South Beach (or SoBe) is located within Miami Beach and has been called the Art Deco playground and the American Riviera. Here you’ll find world-class shopping, culinary delights, and clear blue water with white sand beaches.

SoBe offers both casual and upscale experiences, but is generally for the well-dressed set. So, even if you’re hitting the beach, be sure to don a stylish hat and sunglasses before you walk out the door of your vacation rental home.

White Powder Sand and Turquoise Waters of South Beach

South Beach is a free public beach. There’s plenty of parking and the municipal parking garages offer the best deals. Locals suggest getting there early as garages and open beach space fill up fast. Rental shops offer chairs and umbrellas. For less than $40 you can have both. Lifeguards are on duty during the day. There’s no shortage of food and drink options available along the beach.

Lincoln Road

This miles-long outdoor mall has an open plan and is designed for pedestrians only. The promenade has top-notch fashion, art, architecture, and people-watching. Walk from Washington Avenue to Alton Road to discover a pop-up market where handcrafted jewelry, origami, and a variety of other handmade wares displayed casually on card tables or rugs laid on the ground. Lincoln Road also offers a boon of name brand stores and local shops and galleries.

Lunch with a Beach View

You can find an amazing lunch restaurant anywhere, but these offer spectacular views to remind you that you’re in dazzling South Beach. These beach views are coveted so make reservations ahead of time. Juvia is an upscale chic fusion restaurant blending Asian and Peruvian cuisines with a classic French flair. Celebrity-owned Larios on the Beach is made famous by its owners Gloria and Emilio Estefan and its spectacular views of South Beach and Ocean Drive. Their upscale Cuban food and mojitos make it perfect. Monty’s Sunset is located poolside and waterfront on the docks of Miami Beach Marina. Here casual dining means local fresh-caught seafood, a raw bar, and entertainment.

Art Deco District

Miami’s South Beach is home to the largest concentration of 1920s and 1930s architecture in the world. It’s known as the Art Deco District. It’s recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and boasts 800 historical structures. The district draws visitors from around the globe.

Official Historic Tours of the Art Deco District

The Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) offers the only official tours. Their Official Art Deco Walking Tour is a 90-minute tour that literally walks you through an introduction to the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern (also known as MiMo) styles. Tours depart from the Art Deco Welcome Center at 10:30am Mondays through Sundays with an additional 6:30pm tour on Thursdays. Tours are $25 or $20 for seniors, veterans, and students. You can make advanced reservations, but they’re not required.

Happy Hour

Whether it’s from 5pm to 7pm during the week or 10pm to Midnight, there are always fun places you can drink and nosh on a dime. Streaming with light and perfectly chic, Byblos offers happy hour starting at 6pm with $8 cocktails and small bites for $12 and under. The comfortable Social Club is in the heart of Miami Beach and offers a late night happy hour with a flair for breakfast. It also offers $5 draft and 50% off wines by the glass. South Pointe Tavern’s happy hour offers 50% off beer, house wine, and cocktails.

Fun (and Sanity) with the Family in Florida

Traveling with the kids seems like such a grand idea when you’re planning a trip. Oh, the memories they’ll make, the things they’ll learn and see, and all the photo opportunities for this year’s holiday cards. Then, the reality sets in… Can they sit still for the car or plane ride without totally melting down, will there be Wi-Fi available for all the streaming shows while waiting on the plane/restaurants/car rides, and will there be a nice, quiet night of rest when you arrive.

It’s a gamble on how the ride will go. A sure bet, for both your money and peace of mind, is a vacation rental home. Florida is a prime spot for traveling families, and you won’t regret renting a house. Your whole family can feel right at home immediately, as opposed to a busy, noisy hotel room.

