Thanks to its interactive water fountain in Centennial Park and historic facades, you won’t find a prettier or more family-friendly main street than Venice Avenue. Boutiques, toy and what-not shops, pizzerias, ice cream shops, and sidewalk cafes fill the circa 1920s buildings along a boulevard beautified with palms and other tropical vegetation. Follow it to the beach and walk through the historical exhibits of pretty Heritage Park.

One block to the south, Miami Avenue continues the shop-and-dine scene in a slightly more affordable vein. To the north, on the other side of Centennial Park, which hosts live music in season, the historic Venice Mall, once a military institute, holds a handful of shops and galleries.