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Miami - Florida - Culture

Ten thousand years ago, humans first wandered into South Florida. Since then, the region has become a fascinating place, attracting visitors and residents from near and far. Today, there's not much left of the sand that drew America's wealthy to Miami Beach in the first place. Most of the island is built up, with hotels and restaurants everywhere. But among the hotels are some of the most fabulous in the world, and the most historic in America. South Beach (SoBe) alone boasts original Art Deco hotels dating from the 1920s, clustered together along the oceanfront and painted in a wild, delightful mix of pastel "Miami colors"--jewel pink and coral, sparkling sea turquoise, dewy frond green, sunny hibiscus yellow. Miami proper boasts a substantial number of these beauties, as well. Although many of them fell into neglect and disrepair during the bleak days of the Great Depression, they've been lovingly restored and are as inviting as ever. They beckon today's traveler, with promises of fine living and exquisite service. Who knows, a visitor may hear echoes of the footsteps of the intrepid leisure class who danced in their ballrooms so many years ago. Tourism boomed before and after World War I primarily through the efforts of Everest G. Sewell, a self-taught public relations whiz who headed the Miami Chamber of Commerce’s tourist promotional campaign. Many prominent visitors built large, stately homes along beautiful Brickell Avenue, creating a "Millionaire’s Row." The thoroughfare’s most prominent resident was William Jennings Bryan, presidential candidate and a sterling orator, who regaled crowds in Miami’s Royal Palm Park with his Sunday Bible addresses.

Bryan’s beautiful Villa Serena was overshadowed, however, by James Deering’s Villa Vizcaya, a multi-million dollar Renaissance-era palazzo with extensive gardens overlooking Biscayne Bay. Built between 1914 and 1916, Vizcaya employed ten percent of Miami’s population in its construction.

Miami was already booming when the Roaring Twenties began. The city’s population had climbed to nearly 30,000, a 440 percent increase over the figure for 1910. It represented the largest per capita increase of any municipality in the nation. Its expanding borders now extended several miles in each direction beyond the original parameters. At the outset of the 1920s, the Miami Herald marveled at the "astounding growth of Miami as a tourist center." Increasing numbers of tourists remained in the area after the winter season had ended, many becoming permanent residents. But this growth would pale by comparison with what lay ahead -- the onset of the great real estate boom of the mid-1920s.

The Historical Museum store, the Indies Company, offers a wide selection of books, jewellery, educational toys and gifts related to Florida history and the exhibitions.

The Lowe Art Museum, the art museum of the University of Miami, is to serve the University, and the Greater South Florida communities, and national and international visitors as a teaching and exhibiting resource through its permanent and borrowed collections. The Lowe is the only area museum which owns a distinguished collection of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities. This collection is a vital thread in understanding the development of Western Art and is utilized by University of Miami and area art history and history courses.

The University of Miami has been described as a major research university set in a tropical garden. One of only 23 private research universities to operate both a law and medical school, UM is located near one the nation’s most dynamic and diverse metropolises.

Comprised of 14 schools and colleges, UM offers a wide selection of academic disciplines ranging from architecture and international studies to law and medicine.

The University of Miami traces its beginnings to 1925 and the origins of the City of Coral Gables, a community marked by stunning Mediterranean architecture and tropical flora. When the city’s founder, George E. Merrick, helped establish the University, he envisioned an institution of higher learning that would embrace the best of the Americas. A history of strong institutional leadership has enabled that vision to triumph. UM has established an international presence in medicine, engineering, law, the marine sciences, international studies, business, communications, and other disciplines.

Today, the University enjoys a well-earned reputation for academic excellence, both for the quality of its students and its renowned faculty. The exceptional learning environment extends beyond the classroom into in the University’s five student residential colleges

The annual Beaux Arts Festival of Art takes place on the grounds of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Over 150,000 art patrons visit the Festival to view and purchase fine art and crafts from 250 juried exhibitors. $20,000 in cash awards will be presented, as well as a Patron's Purchase Program.

The annual Beaux Arts Festival of Art takes place on the grounds of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Over 150,000 art patrons visit the Festival to view and purchase fine art and crafts from 250 juried exhibitors. $20,000 in cash awards will be presented, as well as a Patron's Purchase Program.

The Festival of Art is sponsored by Beaux Arts, a volunteer, support organization of the Lowe Art Museum . Beaux Arts is proud to host South Florida's oldest art festival and kick off the 2001 Art Festival Season

Miami has it all. A great climate which makes it a great vacation spot all year round, exciting attractions, professional sports teams, art, history, museums, and all of the nature parks and education you could ask for. The tropical climate provides attractions that are found on only a few places. Ocean life, alligators, snakes, and tropical vegetation are found in many exhibits and museums around Miami.

Amusement parks, deep-sea fishing, boat rides, sightseeing, fine dining, professional football, dolphin watching, marine museums, and that is not all. You can spend hours, days, or weeks entertaining yourselves and your family without having to travel more than a few minutes in any direction. Night time entertainment includes: music and dance clubs with music ranging from smooth sounding jazz to lively disco, comedy clubs, concerts, theater, opera, symphony and movies.

You can eat everything from seafood to sushi and do it with a fantastic ocean view. Restaurants serving Italian, French, American, and Seafood can all be found close by. If shopping is what you are looking for you are in luck. Miami has everything from your department store chain to local gift shops. Shopping here is great for everyday items as well as the special gift items you are looking for.

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