Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Coral Gables (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Lowe Art Museum, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and Church of the Little Flower. Also, be sure to include Matheson Hammock Park in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Coral Gables (Florida).
Table of Contents
Lowe Art Museum
Museum in Coral Gables, Florida. The Lowe Art Museum is an art museum operated by the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, in the United States.
Lowe Art Museum opened in 1950, originally established by a gift from philanthropists.Joe and Emily Lowe. At the time of its opening, the museum was the first art museum in South Florida. The museum has an extensive collection of art with permanent collections in Greco-Roman antiquities, Renaissance, Baroque, 17th- and 19th-century European art, 19th-century American Art, and modern art. The museum's national and international works come from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Native America, Ancient Americas, and the Pacific Islands. It also has a large collection of glassworks including creations by Robert Arneson, Jun Kaneko ("Dango") and Christine Federighi ("Globe"). There are also glassworks by Pablo Picasso, William Morris, Emily Brock, Harvey Littleton, Erwin Eisch, and Ginny Ruffner in the permanent collection.
The permanent collection includes works by: Lippo Vanni, Sano di Pietro, Lorenzo di Bicci, Lorenzo di Credi, Vincenzo Catena, Francesco Bacchiacca, Bernardino Fungai, Adrian Isenbrandt, Jacob Jordaens, Jusepe de Ribera, El Greco, Francisco Goya, Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Frank Stella, Knox Martin, and Duane Hanson. There are also Modern works of Art by Roy Lichtenstein, Sandy Skoglund, Purvis Young, Louise Nevelson, Julian Stanczak and Enrique Montenegro in the permanent collection.
The Lowe Art Museum is served by the Miami Metrorail at the University Station.[1]
Address: 1301 Stanford Dr, 33146 Miami (Coral Gables)
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Expansive park with a tram and events. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is an 83-acre botanic garden with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines. It is located in the city of Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, just south of Miami, surrounded at the north and west by Matheson Hammock Park.
Fairchild opened to the public in 1938.
Fairchild is a museum, laboratory, learning center, and conservation research facility whose main role is preserving biodiversity. It has 45,000 members and more than 1,200 volunteers. In 2012, Fairchild became the home of the American Orchid Society.[2]
Address: 10901 Old Cutler Rd, 33156-4233 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Church of the Little Flower
Catholic church in Coral Gables, Florida. The Church of the Little Flower is a Roman Catholic church in Coral Gables, Florida founded in 1926. The church's domed 1951 building was constructed in Spanish Renaissance style, in keeping with the Mediterranean Revival architecture for which Coral Gables is noted.
The church members have long been conspicuously upscale. For most of the 20th century, its members were predominantly Irish-American, political liberals who voted the Democratic ticket, but by the end of the century, the majority of members were Cuban-Americans, who are known for being politically conservative and voting Republican. Both Floridian contenders for the 2016 Republican nomination for president, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, attend Little Flower with their families. The Rubios were married in the church.[3]
Address: 2711 Indian Mound Trl, 33134-5553 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Matheson Hammock Park
Park in Coral Gables, Florida. Matheson Hammock Park is a 630 acres urban park in metropolitan Miami at 9610 Old Cutler Road, just south of Coral Gables, Florida. The park surrounds the north and western ends of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.[4]
Address: 9610 Old Cutler Rd, 33156-4268 Miami
Coral Gables City Hall
Government office in Coral Gables, Florida. The Coral Gables City Hall is a historic site in Coral Gables, Florida. It is located at 405 Biltmore Way. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The city hall was built in the Mediterranean Revival architectural style. It was completed in 1928. Phineas Paist and Harold Steward were the architects; Denman Fink was the artistic advisor. It is three stories tall, built of local limestone, has a stuccoed exterior, tile roof, central 3-stage clock tower, and a Corinthian colonnade. It was major element in the plan of George E. Merrick, founder of Coral Gables, to create a Spanish-Mediterranean city.[5]
Address: 405 Biltmore Way, 33134-5770 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Coral Gables Congregational Church
Congregational church in Coral Gables, Florida. The Coral Gables Congregational Church is a historic Congregational church in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. The church was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott in 1923 and is regarded as a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It is located at 3010 DeSoto Boulevard. On October 10, 1978, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
It has been known to encourage artistic and musical pursuits for youths. In particular the Coral Gables Congregational Church Composition Prize which, in 2006, was won by Australian composer Gordon Hamilton.[6]
Address: 3010 De Soto Blvd, 33134 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Coral Gables House
Museum in Coral Gables, Florida. The Coral Gables Merrick House is a historic house located at 907 Coral Way in Coral Gables, Florida.[7]
Address: 907 Coral Way, 33134-4824 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Gifford Arboretum
Botanical garden in Coral Gables, Florida. The John C. Gifford Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden located at the northwest corner of the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida in the United States.[8]
Address: 1301 Memorial Dr, 33146-2508 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
Coral Gables Branch Library
Branch library. The Coral Gables Branch Library is one of 49 branches of the Miami-Dade Public Library system, located at 3443 Segovia Street in Coral Gables, Florida. It was established by the Coral Gables Woman's Club in 1927.[9]
Address: 3443 Segovia St, 33134 Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
University of Miami School of Law
Private school in Coral Gables, Florida. The University of Miami School of Law is the law school of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, in the United States.
Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school in South Florida, graduating its first class of 13 students in 1929. The school offers 300 courses in 18 areas of study, 17 legal clinics and practicums, and over two dozen interdisciplinary and joint-degree programs.
According to its ABA-required disclosures for 2017, 75 percent of the University of Miami School of Law's graduating class obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[10]
Address: 1311 Miller Dr, Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
University of Miami
Private university in Coral Gables, Florida. The University of Miami is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, in the United States. As of 2020, the university enrolled approximately 18,000 students in 12 separate colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic academic majors and programs, including the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Miami's Health District, a law school on the main campus, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science on Virginia Key with research facilities in southern Miami-Dade County.
The University of Miami offers 134 undergraduate, 148 master's, and 67 doctoral degree programs. Since its founding, the university has attracted students from all 50 states and nearly 150 foreign countries. With 16,479 faculty and staff as of 2021, UM is the third largest employer in Miami-Dade County. UM's main campus in Coral Gables has 239 acres (0.97 km2) and over 5.7 million square feet of buildings.
UM's doctorate programs are Carnegie classified at the highest research level, "Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity". UM research expenditures in FY 2019 were $358.9 million. UM's library system holds over 3.9 million volumes and exceptional holdings in Cuban heritage and music.
UM's intercollegiate athletic teams are collectively known as the Miami Hurricanes and compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. UM's football team has won five national championships since 1983 and its baseball team has won four national championships since 1982.[11]