Highway A1A, the road that follows Florida's Atlantic coast, gets crowded in southern Florida. From Jupiter south to the Everglades is like a huge city. The area is not without its charm. It is the winter home for the rich and famous and a place visited by millions of the less famous.

Palm Beach

Palm Beach is said to be the social capital of Florida. Many of the beaches are private, but there is a beautiful stretch of public beach downtown. Palm Beach's most fashionable shopping street is Worth Avenue, with its elegantly-designed 1920s Mediterranean Revival buildings. The town took off at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks in part to the efforts of developer Henry Morrison Flagler. To get an idea the life he lived, travelers may wish to visit the Flagler Museum, which occupies one of his mansions, or stay at the Breakers, an ultra-luxurious resort owned by Flagler heirs.

South of Palm Beach is the equally-fashionable town of Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale, whose canals give it the name "Venice of America. "Visitors who want to get around town might want to take a water taxi.

Miami

This mighty metropolis at the heart of South Florida became home to displaced northerners who wanted their place in the sun, and the largest Cuban population outside of Havana. This "capital of the Caribbean" is also home to large groups of immigrants from other Latin countries in Central and South America. The city has its share of modern high rises, but perhaps the most well-known architecture is the the Art Deco look. The South Beach National Historic District has more than 800 Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival structures from the 1920s, '30s and '40s Many of these buildings face Ocean Drive, a lively beach playground that offers entertainment day and night. South of Miami is Coral Gables, a town with its own 1920s ambiance