Locations in Miami: Best Of

Take one look at the lineup at the Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, and you'll believe that regional theater is alive and well in Miami. The gorgeous, restored Coral Gables landmark boasts a 600-seat mainstage auditorium that's home to a full season of grown up shows, kid's productions, educational activities and community services. Their titles run the gamut from intense dramas to musical theater to side-splitting comedies - from Monty Python to Neil Sedaka. As far as the South Florida theater scene, this is company worth keeping.

152 articles

Adriana Bijoux

2098 NW 20th St. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-324-1770

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

For those whose budget doesn't allow for Miami-esque Tiffany rings, Cartier watches and Coach bags - there's Wynwood's Adriana Bijoux. Housed in a semi-seedy strip mall, this costume jewelry Shangri-La has earrings, bracelets, necklaces, belts, bags and lots of other shiny goodies for the wallet-savvy fashionista. Looking good has never been so cheap.

1 article

Adult Supermarket

7481 Bird Rd. Westchester/West Miami

305-261-3922

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Airboat in Everglades

17696 SW 8th St. Westchester/West Miami

888-893-4443

Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor

Living in a concrete jungle, there are some days when you just want to wild out, wilderness style. Lucky for us, the Everglades is at our doorstep, so there's always an opportunity to get your adventure on. Hitch a ride with Airboat in Everglades, and you'll get up close and personal with birds, gators, fish, mangroves and all kinds of other flora and fauna -- much of it unique to the famous "River of Grass." Semi private rides are more affordable, and you share the flat-bottomed boat with a few new friends. Then there are the private rides, and when the boat's all yours, you can instruct the captain on your riding style. Fast and furious, or slow and steady. It ain't cheap, but the best things never are. Besides, how can you put a price on Mother Nature's wonders?

1 article

All 4 Cycling USA

2801 Biscayne Blvd. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-576-8902

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Allegro Music Center

6869 SW 8th St., Unit 102 Westchester/West Miami

305-740-9400

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Alliance Française Miami

100 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 2120 Downtown/Overtown

305-417-6243

Community Venues, Schools, Best Of, Sponsor

4 articles

Alliance Theatre Lab

6766 Main St., Miami Lakes West Dade

305-259-0418

Theaters, Best Of, Sponsor

While some theater companies are all about big-name shows and classic productions, the Alliance Theatre Lab is all about local talent and artistic risk-taking. Showcasing Miami-based playwrights like Mark Della Ventura and David Michael Sirois, they produced their first all-original season in 2012 and scored multiple Carbonell nods. The company, under Producing Artistic Director Adalberto J. Acevedo, is a lab indeed - and always into experiments. So if you're into a theater experience that's off the beaten path and rings true to the 305 - score some tickets to this Miami Lakes institution.

10 articles

Amelia Earhart Park

401 E. 65th St. Hialeah

305-685-8389

Parks and Outdoors, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

18 articles

Amerant Bank Arena

1 Panther Parkway Plantation/Sunrise/Tamarac

954-835-8000

Music Venues, Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

Formerly the FLA Live Arena

39 events 208 articles

American Luxury Auto Rental

4121 NW 25th St. Central Dade

305-871-7700

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

American WaterSports

2550 S. Bayshore Dr. Coconut Grove

305-856-6559

Retail, Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor

Despite the masses of marinas across Miami, most of us aren't boat owners. Hell, how many of us even own our cars? But it's hard to take advantage of everything this city has to offer without a seaworthy craft. No matter. You can always opt into a watercraft for an hour, an afternoon or an entire day - while avoiding those hefty payments/docking fees/fuel issues. At American WaterSports in Coconut Grove, you can rent eight types of crafts by the hour or half or full day. From pontoon party boats to full-fledged yachts, you can rent whatever you need to take to the seas.

1 article

Aqua Foundation for Women

4500 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 340 Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-576-2782

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Artistic Vibes

8846-B SW 129th Terrace East Kendall/Pinecrest

786-505-8423

Performing Arts Venues, Best Of, Sponsor

Draw up a list of the many possible places that a hub for newborn creatives might be tucked in Miami-Dade, and a cluster of warehouses stuck behind an Outback Steakhouse in Kendall would presumably be pretty close to the bottom. But get over the odd location and there's no denying the truth: Artistic Vibes brims with life and burbles with creative juices. Founded in 2010, the artist collective in a renovated warehouse gives a platform to a variety of performance art productions, from live music and poetry to stand-up comedy and theater. Artistic Vibes' atmosphere is homey and fun, a unique combination amid the typical stiff gallery or dark bar performance backdrop. Audience members can grab beer, popcorn, and other refreshments from the cash bar and settle into a sofa to watch the show. It's kind of like being in a dirty-humored, pothead-friendly version of your grandparents' living room.

21 articles

Austin's Diving Center

10525 S. Dixie Highway East Kendall/Pinecrest

305-665-0636

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4 articles

Sam Gershenbaum, D.O., P.A.

2954 Aventura Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-933-1838

Health and Fitness, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Aventura Mall

19501 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-935-1110

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

1 event 121 articles

Bakehouse Art Complex

561 NW 32nd St. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-576-2828

Art Galleries, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Founded in 1985 in a former bakery, the Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC) is at the heart of Wynwood's artistic soul. It's a one-stop shop of sorts, with galleries, exhibition space and, crucially, partially to fully funded studio space for more than 100 local artists working in a wide range of media. The complex's sprawling grounds also serve as an event venue — and there's always something happening here, from classes to receptions to concerts to fundraisers. On weekdays, visitors are encouraged to check out the studios, galleries, project room, classroom, print room, photo lab, ceramic kiln area, woodworking and welding areas — and to see the work of a host of artists across every imaginable genre. It's impossible to imagine what Wynwood would be like without it.

62 articles

Bal Harbour Plastic Surgery

1140 Kane Concourse, North Miami Beach North Dade

305-861-8266

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

The Barnacle Historic State Park

3485 Main Highway Coconut Grove

305-442-6866

Parks and Outdoors, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

37 articles

Bas Fisher Invitational

644 Collins Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

Art Galleries, Best Of, Sponsor

19 articles

Base Superstore

2215 NW Second Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-531-4982

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

7 articles

Basico

2347 NW Second Ave. South Beach

786-360-3688

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

3 articles

Bayside Marketplace

401 Biscayne Blvd. Downtown/Overtown

305-577-3344

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

42 articles

Bells Bicycle and Repair

1951 NE 163rd St. Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-940-0659

Retail, Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Benny's Seafood

295 NW 82nd Ave. Doral

786-458-8240

Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Seafood, Best Of, Sponsor

Benny's Mofongo (BEHN-eez moh-FOHN-goh) (n.): A delicious Puerto Rican dish made of deep-fried plantains mashed together with garlic and pork rinds in a mortar with a pestle. (Also see: ¡Ay, m'ija, qué rico!) The rest of the menu at this Doral spot is a Puerto Rican nostalgia trip, just like our tía abuela from Loiza used to make it, but the mofongo is porkily sublime, earning the place a visit from Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a few years ago. Served in a small mortar (or a large one for sharing with the rest of the table) with a side of chicken consommé (or caldo), mofongo comes plain or topped with fried pork, shrimp, chicken, steak, or lobster, for the truly indulgent. The mortars are cast with some sort of spell that leaves them incapable of emptying, no matter how much you fanatically shovel into your empanada-hole, but you won't mind taking your abundant leftovers with you while singing "La Borinqueña" the entire ride home.

2 articles