Miami, located on the Atlantic coast of southern Florida, was primarily swampland until development began in the late nineteenth century. While the city is now known as an urban center on the beach, it maintains a humid, subtropical monsoon climate and is just a short drive from the Everglades, the United States’ largest subtropical wilderness area (and an easy day trip for the outdoor enthusiast).

While it is known for beaches, parties, and heat, Miami is also a major business center. It is the largest city in Florida and has the highest concentration of international banks in the United States. Medicine, biotechnology, and research are also major industries here.

But whether you decide to visit Miami for a vacation or a business trip, there are a myriad of things to do including riding an airboat in the Everglades, tanning and celebrity watching on the beach, enjoying seafood fresh from the Atlantic, and learning about local wildlife at places like the Dolphin Research Center.

Cuban, Caribbean, and Floridian cuisine combine here to create a blend of flavors you won’t find anywhere else on Earth. It’s called Floribbean cuisine. From little Cuban bodegas and seafood shacks to fine dining, you’ll find a variety of delicious food here.

In Little Havana, you’ll find Cuban food at its best for low prices. Linger over a café cubano, a small cup of strong coffee with lots of sugar, as the Cuban-American community enjoys doing. For a quick and filling lunch, look for a little place that makes Cuban sandwiches: pork, cheese, mustard, and pickles pressed between two slices of crusty Cuban bread.

Fine dining is noteworthy in Miami as well with Nouveau Cuban and Nouveau Latino restaurants from some of America’s best chefs. You’ll also find fusion cuisine at its best combining Latin and Caribbean flavors with tastes of Asia and California.

Miami has a reputation as a party city, and for good reason, clubs abound with new hot spots opening frequently, each one with its own special features and exclusive clientele. South Beach is the best-known neighborhood for clubbing. In South Beach, drinks are pricey and the music is mostly electronic. It’s a place to see and be seen.

For something a bit more low-key and low priced, the Biscayne Corridor and Design District are good bets. Trendy new bars and lounges are opening to redefine these neighborhoods and offer an alternative to wild South Beach.

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