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Winter has always been the high season in Miami, largely because that's when Northeasterners need to shed their parkas and thaw out. As a result, "it's when all the new restaurants, bars, and shops open up in one go," says travel writer Mark Ellwood, author of the Rough Guide to Miami. But in early December it's also the locus of the international art world, when Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB; in 2008, December 4 through 7) and dozens of satellite art fairs spring up all around town.
Read a complete guide to Best Travel Spots of the Month