House Hunting

Discover the city's creative founder, George Merrick, by paying a visit to the Coral Gables Museum ($10), a delightful attraction located right in the heart of downtown Coral Gables. Where the former Coral Gables Police and Fire Station jail once stood, complete with the original coral rock, tales of the illustrious real estate developer are now told.

With a focus on architecture and town planning, the Coral Gables Museum bears true to its name by offering a helpful overview of the neighborhood's culture and history. It's more entertaining than it sounds—recent exhibitions have examined pioneer life in Miami and the Florida land boom of the 1920s, while a season devoted to Coral Gables' sister cities throughout the world stretched out into exhibits on Italy and Colombia. The Old Fire House & Police Station, an impressive old structure with influences from the Mediterranean Revival and Depression-era architecture, serves as a fitting home for a portion of the museum, which is appropriately located there.

After that, went out to explore the eccentric towns he built across the area, such as the French Normandy Village and the Dutch South African Village, notable residences that have not changed since the turn of the 20th century.