North Beach Oceanside Park was originally established in the 1950s when the city purchased and…read moredemolished a series of dilapidated villas on the site. Today, it's one of Miami's largest parks, stretching from 78th Street to 87th Terrace. For years, the 28-acre site was left largely to nature. In 2017, the city approved a $6 million renovation, with Calvin, Giordano & Associates as project manager and West 8 leading the redesign. The renovation focused on preserving the park's natural beauty, including large palm trees, sea grapes, and its dune ecosystem, which protects against rising sea levels, while improving both aesthetics and functionality. Today, the park offers beach access with lifeguards on duty and plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the sun. Amenities include outdoor showers, restrooms, a dog park, picnic tables and grills, a sand volleyball court, three rentable picnic pavilions with grills, swings, a playground, and trails with a self-powered outdoor fitness course. Parking is available in the municipal lot on 83rd Street and along Harding Avenue. I especially enjoyed walking the trails--the park is much quieter than nearby South Beach, which you can also reach via the paved 8-mile bike trail. It's a peaceful, well-maintained spot for a day at the beach or an active outdoor outing.

15 years Miami and never had I been to this park up until today. And the reason why I ended up here…read moretoday is I was having breakfast close by and we wanted to find the closest dog friendly beach. Well Google and website says bark beach is here however upon arrival there were signs everywhere of no animals allowed however we saw there was dogs on the beach and went for it too. very beautiful park however i feel its only purpose is people coming here to barbecue as its one after the other. paid street parking only

I absolutely love this park and there's always something to do. There's a children's playground…read morewith a lot of shade, a Chewy dog park and areas you can walk, ride a bike or skate by the water. Since it's near the water, you also feel a nice breeze that makes the Miami Heat bearable. The newly addition of the fountain with the water show elevated the space. I also like how it's close to Bayside, Kaseya Center and other parts of downtown; if you want to walk some more or find a place to eat nearby. Parking is also easy to find and affordable. If you want to spend some time outdoors with the family, including your dogs, this is a great place to come.

Great park with beautiful views! Bayfront Park is very clean, spacious, and easy to walk around…read more There are also several food trucks along the way, which is convenient if you get hungry while exploring. We stopped at Ricky's Frozen Drinks for a sausage and a lemonade. It was okay, probably a 2.5/5, but honestly, I was hungry so maybe that influenced my rating LOL. There are different parking lots around the park, but you do have to pay for parking. We also saw security driving around a couple of times, which made the area feel safe and well monitored. Overall, a really nice place to walk around, enjoy the views, and spend some time outdoors. Would definitely visit again!

If your idea of a perfect day includes warm water and room to spread out, Crandon Park Beach…read moredelivers. Stretching two miles along Biscayne Bay, the beach is known for its calm, shallow water--great for swimming, floating or letting kids play safely near shore. You would think that a beach is a beach, but South Florida beaches vary greatly. Some have buildings, some have big crowds, some are great for families, and some have a very natural setting with no buildings at all. One beach that has smaller crowds is Crandon Park's North Beach. Crandon Park Beach has two sections, North & South Beach. Crandon's two beaches are among the most popular beaches in South Florida and cover two miles along the Atlantic side of Key Biscayne The south and north ends of Key Biscayne each contain a large park. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park makes up the southern portion of the island and contains the Cape Florida Lighthouse. The lighthouse, built in 1825, is Miami Dade County's oldest structure. The northern part of the island contains a golf course, marina, tennis center, Nature Center, the Bear Cut Preserve, and Crandon Park Beach. Crandon Park Beach is much more a local's beach and much less touristy. The waves are stronger at North Beach, and you'll see kiteboarders flocking to this beach, though you can't bring your own boards.

Crandon Beach is beautiful, with soft white sand and not a whole lot of people. We couldn't…read morebelieve how lucky we were when we stumbled across this place :-) Tip: Pay attention to the signs here - we didn't see the one saying we needed to feed the parking meters, and ended up with a huge ticket :-( Over and above the parking ticket, it cost us almost fifty bucks to rent beach chairs... All told this beach is totally worth checking out, but even if you do things right, it's gonna cost you ;-)

Flew into MCO airport to spend a few days in Orlando and decided to drive down to Miami to go to…read moreone of my favorite beaches, Haulover. About a 3 hour drive. Always a great time when we come to this beach. Clothing optional. Easy access parking directly across the street from the beach. You walk via underground tunnel to get access the beach. It is paid parking though. Lifeguard on duty.

