Paradise involves a good smoke, a wide beach and a cool, mind-numbing drink -- Here you'll find all three.

Exhale a puff of smoke while taking a noonday stroll down one of Miami’s wide boulevards, and chances are it’ll be sniffed — and analyzed, studiously — by a cigar-world great who’s happened to walk by. Indeed, thanks to many titans of the cigar industry making their homes and businesses in South Florida, smokes are just as much a part of the local landscape as pink stucco apartment buildings, South Beach–strutting models and the occasional alligator.

Visitors and locals alike swing by places such as Aficionado’s Premium Cigars, Puros Fine Cigars and even the Padrón family’s own special store just off the city’s Calle Ocho to load up on their fine smokes. A number of lounges here also give you an air-conditioned space to escape the heat, all while burning the day away. For those interested in seeing a premium cigar-rolling operation up close (particularly for fans of La Gloria Cubana, produced here), downtown’s tiny El Credito Cigar Factory is also a must-visit landmark — as is the Havana Club, whose 55th floor views present a bird’s-eye backdrop to puffing on that hand-rolled cigar smoke.

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