Coconut Grove

A few miles north of UM, the village of Coconut Grove is home to artists, writers and musicians. Graced with bicycle paths, charming sidewalk caf?and a vibrant nightlife, "the Grove" is teeming with UM students on weekends. UM sponsors a shuttle from campus to the Grove on Saturday nights.

CocoWalk - Offering a variety of nearly 40 shops, restaurants, nightclubs, cafes, sports bars, boutiques, and a cinema-plex, CocoWalk also features daily live entertainment. From bands and musical performers inside the nightclubs to strolling artists, artisans, musicians, sports stars and visiting celebrities throughout the courtyard.

The Coconut Grove Playhouse - A landmark from its glorious beginning in 1927 with the Paramount Enterprises chain of movie palaces to its elaborate conversion to a venue for live theater.

SIGHTSEEING

Coconut Grove's waterfront parks offer the best vantage points for observing manatees, wildlife and the sailboats in Biscayne Bay. Dinner Key, originally the base for Pan American World Airways' seaplane flights from Greater Miami in the 1930s, now houses Miami City Hall, which was converted from the original hangar. Earlier Grove history is evident at The Barnacle, the 110-year old home of pioneer Commodore Ralph Munroe.

The grandest home of all is Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, the Italian Renaissance-style villa built by millionaire James Deering in 1916. Set on 10 acres of formal gardens and fountains with Biscayne Bay as backdrop, the 70-room estate is filled with fabulous furnishings and antiques. Vizcaya was purchased by Miami-Dade County in 1952 and opened to the public as museum. Nearby, the Miami Museum of Science & Space Transit Planetarium features hands-on exhibits on everything from robotic dinosaurs to virtual reality basketball, as well as star and space shows.

Festivals and street fairs such as the extraordinary Coconut Grove Arts Festival; the Coconut Grove Food and Music Festival (formerly Taste of the Grove); the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival and the Banyan Arts Festival, add to Coconut Grove's excitement.

SHOPPING

There's nothing dull about shopping in Coconut Grove: from motor-bikes to fine jewelry, antique books to gourmet foods, cutting-edge style to classic clothes - the specialty stores on the downtown streets offer an exhilarating range of merchandise. In both CocoWalk's open-air enclave and the Streets of Mayfair strolling zone, shopping is part of the total dining and entertainment experience. Look for stores featuring some of the best known names in retailing, and individually owned shops that epitomize sophistication and cool. And when the joys of shopping fade, you can head for one of the bars or restaurants and round it all off with a movie.

DINING AND NIGHT LIFE

Coconut Grove's variety and originality is reflected in the dining choices offered by its fine restaurants, themed eateries, sports bars and casual outdoor cafes. On the menu find French, Italian or Spanish-inspired cuisine; Mexican and American dishes and seafood. In the Grove eating out is always in good taste.

Night life revolves around fun and funky neighborhood bars livened up with jazz, salsa and reggae. Nocturnal pursuits focus on the Grove's favorite pastime of seeing and being seen.