Being the sprawling swampland that we are, Miami and South Florida don’t really have “suburbs” in the traditional sense. Because most of the region was built in the last 100 years, the usual urban-center-surrounded-by-bedroom-communities model isn’t so much the case here. And when places like Hialeah and Pembroke Pines are among the most populous cities in the state, it makes the term a little hard to define.

Still, the municipalities across Dade and Broward counties that don’t have their names on our airports still offer some pretty cool stuff. And as people are commuting less, and staying close to home more, collectively we’re beginning to appreciate the great bars, restaurants, history, and nature in our suburbs. Here’s a look at a handful that might not be the sexiest names in South Florida, but offer just as much for people who live there as bigger locales.

Distance from Miami: 30 minutes

Kendall isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind. It has no physical boundaries. It has no municipal designation. It’s more a term anyone who lives west of US-1 and south of Dadeland throws out to describe where they live. Or, more accurately, who they are. And what was once a sprawling wasteland of traffic, track homes, and chain restaurants has finally begun to forge an identity over the last decade. And for Kendallites, that means not having to drive hours to do something other than happy hour at Bennigan’s.

Noted Kendall native Adrianne Calvo began the culinary movement here, opening her landmark Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar to great acclaim. Others followed suit, with spots like Finka Table and Tap, Tacos & Tattoos, and Dr. Limon all getting people to brave the traffic. Though it branded itself as “Downtown Dadeland,” we all know the shiny new streets south of Dadeland Mall are squarely in Kendall. And with Ghee, Pubbelly Sushi, The Brick, and others calling it home, it can make a case as the best block-for-block restaurant district in Miami.

Distance from Miami: 30 minutes
Once upon a time, unless you worked at a cruise line, played golf, or had to bail someone out of TGK, there was really no reason to go to Doral. But as an increasingly affluent immigrant population began to pour into this city that is, literally, named after a couple named Doris and Al, amenities soon followed. Now the city that was once not much more than a good place for airport parking could stand on its own against a lot of American metros.

Distance from Miami: 20 minutes

When people want to experience modern art and old Florida nature in the same afternoon, it typically involves a very long drive from museums in downtown and Wynwood all the way to the Everglades. Or, it can mean going a couple miles in North Miami, where you’ll find both swampy mangroves and provocative art a short distance apart. The Museum of Contemporary Art has begun running its Jazz on the Plaza series again after a COVID break, with free, Friday night concerts in its breezy outdoor space. Plus yearlong outdoor art installations in the plaza as well, making it the city’s best destination for outdoor art outside Wynwood.

A short walk from MOCA in Griffing Park you’ll find the Electric Tree, a Banyan Tree adorned in fluorescent tubes that gives the city an iconic art piece to visit while in town. If you’d rather see nature without electric accoutrements, Oleta River State Park sits just north in North Miami Beach. Here you can rent a kayak and paddle through old mangroves, ending at beaches only reachable by boat and islands in the middle of Biscayne Bay. You can also traverse its miles of mountain bike tracks, which while not exactly Asheville South, offer a spot to get out in the dirt without driving for an entire day.

Distance from Miami: 40 minutes
Once a place you only went for cheap Spirit flights and Jai-Alai, Dania Beach has turned itself into a lot more than the home of Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The future home of Spirit’s $250 million corporate headquarters is also a major player in maritime, with boaters cruising the canals every weekend and stopping at breezy bars like Paradise Tiki. Or docking and enjoying the quirky collection of dive bars that sit just off Federal Highway.

Distance from Miami: One hour
Do you enjoy indulging in buttermilk doughnuts at Salty Donut? Or waiting in line for an everything bagel sandwich at El Bagel? Or savouring a veggie-packed juice at Pura Vida? Well, friend, you have Weston to thank. Not because any of these concepts started there, necessarily. But because the people behind all three of those staples of the Miami food scene come from Cypress Bay High School. And so it reasons, without Weston, breakfast in Miami as we know it would be markedly different.

Distance from Miami: 35 minutes
Aventura is having a moment. Yes, it’s still home to pretty much everyone in New York City’s grandparents. And getting off I-95 at Ives Dairy Road continues to be its own special circle of hell. But in the past few years the city of condos (seriously, the city seal is condos) has added everything from a food hall to a water park to a Michael Mina restaurant with its own fish sommelier. Which makes Aventura-we never thought we’d say this-cool.

Aventura Mall is still bustling and adding more upscale restaurants, alongside the Feast at Treats Food Hall, including Michael Mina’ new Ornos Esariatorio, with the aforementioned fish sommelier. Just down the road, Tidal Cove gave Aventura America’s swankiest water park, where if you can afford the triple-digit admission ticket you can enjoy no waterslide lines and a private cabana. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem thought enough of Aventura to open 800 Degrees pizza there. The new Aloft gave Aventura a pretty respectable cocktail bar, which alongside Reunion Ktchn Bar’s new lounge brought the city a drinking scene like it had never had. And with the reopening of Bartaco and the new PERL, Aventura has restaurants that can easily claim to be among Miami’s best.

Distance from Miami: 20 minutes
We know, we know, Gables lifers, The City Beautiful is it’s own, magical metropolitan area with its own downtown, major university, and baseball stadium. But since that baseball stadium and the campus it sits on are called “University of Miami,” well, the suburban shoe fits. No shame in that, though, as America’s first fully-planned community is full of stunning Spanish architecture, limestone gates guarding the city, and some of South Florida’s most beautiful homes. The Banyan Tree canopy that runs over much of the city is the stuff of car commercial dreams, and the bustling downtown makes it easy to live here and never leave.

Distance from Miami: 25 minutes
Don’t let the soon-to-be-abandoned Sunset Place fool you into thinking South Miami is somehow falling off. Yes, the mall ain’t what it was when your parents dropped you off here to see Phantom Menace, but the streets that surround it are teeming with new restaurants, classic bars, and college kids bringing the place a youthful energy. Though UM is technically in Coral Gables, a good number of students live across US-1 in South Miami, meaning spots like Ra Sushi, TacoCraft, and In Ramen are often filled with students buying dinner with their parents’ high limit credit cards.

Distance from Miami: 20 minutes
With 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade County, and 10 of them including the word “Miami,” many would be hard pressed to tell you where, exactly, Miami Springs is located. It’s also hard to tell because the city is hidden behind the northside of Miami International Airport, why it was a onetime home to Pan Am and Eastern pilots who wanted to live close to work. But venture a few blocks north of NW 36th Street (and through the mini-city of Virginia Gardens) and you’ll arrive in a strange slice of small town America sandwiched between the airport and Hialeah.