Destination Information - Miami, Florida, USA

Will Smith sang about it, and through the early '90s Miami Vice's Crocket and Tubbs were the kings of cool as they wheel-span their way round the less salubrious streets of the city. It seems that everyone loves Miami, and nobody more so than the millions of tourists that flock here every year.

Miami, the second-largest city in the "Sunshine State" (after Jacksonville), is one of America's premier holiday destinations, both with overseas visitors and domestic holidaymakers. It's easy to see why, the city exemplifies the good life. Long palm tree lined boulevards, top quality shopping, gourmet restaurants and all permanently drenched in the sub-tropical sunshine that beams down all year round.

Like Florida's other big resort city of Orlando, Miami isn't visited solely for itself, and is surrounded by out of town attractions which tempt visitors into the environs. The unique ecosystem of the Everglades is just a day trip away while coastal Florida and the idyllic chain of holiday islands known as the Keys can be reached easily. Visiting any of these is a must, as is taking a trip to the Seaquarium, the theme park that epitomizes Florida, with leaping dolphins and orcas performing for the crowds. You can also take a jaunt to Cape Canaveral and see where America's space race took off. The Kennedy Space Center will tell you everything you need to know about the past, present and future of space exploration.

But don't forego the charms of the city for these extra-urban attractions. Miami is one of the US's most laid back places and has a cosmopolitan air brought by its large populations of Latinos and Cubans. Little Havana is a slice of the Caribbean in the city. Spanish speaking, you'll find cigar factories, restaurants serving up Cuban cuisine and monuments to the political heroes of the island.