Miami Beach Plays Host to the World

My, how things change. Here’s an excerpt from a Miami Beach advertising brochure from 1939 that seemed to place a rather large emphasis on fishing…

Hospitality is a tradition in Miami Beach and entertainment has become a fine art. The growth of this area as the world’s foremost wintertime resort center is founded on service and courtesy to the vacationist. Hotel and apartment managers have become specialists in caring for the needs of visitors. As a result, the tourist capacity here is greater than at any other winter resort in the world. For your wintertime home you can choose among more than 200 hotels, 1500 apartment buildings and approximately 5000 furnished bungalows, homes or sumptuous estates. There’s room for 150.000 visitors—without overcrowding —and the range in rates offers living accommodations to suit any pocketbook. Plan to come early and stay all season. Only then will you realize the full benefits of living in the Cities of the Sun.

Under the mysterious depths of the Gulf Stream lurks a tantalizing challenge to sportsmen anglers. More than 600 varieties of fish frequent these waters — fish for every degree of angling skill from the small ones that fit neatly into your frying pan to the great game fish with lightning speed and mammoth power such as marlin, sailfish, tuna, bonita, dolphin, wahoo, amberjack, kingfish, barracuda and bonefish. Trained guides and more than 300 charter boats, completely equipped with rods, reels and all the special paraphernalia necessary, are ready to help you snag the big ones. For fresh water anglers, the canals, lakes and rivers that interlace the hinterland are populated with bass, robalo and small tarpon. Fishermen really catch fish in the Cities of the Sun and tournaments with prizes in every class add a competitive zest to the sport.

Not one mention of nightlife in Miami Beach. Time changes all, we guess…