Roger Petterson, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

Autumn might be coming for most of us but summer lingers along the beaches and in the restaurants and clubs that make Miami such an exciting city.

One reason for visiting Miami is the food, especially Cuban. Citysearch has a restaurant guide - http://tinyurl.com/6zveds - where you can search by price, feature (24 hours, bar, etc.) and specialty. If you want Cuban, go to the left side of the page to "Browse" and look under restaurants for the little "More" to open a full ethnic food directory.

Another lengthy restaurant directory, with reviews, comes from Miami New Times - http://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/search - where the "Cuisine" guide has Hispanic entries from Cuban all the way down through South America to Argentina.

Along with the huge list of recommended restaurants at TripAdvisor's Miami eating guide - http://tinyurl.com/5cgn6g - are links to visitors' photos and videos of the city if you look to the left side of the page. And be sure to try the Miami Herald - http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/restaurants/ - for its take on fine and fun dining.

But there's way more to do than eat. Look up the Greater Miami visitors bureau - http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/visitors/ - and browse through attractions, arts, golf courses, nightlife both in Downtown and along South Beach, and sightseeing. The city is obviously on the ocean, so scan things to do "On & In the Water" from dining cruises and sailboat charters to fishing and scuba diving on sunken wrecks. And if you only want to be close to the water, there's a guide to beaches that probably has more entries than you can take in during one visit. Before you dig into the accommodations directory, you might want to explore "Special Offers" to see if anything fits your plans and budget.

A big part of the area's image is South Beach - http://www.mysobe.com/ - with its glitzy hotels, flashy clubs and high end shopping. Even if some of these places are beyond your budget or not your style, you can browse the website, and later do a little sightseeing by lounging on the beach or cruising Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue. There's more information at Visit SoBe Online - http://www.visitsobeonline.com/ - including a link to guided walking tours of the historic Art Deco district.

Maybe you're taking the kids and need a few destinations other than trendy clubs. Take them to the Miami Children's Museum - http://www.miamichildrensmuseum.org/ - for exhibits including music and TV studios, and one on the Everglades.

Your family will also love the animals at the Miami Seaquarium - http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/ - including dolphins, orcas and sea lions. Look for the video link under "Visitor Information." Too wet? There are lemurs and a liger (daddy was a lion and mom was a tiger) at Jungle Island - http://www.parrotjungle.com/ - between downtown Miami and South Beach.

And on the wet edge of the city, Biscayne National Park - http://www.nps.gov/bisc/ - offers boating, snorkeling and fishing.

Still haven't spotted enough things to your liking? Try the Miami chapter of Yahoo Travel - http://tinyurl.com/59tsmy - which supplements its information with a handy interactive map of hotels, attractions and restaurants. The travel gurus at Fodor's have extensive information on the city - http://tinyurl.com/59tsmy - including guides to South Beach, Coconut Grove and Little Havana, plus "Travel Talk" forums where travellers like you exchange tips and hints. If you have room to carry a book, hunt up a copy of Fodor's sixth edition of "Miami & Miami Beach."