which to observe the wacky, colorful mix of pedestrians on parade.

Boating Through the Intracoastal Waterway: The waterway that connects the natural bays, lagoons, and rivers along Florida's East Coast snakes around from the Florida-Georgia border all the way to the port of Miami. A ride through the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal provides a sublime view of million-dollar waterfront houses.

Taking Salsa Lessons at Bongo's Cuban Café: If the only salsa you're familiar with is the kind you put on your tacos, get over to Bongo's, the hottest salsa club north of Havana, where Miami's most talented salsa dancers will teach you how to move your two left feet in the right direction.

Exploring the Design District After Dark: After waiting patiently for this arty, funky area to hit its comeuppance, Miami's hipsters have finally been rewarded with cool bars, lounges, and restaurants that exude that New York City SoHo-meets-Meatpacking District vibe.

Dining at Big Fish Restaurant on the Miami River: Some consider dining on the Miami River to be industrial chic; others consider it seedy in a Miami Vice sort of way. However you choose to look at it, by all means do look at it; the sleepy Miami River is nestled below the sweeping downtown Miami skyline, reminding you that even though you're in a major metropolis, things in this often-frenetic city are capable of slowing down to a more soothing pace.

Walking through Little Havana: A walk through Little Havana is a fascinating study in the juxtaposition and fusion of two very vibrant cultures in which pre-Castro Cuba is as alive and well as the McDonald's right next door.

Riding the Metrorail: Originally created to relieve traffic congestion, the city's billion-dollar transportation network is hardly used by commuters and is little more than Miami's own version of Disney's Monorail. Nonetheless, for little more than a dollar, you can tour many of Miami's neighborhoods and see much of its skyline without having to stop, look at a map, or ask for directions.

People-Watching at Lummus Park Beach: Lummus Park Beach is world renowned, not necessarily for its pristine sands, but for its more common name of South Beach. Here, seeing, being seen, and, at times, the obscene, go hand in hand with the sunscreen and beach towels.

Spending a Sunday at Alabama Jack's: There is nothing like hanging out, chugging a cheap beer, chowing down on amazing conch fritters, and watching a bunch of sauced octogenarians dressed like extras from Hee Haw line dancing to incredible live country music, all in a Sunday's afternoon. Even better is the spectacular waterfront setting that makes you truly appreciate why you're in Florida in the first place.