Neighborhood Highlights
Coral Gables Museum
Housed in the city’s old police and fire station building, the Museum is located downtown and includes thousands of square feet of indoor and outdoor space. The museum’s galleries contain a variety of historical items and contemporary art pieces done in a wide range of mediums, and the outdoor public areas are nothing short of stunning. The grounds are expansive, and guided tour options are available on foot, on bike, and even by canoe for visitors who want to burn a few calories.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
This lush, 83-acre tropical oasis features a verdant rainforest with a stream, a splashy waterfall, a sunken garden, dramatic vistas, an enormous vine pergola, and a museum of plant exploration. Fairchild’s collection of rare palms, orchids, and other flora are undeniably stunning.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
A historical building in Florida located on the Key Biscayne Island, which is part of the Bills Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Built in 1825, it has been around for nearly two hundred years and has about 109 steps up in which tourists climb to for wonderful views. The lighthouse has been destroyed and rebuilt many times since it was established. Tours occur twice daily.
About Coral Gables
The city was developed by George Merrick during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. He inherited citrus groves from his father, and in 1922 began to develop the City of Coral Gables. Merrick was a writer and poet, among a host of other accomplishments. The Gables was one of the first planned communities in America. The city's architecture is almost entirely Mediterranean Revival Style. By 1926, the city covered 10,000 acres and had brought in over $150 million in sales with over $100 million spent on development.
