Coral Gables

A planned 1920s city of Mediterranean-style homes and shaded boulevards.

In the 1920s, a family citrus plantation was turned into a planned city, with Mediterranean-style homes, grand entrance gates, fountains and wide boulevards lined with banyan trees.

Strict building rules have protected that look for a century, so the streets still feel calm and green. Its landmarks include the Biltmore Hotel with its tall tower and the Venetian Pool, a public swimming pool carved from an old coral-rock quarry.