Top places to go for fun, leisure and history in Coral Gables
Coral Gables offers a host of attractions.
Start your day in the company of Coral Gables’ own founder, George Merrick, and picture his childhood in the famed gabled-roof house filled with his art, furniture and personal treasures.
Subtropical Matheson Hammock Park has a saltwater “atoll” pool favored by families who enjoy its safe beach, bayfront views and peaceful picnic grounds. Not far from Matheson, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a verdant haven of tropical plants and botanical research.
BROWSE: Miami.com Guide – Coral Gables
Nature’s beauty and man’s ingenuity meet at Venetian Pool, originally a rock quarry and later envisioned as “the world’s most beautiful swimming hole,” with its vine-covered loggias, coral caves, shaded porticos and sparkling waters fed by a pristine underground spring.
Golfers can tee off at the Granada Golf Course and the 18-hole Biltmore Golf Course, adjacent to the breathtaking Biltmore Hotel, whose 300-foot Giralda Tower is one of Greater Miami’s most striking landmarks.
Downtown Coral Gables is home to other historic sites like City Hall and the Old Police and Fire Station, today housing the Coral Gables Museum and Visitors Center. The museum also offers bike tours through Coral Gables.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden features collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines.
305-667-1651
Matheson Hammock Park
Matheson Hammock Park is a 630-acre urban oasis with trails for hiking and a beach.
305-665-5475
Venetian Pool
Venetian Pool recalls the charm of Old Venice with its landscaping, loggias, coral caves and shaded porticos. 2701 De Soto Blvd.,
305-460-5306
Miami Biltmore Hotel
The Biltmore Hotel is a grand example of Miami’s most majestic architecture with influences from the Mediterranean, Italy, the Moors and Spain.
855-311-6903
Coral Gables Museum
The Coral Gables Museum is located in a building made of coral rock. Its mission is to explore and preserve local civic arts through exhibitions and programming.
305-603-8067
Coral Gables Merrick House
This property, built for George E. Merrick, founder of the city of Coral Gables, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
305-460-5095
GameTime
Spend the day playing video games, watching your teams on the big screens and chowing down at this entertainment center located inside Sunset Place.
305-667-4263
The Great Escape Room
The Great Escape Room is an escape adventure that is part scavenger hunt and part puzzle-solving where groups must work together as a team.
786-322-6619
This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 4:12 AM.