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Coral Gables is a city of about 50,000 people just southwest of downtown Miami, often called the City Beautiful. It was planned in the 1920s by developer George Merrick, who laid out tree-lined boulevards, grand entrances, fountains and plazas and required Mediterranean Revival architecture, a style the city still protects today.
The landmarks of that boom era remain its highlights: the Biltmore Hotel with its soaring tower, the Venetian Pool carved from an old coral rock quarry, the Alhambra Water Tower, the stone city entrances and the Spanish-style City Hall. Merrick's boyhood home is preserved as a museum, and the Coral Gables Museum tells the story of the planned city.
Today Coral Gables is also home to the University of Miami and its Lowe Art Museum, the shopping and dining street known as Miracle Mile, and the Shops at Merrick Park. To the south, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Matheson Hammock Park offer tropical plants, mangroves and a palm-fringed lagoon on Biscayne Bay.
The first church built in Coral Gables, completed in 1925 on land donated by George Merrick, in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with an ornate bell tower and carved entrance. It sits across from the Biltmore Hotel and is listed on the National Register. Its sanctuary also hosts concerts, so check for events.
The coral rock boyhood home of George Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables, built on his family's plantation in the early 1900s. It is now a city-run museum with family furnishings and stories of how the planned city began. The gardens are open in daytime, and house tours run on select days.
A grand Mediterranean Revival hotel opened in 1926, with a tower modeled on the Giralda in Seville, ornate lobbies and one of the largest hotel pools in the country. Non-guests can walk the lobby, eat at its restaurants or join the free historical tours offered on Sundays. The golf course surrounds it.
The 1928 Spanish Renaissance city hall at the top of Miracle Mile, with a curved colonnade, a clock tower and a bell. Inside, murals in the tower depict the four seasons. It is still the seat of city government, and it is a fine photo stop at the start of a walk down Miracle Mile.
A 1920s water tower that George Merrick disguised as a Moorish-style lighthouse so it would fit his Mediterranean city. Restored in the 1990s, it stands in a small plaza at the junction of Alhambra Circle and Greenway Drive. It is a quick photo stop on a drive past the city's historic entrances and fountains.
A classical fountain built in 1925 in the middle of a traffic circle on De Soto Boulevard, designed by artist Denman Fink with columns and basins of flowing water. It stands close to the Venetian Pool, so the two are easy to see together. Take care crossing, as it sits in the middle of a busy roundabout.
A museum in the restored 1939 police and fire station downtown, with exhibits on architecture, urban planning and the history of the planned city. Changing shows cover design and South Florida environment topics. It also offers architecture walking tours of the city; check the schedule online.
The University of Miami's art museum, with a collection of more than 19,000 works including Renaissance and Baroque paintings, Asian art, Greco-Roman antiquities, Native American art and modern pieces. It is compact enough to see in an hour or two. Parking is available on campus nearby.
The main street of downtown Coral Gables, a stretch of Coral Way lined with shops, bridal salons, restaurants, cafes and art galleries. Wide shaded sidewalks make it pleasant to stroll, and the Actors' Playhouse sits in a historic theater here. Evenings are lively, and free trolleys connect it to other areas.
An open-air upscale shopping center with department stores, designer boutiques and restaurants set around landscaped courtyards and fountains. It is a pleasant place to shop in the heat thanks to shaded walkways. Parking is in garages, and the center is close to the Douglas Road Metrorail station.
An 83-acre botanic garden with world-class collections of palms, cycads, flowering trees and rare tropical plants, plus a rainforest area, butterfly conservatory and lakes. A narrated tram tour helps cover the grounds. Visit in the cooler months and bring sun protection and water.
A county park on Biscayne Bay with a calm man-made atoll pool where tides flush the water, a sandy beach ringed with palms, a marina and shady trails through a tropical hardwood hammock. It is a gentle spot for families to swim. Arrive early on weekends, when parking fills up.
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