With locally inspired flavors like mamey and Maria cookies, this hip spot in the heart of Little Havana will tickle your sweet tooth to its gums while salsa music flows from nearby clubs and restaurants. Be sure to check out the surrounding area, too, if you're interested in Latin dance or Cuban heritage.

If you want a taste of homestyle Miami cooking, look no further. This local chain is a South Florida staple for Cuban favorites like ropa vieja, vaca frita and lechon. With its iconic red-and-yellow paint job and locations all over the city, this place is hard to miss even if you want to.

If you're into hidden gems, this is the place to go. To the inexperienced commoner, this lunch-counter dive in Miami's Westchester neighborhood might not look like much. But look past its unimpressive exterior and you'll find, to paraphrase Spongebob Squarepants, one of the most sumptuous, lip-moistening, spine-tingling, heart-stopping pleasure centers that is a frita original sin queso (basically, a delicious Cuban hamburger). Their shakes aren't bad, either.

A low-key joint with art deco-style signage, Frankie's is a Westchester classic that's been baking iconic square pies packaged as individual slices with plunger-shaped pepperonis since the 1950s -- and it hasn't changed much at all since. If you have an oven available, grab a half-baked pizza and cook it up hot and fresh at home.

Feel like donning a monocle and slathering on some fancy mustache cream? For an upscale (but not ridiculous) taste of Nicaragua, give Los Ranchos a try. With juicy tenderloin steaks seasoned in chimichurri sauce and cooked to order, you'll forget about the price tag. There are several locations across Miami, but this is the one to check out, located downtown with ocean views from your seat, plus the Miami Heat arena right next door.

Want to try some local food a bit north of Miami? Stop by any Panna location for Venezuelan favorites like tequeños, arepas, and cachapas. If you're feeling less adventurous, this place also has some great hot dogs with a bit of flair.

South Beach and Miami Beach are tourist favorites, but Fort Lauderdale Beach and Hollywood Beach have a lot to offer, too!

To enjoy South Florida's world-famous coastlines, rent a jet ski, a kayak or go parasailing while taking in one of the area's most treasured, most unique landscapes.

Explore one of Florida's iconic coral reefs, up close and personal. Take in the rock beauties, the corals and the occasional shark or barracuda.

Want to see the Everglades without the work of walking? Head out to Holiday Park, an outpost on US-27 where you can fish from the pier, watch people wrestle alligators and cruise across the "river of grass" in the swamp-favorite airboat. Be sure to bring earplugs.

Take in an evening at one of the most egregious abuses of taxpayer funding in the city's history, watching the Marlins play in air-conditioned comfort. Be sure to sample some of the food, which features a Miami flair distinctive from most ballparks.

See the part of South Florida everyone forgets, even though they absolutely shouldn't. Alligators, wading birds, sawgrass, turtles and, if you make it to the end, perhaps even crocodiles, dolphins and manatees. Take a hike through the swamp, or just cruise the comfortable boardwalk at Mahogany Hammock. Be sure -- and I can't stress this enough -- to bring mosquito repellent.

For a relaxing day with the family, head out to Matheson Hammock for a picnic on the coast. Take a walk along the sea-adjacent sidewalk, where you can see crabs, jellyfish and the occasional dolphin porpoising in the distance. If you're feeling extra adventurous, bring swim trunks and experience the park's unusual beach-pool hybrid.