CORAL GABLES
Known as the City Beautiful, Coral Gables is filled with charming boulevards shaded by Banyan trees, art museums, galleries, theaters, historic sites, gardens, restaurants and much more. The neighborhood of Coral Gables was master planned by visionary developer George Merrick in the 1920's. Coral Gables planning was based on the popular early twentieth century City Beautiful Movement. Coral Gables is home to almost entirely Mediterranean Revival architecture, as mandated in the original plan, landscaped plazas and public spaces inspired by Spain.
A beacon of Mediterranean Revival architecture is The Biltmore, a historic hotel in Coral Gables. With a fascinating history that tracks the 20th century, The Biltmore is a lavish resort complete with a golf course, luxury spa, fine dining restaurants and one of the largest swimming pools in the world at 600,000 refreshing gallons.
Some of the most iconic places nestled in Coral Gables are:
The Venetian Pool built out of a coral rock quarry in the heart of Coral Gables, the 820,000-gallon pool is fed by natural spring water from an underground aquifer and is filled and drained daily. With its grottoes and waterfalls, and a Venetian-style bridge, the Venetian Pool is the most visited place by families and tourists.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables communes with nature in the luscious, beautifully landscaped 83-acre garden. Filled with tropical plants and trees, Fairchild is famous for its butterfly garden, rain forest, and sunken garden. With a wide variety of ecosystems, the Botanical Garden has wildlife plants native to Miami and from around the world.
Coral Gables houses a lovely man-made atoll beach, Matheson Hammock Park. The 630-acre urban park is set on Biscayne Bay and boasts an onsite sailing school, marina, and hiking trails through the preserved hardwood hammock. Matheson Hammock Park is also a popular spot for kite-boarding, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding.
From the beginning, Coral Gables was designed to be an international City, now home to more than 20 consulates and foreign government offices and more than 140 multinational corporations. As early as 1925, City founder George Merrick predicted Coral Gables as a gateway to Latin America, and how right he was!