Must-Have Gear for Visiting Florida

When you get to the rental, there will be places around to get your necessities for going to the beach or the theme park. Here’s some suggestions to grab at the shop or grocery store. Bug spray or bug bands are needed as much as sunscreen, especially at sunset. Those legends of Florida’s super-sized mosquitos are no joke. You’ll need sand toys and shovels that won’t break the bank, because they will probably be forgotten or lost at the beach. Extra flip flops or water shoes so little feet can get around the beach or pool safely.

Surprisingly, some food and beverage items are allowed in Florida’s theme parks, like Disney and Universal Studios Orlando. Check out the restrictions and make sure you pack some noshes for your hangry troupe before you go to keep everyone from imploding at the park.

Beachy Fun

Going to the beach? It’s simply not at day at the beach without a family style picnic. Drop by the local Publix and get something for everyone to enjoy. There are cabana type umbrella vendors on nearly every public beach, so take advantage of them. You won’t want to haul your own beach umbrella or risk getting a bad sunburn. Also, bring a long-range squirt gun for any unwanted pelican attention when you break that food out. The kids will love it.

Back at the Temporary Homestead

When you’re traveling, some of the amenities at a standard hotel are completely sub-par. No more than two towels upon arrival, a measly microwave, and the annoying fact of trying to cut anything with a plastic utensil. Not to mention the noisy party across the hall or the lack of available space for the kids to spread out and play. Thankfully, your vacation rental home should have the towels, fully equipped kitchen, washing machine, and clothes dryer as well as room to spread out. All you’ll need to think about is stocking the fridge, getting some rest, and taking those pictures.

Make your Florida family vacation as effortless as possible with a vacation home rental. It’s the easier than getting the family to agree on what to see or do first.

The Florida Keys: Barefoot in Winter

New York is exciting, but the average low temperature in January is 14 degrees F. It’s a little warmer in San Francisco at 45 degrees, but also the height of their rainy season.

The key to a barefoot winter is the Florida Keys. Folks there don’t even call it “winter.” They say “the dry-cool season,” and it is: the average low is 65 degrees, the average high is 74. The Midwest has greater temperature swings over lunch.

Hurricanes? Nope: that’s in August, on the other end of the year.

Getting Your Feet Wet

While everyone else is frozen over, Key West is bubbling with water fun. You can book a fishing trip. Dive in and go snorkeling. Explore shipwrecks. Eat fresh seafood you could almost catch by hand. Hang with the locals, or just hang in your hammock. You’re never late when you’re on island time.

Does This Float Your Boat?

Coastal waters surrounding the Florida Keys are protected by the National Marine Sanctuary, extending from Miami to the Dry Tortugas National Park. Spectacular coral reefs, shipwrecks, and seagrass beds offer dazzling and accessible viewing opportunities. Hundreds of vendors rent houseboats, pontoon boats, sailboats, fishing boats — with or without a captain. Help protect all this fragile beauty by checking out responsible boating practices at Reef Relief.

Then dive in. Novice snorkelers and scuba students get their feet wet along the colorful formations of Delta Shoals and Sombrero Reef, shallow areas along the only living coral barrier reef in the United States.

Here’s Looking at You, Key Largo

Key Largo is the northernmost of the Keys, and there’s a reason they call it the Diving Capital of the World. There’s even an underwater hotel for Jules Verne fans. The land impresses too, with its fascinating botanical marvels, hardwood forests, and national parks. It’s also home to the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival, featuring indoor and outdoor screenings of his film classics, plus opportunities to mingle with Bogie-related celebrities.

Now head south to Islamadora. It sits between the Everglades National Park and the deep blue Florida Strait, and offers the world’s highest density of offshore charter boats with tournament-level captains. Go fish. Then check out the intriguing History of Diving Museum.

Marathon in the Middle

A ten-mile long stretch in the middle of the Keys, Marathon represents the old-Key lifestyle. Lots of waterfront access, beaches, and 1,200 wet-slips to welcome boating guests. Get your seafood here: stone crab and lobster crawl right under your boat.

