Gladeview, FL Outdoor Activities

Located in North Miami Beach, H2O Dive Center facilitates safe diving experiences with a staff of SSI-certified instructors, informative ocean-exploration courses, and quality equipment rentals. During each dip in the center's pool, professional scuba divers prep beginners for open-water dives by demonstrating how to properly use the provided equipment and imitating the accents of sea turtles. Seasoned divers can further their studies during advanced diving courses or a three-part open-water certification course.

For more than a quarter century, A&A Beach Services has given beach-goers all the tools they need to get the best rest, relaxation, and enjoyment out of their sandy stay. Thrill-seekers can rent a Yamaha jet ski and zoom over the Atlantic waves. Beach accessories such as umbrellas, cabanas, and chaise lounges furnish a happily lazy afternoon.

The company’s prime spot directly on the 2.5-mile Hollywood Beach Boardwalk makes bike riding an easy and popular sightseeing activity and the best way to outrun an angry hermit crab. Everyone from single riders to families of four can enjoy their sunny jaunt with a bike inventory that includes banana bikes, kid carriers, and two- and four-seat Surreys.

Rob—a licensed Coast Guard captain and PADI-certified master scuba diver trainer—is affectionately called Captain Rob by his clients. His eponymous company helps the uninitiated to explore underwater with PADI-certification classes that focus on open-water dives in open water. From his 27-foot boat, a Grady White called Little Bugga, the captain launches expeditions beneath the waves. His encyclopedic knowledge of the area's ecology, which includes marine life, shines as he explains it in detail to divers. He also uses his decades of experience to teach new boat owners how to fish or captain their vessel through turbulent waters and car washes.

Back in 1955, Bayside Marketplace was abuzz with fishermen selling the day’s catch to people eager to bring home a fresh dinner to their families. Today, the waterside marketplace still bustles with shoppers, but now both tourists and locals bob in and out of retail shops and restaurants, and stop mid-step to catch street performers in action. It’s in this lively epicenter—which reminds many of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf—that Boat Rental Miami calls home. Here, rental offices try to bring a bit of the past into the future through fishing trips and leisurely bouts at sea.

New and veteran boaters alike can visit the market’s Pier 5 and board a wide range of vessels to experience the Atlantic Ocean or Biscayne Bay. Boat Rental Miami outfits boaters with sports boards with extended swim platforms, kraken deterrent, and wakeboard storage for fishing vessels with extra-quiet four-stroke motors. Frequent boaters can sign up for one of the club’s membership programs and receive regular discounts on rentals, while novices can try their hand at steering during Saturday boating classes.

South Beach Charters LLC’s pair of 32' Silverton Flybridge Cruisers carry a certain swagger as they glide across the waters of South Florida. That’s because the privately chartered boats are often loaded down with partying payloads immersed in VIP style. Nicknamed the “Disco Boat” and “Discotheque”, the vessels were completely customized in 2012 with 10-speaker marine sound systems and spinning disco balls to go along with ample seating for up to 12 passengers. A friendly crew, which includes a captain and for an additional fee bartenders and a private DJ, keeps the party buoyant, looking out for party-crashing icebergs. Ocean adventurers can also opt for add-ons such as snorkeling gear, standup paddleboards, kayaks, and inflatable island rafts to enjoy on their aquatic jaunt.

After changing hands many times between 1882 and 1916, the property that would eventually be known as The Kampong—which means "village" in Malay—was snatched up by David Fairchild and his wife Marian, a daughter of Alexander Graham Bell. Fairchild was one of the most influential horticulturists in the United States, devoting his life to plant exploration and finding new strains of flora suitable for introduction to the states. Though he and his wife spent much of their time in Washington DC until 1928, The Kampong became an "introduction garden" for many of the plants he collected during his travels.

After constructing a house on the garden property in 1928, the Fairchilds made Miami their permanent home, and they were eventually were joined by Marian's sister and her husband on the adjoining property. Today, as part of the National Register of Historic Places, most of the adjoining property has been absorbed to be part of The Kampong, creating more than 11 acres of verdant gardens. Inside the leafy labyrinth, many of the experimental plants still thrive, including an 80-year-old baobab tree, more than 50 mango varieties, and a minotaur made entirely of leaves.