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Coral Gables - The City Beautiful

  • Miami-Dade
  • Walking
  • Coach & walking
  • Art & galleries
  • Nature & wildlife
  • Easy pace

At a glance

Minimum group
15 guests
Maximum group
In one group: 50 guests | Staggered: 200 guests (4 groups of 50 guests 15 minutes apart)
Approximate duration
3 hours (including transfer from and to South Beach).
Time of day
Morning or afternoon
Meals included
None (meals can be added for an additional cost).
Transportation
To be provided by client or by Dragonfly Expeditions at additional cost.

Join us for an amazing tour through one of America’s most beautiful historic cities: Coral Gables, George Merrick's vision realized. Learn the history of his dream as we tour the tree-lined avenues and stunning Mediterranean-influenced architecture that would eventually become his legacy.

Explore the historic halls of one of South Florida’s most architecturally important landmarks: the Biltmore Hotel. Learn about the building’s many colorful stories and how she was resurrected into the legendary beauty she is today. Allow us to filter through the truths, untruths, ghosts and glamour that capture the essence of South Florida style and history in this truly amazing landmark.

Sit back and let our guides bring to life Merrick’s vision while they uncover the city’s hidden wonders. What you’ll discover along our less-traveled path will enrich and engage you and leave you with something most visitors and even locals never experience … a true sense of place.

What is included

  • Dragonfly Expeditions is the only tour company with exclusive access to the interior of the historic Biltmore Hotel.
  • All entrance fees and taxes.
  • 15% of the gross profits of this tour go directly to a local non-profit organization to support their preservation efforts.
  • Tour interpretation by guide starts and ends at the hotel.
  • Guide to guest ratio does not exceed 1:25. There are always 2 staff members on the vehicle –one to give the driver directions and one to provide the interpretation without distraction.
  • Our guides are certified and trained.
  • Participants get off the bus several times for a guided walk through landmarks including a selection of the following: “Behind the Scenes” Historic Biltmore Hotel Tour, Gregory Plantation and Merrick House, Poinciana Honeymoon Cottage, Denman Fink’s City Hall Mural, Venetian Pool, DeSoto Fountain, and the International Themed Villages (Normandy, French, Chinese, Dutch South African).

Good to know

  • 15% of the gross profits of this tour go directly to a local non-profit organization to support their preservation efforts.
  • Dragonfly Expeditions is the only tour company with exclusive access to the interior of the historic Biltmore Hotel.

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Walking, Coach & walking · 3 photos

A Path through Old "Cocoanut" Grove

Pure experience is a most exciting way to learn. Stroll with us through the quaint, colorful, bohemian settlement of Coconut Grove for a peek behind the angled roads, charming shops and graceful canopies of storm-tempered trees that characterize the area today.Step into the past where an erroneously labeled post office turns a dense hardwood hammock into the semi-tropical paradisiacal town of "Cocoanut" Grove. See the historic site of the first hotel in the area - The Peacock Inn. Hear the inspiring story of Ralph Munroe while touring his unusual home, “The Barnacle,”which just so happens to be the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still in its original location.

Art & galleries, Nature & wildlife

Art in the Gables

In the 1920’s, one ambitious man looked at the uncontrolled sprawl of the emerging city of Miami and saw the potential to build a perfectly designed city. He imagined lush green plazas, winding, tree-lined boulevards, esplanades and huge fountains. His dream city would be filled with buildings and homes that would invoke the grandeur of Rome, the subtle beauty of the Côte d’Azur and the richness of ascendant Spain. The artists that created this city colored their dreams with a palette of terra cotta, ocher and sienna to deflect and neutralize the brilliance of the Florida sun. That dream has become the City of Coral Gables. Today, Coral Gables is teeming with history and culture and is protected against the intrusions of over-modernization.

Walking · 2 photos

Coral Gables – Walking My Neighborhood

Curious about the enchanting neighborhood surrounding the beautiful Biltmore Hotel? You are invited to join us on an old-fashioned walk through the historic streets of Coral Gables.