The Lower Keys arch west toward the sunset. This quieter stretch is ideal for campers, hikers and bikers (the pedal kind). There are two national wildlife refuges and a marine sanctuary. Hammocks yes, jet-skis no. Locals shun artificial light, making this a haven for astronomers and stargazing philosophers.

Key West: the Writers and Uniters

It’s closer to Cuba than to Miami. That helps explain why Key West is so irreverent, a welcoming blend of Bahamian history and Cuban culture. The diversity of people, architecture, and romance is thrilling. One Human Family is the motto of this modern island community: simple, warmhearted and open. You’ll find a vibrant gay and lesbian community shared openly with global neighbors.

Among the open-minded: Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost made homes here. Ernest Hemingway produced his finest works at 907 Whitehead St., now open to tours. Today, leading contemporary writers worldwide gather at the annual Key West Literary Seminar to share insights and mingle with literature lovers.

This winter, ease on down to the Florida Keys. Nobody rushes. Nobody tells you you’re drinking your coffee wrong. Baggy shorts are as popular as tight jeans. And shoes? Fuggedaboudit.

The City by the Sea

Get to Know Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach is a small, historic community home to two miles of white sandy beach, museums, food, and culture. An historically significant area, Atlantic Beach was discovered to be one of the oldest permanent native American settlements in North America. Primarily a tourist area until the early 1900s, the completion of a railroad station that connected Atlantic Beach with the rest of Florida allowed tourism to flourish.

The Continental Hotel, which housed close to 300 guest rooms, was built close to the beach and created numerous jobs and revenue for the town. Painted bright yellow with green blinds, the hotel was designed with a luxurious flair inside for guest enjoyment. On the grounds, guests could enjoy activities such as a 9-hole golf course, dance pavilion, fishing, tennis, and horseback riding.

With the onset of World War I the town experienced a lapse in revenue as tourists were afraid to visit the coast, but once the war was over land began to sell again and the town once again continued to prosper.

Small businesses began to settle rather than visit seasonally and eventually the area incorporated as a Town in 1926. For a closer look inside the history of Atlantic Beach, you can now visit the Beaches Museum & History Park which frequently hosts art festivals and concerts.

Activities for All

With 65 acres dedicated to parks such as the Dutton Island Preserve, Atlantic Beach is the ideal location to rent a vacation villa. Within these parks can be found a trove of activities including skateboarding, camping, fishing, hiking, tennis, and a number of many others for every age and area of interest.

Artwalks take place on the third Thursday of every month from 5-9pm where Atlantic Blvd and the ocean intersect. This monthly event is free to the public, hosting over 55 local artists, who travel from all over to participate. Here you can view and purchase hand-made jewelry, art, and other wares to take back as a souvenir of your time on the Florida coast.

Foodies will delight at the Wednesday Market. This weekly farmer’s market allows you to sample local offerings such as fresh produce, breads, and sweets. Each week a different type of bread is featured and made fresh with organic ingredients on the day of the market. Cindy’s Bakery, Alvarez Farms, and Southern Roots Herbal Apothecary are only a few of the vendors that frequent this great gathering. Music is also provided by local artists to create a fun and carefree ambiance while you smell, taste, and shop. For a relaxing experience that is truly unique, try the One Ocean Spa, which offers a signature Seashell Massage, which pays homage to the Atlantic Ocean while easing away stress.

Good Eats

There’s something to please any palate at Culhane’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, where you can bring your four legged friends to dine on the patio. Sip from your choice of 26 draft beers and 42 whiskeys while you feast on authentic Irish cuisine. Items as Reuben Egg Rolls and Scotch Eggs aim to please. Their recipe for the Guinness Beef Stew is so delicious, it is featured in television personality Guy Fieri’s cookbook!

Sunset Pier Park

For a perfect way to end a day of fun in the sun, eating, and shopping, visit Sunset Pier Park to watch the sun drift below the horizon. Receiving a perfect score on Trip Advisor, this site truly lives up to its name.