Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
American Jazz Age, and if this joint were a fictional character from a novel, it'd be,
without question, Jay Gatsby. Al Capone had a speakeasy on-site, and the Capone Suite is
still haunted by the spirit of Fats Walsh, who was murdered here (for more ghost details,
join in the weekly storytelling in the lobby, 7pm Thursday). Back in the day, imported
gondolas transported celebrity guests like Judy Garland and the Vanderbilts around be-
cause, of course, there was a private canal system out the back. It's gone now, but the
largest hotel pool in the continental USA, which resembles a sultan's water garden from
One Thousand and One Nights,
is still here.
Lowe Art Museum
MUSEUM
Sat, noon-4pm Sun)
Your love of the Lowe, located on the campus of the University of Miami, depends on
your taste in art. If you're into modern and contemporary works, it's good. If you're into
the art and archaeology of cultures from Asia, Africa and the South Pacific, it's great. And
if you're into pre-Columbian and Mesoamerican art, it's fantastic. That isn't to discount
the lovely permanent collection of Renaissance and baroque art, Western sculpture from
the 18th to 20th centuries, and paintings by Gauguin, Picasso and Monet.
Merrick House
HISTORIC BUILDING
2pm & 3pm Sun & Wed)
It's fun to imagine this simple homestead, with its little hints of Med style, as the core of
what would eventually become the gaudy Gables. When George Merrick's father pur-
chased this plot, site unseen, for $1100, it was all dirt, rock and guavas. The property is
now used for meetings and receptions, and you can tour both the house and its pretty or-
ganic garden. The modest family residence looks as it did in 1925, outfitted with family
photos, furniture and artwork.
Entrances & Watertower
LANDMARK
Coral Gables designer George Merrick planned a series of elaborate entry gates to the city,
but the real-estate bust meant that projects went unfinished. Among the completed gates
worth seeing, which resemble the entrance pavilions to grand Andalucian estates, are the
