A meeting point of the hedonists, southern Florida offers all the ingredients of a successful stay. The traveler takes advantage of the fun on the paradisiacal beaches of Miami, the most Hispanic of American cities, before taking the road to explore the rich Everglades ecosystem. The extreme south of the state is the highlight of our road trip with 200 kilometers of a breathtaking road connecting a chain of islands to a Caribbean foretaste.
Under the vice: The vibe!
Forget the cliché of Miami Vice, the city has changed a lot and keeps reinventing an identity. The pulse of Miami, sensual and glamorous, beats the Latino and Caribbean rhythms. It succeeds in the turn of strength to be a capital of the party and of the fancy, valued by American pensioners as well as families or nocturnal families. Miami has different neighborhoods, with the majority of visitors focusing on Miami Beach, which is in fact an island connected to the Downtown by various bridges. South Miami Beach (understand South Beach) is the tourist's lurking. The postcard beach is bordered by Ocean Drive, where the Art Deco buildings, typical architectural style of the 1920 s, are aligned with a tropical touch expressed in pastel colors. The ensemble is harmonious and takes part in the warmth of the atmosphere so characteristic of sobe. Terraces, you can enjoy his brunch without guilt by looking at morning athletes, joggers, skaters or cyclists. The cult of the body is here, like in California, a religion.
Miami can also be a cultural center. Wolfsonian and its collection of furniture from years 1900 to 1945 or the Lowe Art Museum are two of the many museums that bear witness to this. The Design District is also full of small galleries featuring artists from all over the world. At sunset, while the beach is empty, the crowd is agitating on the sidewalks, bars and restaurants of Ocean Drive. We come here to see and see, so all extravagances are allowed. As the evening progresses, the crowd distilles on the parallel avenues, Washington and Collins, where endless queues hope patiently in front of the trendy discotheques.
Going to Miami is also an opportunity to dive into the Cuban crucible that has energized the city so much in recent years. Little Havana is a true island of Latin America; this enclave and especially Calle Ocho testify to the city's «╚ cubanization».
Mysteries of the Everglades
You don't expect to find less than an hour of Miami a natural environment that is so unsettling. The second largest national park and unique subtropical reserve in the United States, this vast swamp and swamp deserves all superlatives. It houses three hundred and fifty species of birds, five hundred kinds of fish and dozens of different reptiles and mammals during the dry period. This is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist. Travelers can travel through the park by car from the northern road, Tamiami Trail, which also runs through the Big Cypress National Preserve and connects the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. The Anhinga Trail offers the best opportunities to observe wildlife, including the famous bird in the long neck, Anhinga. Pinelands Trail sneaks into an impressive pine forest, and at Pa-hay-okee Overlook, a 400-meter trail leads towards a panoramic view of the «grass river ╩»: Sunset colors the vegetation that recalls African savanna. West Lake Trail, for its part, makes it possible to snap through a mangrove forest between whose roots underwater life is exceptionally rich. Exploration of the Ten Thousand Islands area begins at the northwestern entrance to the park at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Alligators, dolphins and eagles are observed during boat trips. Kayak tours on the Wilderness Route offer a unique experience. We paddle island island in the middle of the mangrove, between small bays and immobile lakes, hoping to cross a laminate. Sunsets from chickees (huts on mangrove huts), only disturbed by the flight of majestic white herons, remain the most unforgettable. This huge herbal plain, the Everglades, slowly flows to the sea.
But no worries, the Alligator Farm in Florida City offers a tower on the flat-bottomed devices powered by a powerful ventilation system like Crocodile Dundee!
The Overseas Highway, the most beautiful road in the United States
These 200 kilometers in the middle of the sea are considered the most beautiful road in the United States. It links a chain of islands, the Keys, to the extreme south of Florida. It is a true water sports paradise, from deep-sea fishing to scuba diving, with the majority of activities going to the sea. The first one is the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which is explored on a glass-bottomed boat or during diving trips. By continuing to the south, we reach Islamorada, a group of small islands from which the road becomes much more impressive, because the sea view is perfectly clear. Between the islands of Islamorada and Marathon, we have several times the opportunity to swim with dolphins for a memorable experience.
Caribbean Air
It's time to go back to the road for more adventures to the south. It is claimed that Bahia Honda Beach is one of the most beautiful in the country. Finally, it is impossible not to fall under the charm of Key West, a meeting point between the United States and the Caribbean. The architecture of the Bahamas has influenced construction with these small wooden houses with pastel colors. This confetti, discovered by the Spanish in xvie century, has always attracted artists, free thinkers, eccentrics and a large gay community. At sunset, a colorful crowd converges to Mallory Square where street artists are shown… The atmosphere is encircled and the party stretches over the whole Duval Street until the early morning. It is now time to go north and leave the softness of life in which the visitor was dragged out on his arrival and who accompanied him along his journey as surely as the ubiquitous sun.
Smart News
When is it? The ideal time to visit Florida extends from November to March during the dry season.
Go there. Many flights connect Paris to Miami with or without stopover. Prices from 650 €. Have 10 hours of travel for a direct flight.
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