Miami Sights

  1. Ancient Spanish Monastery

    Miami is full of Spanish-style churches, but none with the soft cupolas and Moorish arches of the Episcopal Church of St Bernard de Clairvaux, which was actually built in 1141(!) in Segovia, Spain. In the 19th century the church was converted to a granary and eventually bought by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.

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  2. Botanicas

    The storefronts promise to help in matters of love, work and sometimes 'immigration services,' but trust us, there are no marriage counselors or INS guys in these shops. Welcome to the wide world of vodou . As you enter you'll probably get a funny look, but be courteous, curious and respectful and you should be welcomed.

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  3. Coral Gables Congregational Church

    George Merrick's father was a New England Congregational minister, which perhaps accounts for him donating land for the city's first church. Built in 1924 as a replica of a church in Costa Rica, the yellow-walled, red-roofed exterior is as far removed from New England as…well, Miami. The interior is graced with beautiful sanctuary and the grounds are landscaped with stately palms.

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  4. Ermita De La Caridad

    The Catholic Diocese purchased some bayfront land from Deering's Vizcaya estate and built a shrine here for its displaced Cuban parishioners. Symbolizing a beacon, it faces the homeland, exactly 290 miles due south; note the Cuban history mural. After visiting the villa or the Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium, consider picnicking on the water's edge or at nearby Kennedy Park (S Bayshore Dr).

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  5. Plymouth Congregational Church

    It looks like Antonio Banderas should emerge from this 1917 coral mission-style church with a guitar case full of explosives and Salma Hayek on his arm. The 11-acre grounds are a popular spot for wedding photos and home to Dade County's first schoolhouse, a one-room wooden building that dates to 1887.

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  7. Temple Emanu El Synagogue

    A deco synagogue? Not exactly, but the smooth bubbly dome and sleek, almost aerodynamic profile of this Conservative synagogue, established in 1938, fits right in on Sobe's deco parade of moderne this and streamline that. Sabbath services are on Fridays at and Saturdays at .

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