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Discover Coral Gables, and the many amenities The City Beautiful has to offer. The City offers 22 parks, 33 public tennis courts, two public golf courses, and other recreation amenities such as the largest tropical botanical garden in the continental United States, a spring-fed grotto swimming pool made of native coral rock with underwater caves, bike paths, walking trails, and more. Here's a glimpse of what you and your family can expect:
The Venetian Pool “The world’s most beautiful swimming hole,” this 820,000-gallon swimming pool was built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The pool is fed with cool spring water and is surrounded by two waterfalls, coral caves, and grottos.
Fairchild Tropical Garden The Gardens are an 83-acre natural preserve on the edge of Coral Gables that offers something for everyone. There are guided walking tours, tram tours, and special seasonal events. The botanical garden’s winding paths provide magnificent views of exotic plants, tropical flowers and fruits, flowering vines, palms, and oaks. The hidden trails wind around 11 lakes, rain forest displays, wild undergrowth, ferns and orchids.
Golf Courses Experience the Granada Golf Course or the Biltmore Golf Course, the perfect spots for players looking for a relaxing round of golf. The City operates the Granada Golf Course, the oldest 9-hole course in Florida. Generous fairways, newly remodeled greens, minimal bunkering and no water hazards make Granada extremely playable for golfers of all abilities. Located in the heart of Coral Gables, Granada is surrounded by some of the most historic homes in the City. The Biltmore Golf Course is a rare to find golf course that is challenging for the better golfer, playable for the novice, well-run and maintained, and, above all, affordable. It has the historic Biltmore Hotel as its backdrop and unlike most Florida golf courses, the Biltmore is not overrun with water and houses. Water comes into play on only 6 holes-just enough to keep you on your toes. The few homes that line the perimeter of the course are some of the most beautiful in the City.
Matheson Hammock Park Known worldwide for its beautiful flora and fauna, this 600-acre park has been attracting naturalists and outdoorsmen for years. Among its many facilities, Matheson Hammock has a new, well-marked 45-minute nature trail where you will encounter many species of native vegetation and wildlife. Nature lovers can peruse the hammock as well as 15 native hardwood trees such as the Gumbo Limbo, Jamaica Dogwood, West Indian cherry, Stoppers, Live Oak, Wild Coffee and a wide variety of flowering shrubs and vines. You will also see squirrels, gray Everglades foxes, opossums, skunks, and colorful butterflies. A man-made island pool, which is flushed naturally with the tidal action of nearby Biscayne Bay, features a restaurant built into an historic coral rock building, warm, safe waters, and beautiful waterside views. Amenities include a full-service marina, a snack bar, picnic pavilions and nature trails.
Coral Gables Merrick House Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this structure stands as a tribute to the history of South Florida. Merrick House was the home of Reverend Solomon G. Merrick, his wife Althea and their six children. The Merrick’s oldest son, George, founded and developed the City of Coral Gables. An example of early Coral Gables architecture, the house exists much as it did in the 1920s and is operated as a museum. It is filled with the Merrick family’s artwork, photographs, furniture, and personal treasures.
Lowe Art Museum Located on the University of Miami campus, the Lowe Art Museum’s free-standing 12,000 plus objects includes Greco-Roman Antiquities; Kress Collection of Italian Renaissance and Baroque Art; 17th-20th century Art of the Americas and Europe; Asian; African; pre-Columbian. Rotated within large an intimate gallery spaces, the collections span 5,000 years and represent the best of Western and non-western art from classical to the contemporary.
Fine Art Galleries Coral Gables is an art lovers paradise. Known as one of South Florida’s premier centers for the arts, this vibrant City is home to dozens of art galleries. Gables Gallery Night, a favorite event among locals, brings more than 4,000 people to the downtown Gables area on the first Friday of each month to view the works of local, national, and international artists, as galleries open their doors to visitors who walk or ride via air-conditioned minibuses.
All Aboard the Trolley Visitors can ride the new vintage style, hybrid electric trolleys as a convenient and scenic way to move around the shopping, and entertainment destinations in downtown Coral Gables. |
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