Skip the usual spots for a day. These are the places locals bring visiting friends when they want to show off a side of South Florida most people never see: a pool carved out of a coral rock quarry, a 900-year-old monastery, and a Japanese garden in Delray Beach. Four in each county.
Miami-Dade
- Venetian Pool, Coral Gables. A 1920s public pool built in an old coral rock quarry, with waterfalls, grottos and Venetian-style bridges. Closed Mondays, so check the schedule before you go.
- Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach. Built in Spain in the 1100s, bought by William Randolph Hearst, shipped over stone by stone, and rebuilt here. Easily the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere you can visit on a Saturday.
- The Barnacle Historic State Park, Coconut Grove. One of the oldest homes in Miami-Dade, built in 1891, with a shady lawn down to Biscayne Bay. Look for their moonlight concerts.
- Deering Estate, Palmetto Bay. Historic bayfront houses, nature trails through hardwood hammock, and guided paddles out to Chicken Key.
Broward
- Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, Fort Lauderdale. A 1920s artists’ estate tucked between the beach and the Intracoastal, with orchids, monkeys in the trees, and quirky rooms full of art.
- Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale. The oldest surviving structure in Broward, built in 1901 as a trading post on the New River. Guided tours tell the story of how the city started.
- Flamingo Gardens, Davie. A botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary from 1927, with giant old trees, rescued panthers, bears and birds, and a free-flight aviary.
- Butterfly World, Coconut Creek. Walk-through aviaries with thousands of butterflies, plus lorikeets you can feed. Go on a sunny morning when the butterflies are most active.
Palm Beach County
- Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach. Strolling gardens around a lake, bonsai, koi, and a museum on the Japanese farming colony that settled here in the early 1900s.
- Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach. Huge brick sculptures hidden among tropical gardens and palms, just steps from the Intracoastal.
- Peanut Island, Riviera Beach. A small island park in the Lake Worth Lagoon with a snorkel lagoon, camping, and a Cold War bunker built for President Kennedy. Reach it by water taxi, boat or paddleboard.
- Blue Heron Bridge snorkel trail, Phil Foster Park, Riviera Beach. One of the best shore dives in the country, with seahorses, octopus and rays in shallow water. Go at high tide, when the water is clearest.
Got a hidden gem we missed? Tell us on Facebook and we may add it to the list.
Further reading
- Venetian Pool (City of Coral Gables)
- Ancient Spanish Monastery
- The Barnacle Historic State Park (Florida State Parks)
- Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
- Stranahan House
- Flamingo Gardens
- Butterfly World
- Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
- Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
- Peanut Island Park (Palm Beach County Parks)
- Phil Foster Park and the snorkel trail (Palm Beach County Parks)
Hours, prices and tour times change. Check each spot’s website before you go.