Good and Bad. It was a beautiful beach with calm crystal clear water. There is a clothing optional…read moresection and a textile section and both were very crowded. Most Miami beaches are. Most folks were very friendly. There was one guy shouting random things about Eddie Money.. not sure why. There was also a verbal altercation a few groups over but the beach patrol talked everyone down and it was fine. The beach Cafe was pretty awesome. You can have food and drinks delivered to you on the beach. There are also Umbrella and Chair rentals and they do all the set up and tear down for you. I would go again.

Bal Harbour is an exclusive, 1-square-mile affluent village at the northern tip of Miami Beach. It…read moreis known for its white-sand beaches, luxury oceanfront resorts, and high-end Bal Harbour Shops. In my humble opinion the crown jewel of Bal Harbour is the beach. Located between 96th and 102nd Streets it is stunning and showcases what I love about Florida, its beaches. The Bal Harbour Beach is clean, peaceful, and less crowded making it ideal for families while South Beach favors nightlife and people who want to be on display. There is a pay by app lot I like to park at only two blocks away and there is also metered street parking. One of the nicest features of this beach is the scenic one mile paved pathway perfect for walking and biking. On this visit I spotted a beautiful floral installation of a bike and lamp post covered in live flowers as part of the Flora Fleurs de Villes exhibit happening right now throughout Bal Harbour. There is also a seawall jetty that extends into the ocean for fishing or taking in the view. Only a block away you will find a number of restaurants and Bal Harbour Shops is across the street. Swim, sun, and relax on the picture perfect wide, sandy beach. Whether you are coming for a few hours or the whole day, this beach is a true hidden gem in Miami.

Absolutely stunning! A relaxing and clean beach to visit. Parking options are limited but if you…read morefind street parking near by , you're in luck! Beautiful beach and a great crowd. I highly recommend.

The most bougie beach in the Miami Beach area. Seriously, walking around you can definitely tell…read morehow bougie this place is with the Ritz-Carlton and a bunch of luxury apartments. Got a recommendation from a friend to visit here and was not disappointed. Here are some of the highlights/tips: - There's not a lot of people at the beach, just hotel and local residents on their paid beach chairs and umbrellas so its very nice and quiet. - Because of the tall buildings in the back, it offers a lot of shade to the area especially during mid-afternoon in the hot Miami sun which is very nice. - You can't walk directly from the street to the beach as you have to loop around all the way to the top of Miami Beach around the Ritz-Carlton to get here so if you get dropped off by Uber or Lyft, make sure to get you dropped off at the Ritz. The walk is around 7-10 minutes and it is very worth it as you can get to see the ocean roll all the way inland. - The waves are so beautiful here and I think they are just big enough to go surfing if you may choose. Overall, love this beach and would definitely recommend going to different areas in Miami Beach to understand the different vibes of the area. It's interesting because in the Southern parts of the beach the side is finer and there's more people and families. In the middle parts has more shopping and the water is slightly more murky. And in the northern areas such as Bal Harbor there is a lot less people and the sand is more rough.

It's rarely crowded here, which is nice. Paid parking is available under the Haulover Inlet bridge…read more There's a nice beach path/trail here. My only complaint is that there are no restrooms here. Like, c'mon Bal Harbor! This is one of the richest areas in the US. You guys can totally affordable some nice beach restroom facilities.

Arch Creek was a Native American settlement in what is now present day Miami. Tequesta Indians…read morethrived here until the early 16th century when European settlers arrived. The name Arch Creek comes from a natural limestone bridge that spanned the creek and was once part of an important Native American trail. The bridge collapsed in 1973 after trees with roots likely holding the bridge were removed. This area includes Arch Creek Memorial Park and the Arch Creek Environmental Preserve. Arch Creek Environmental Preserve is a 13 acre nature preserve with a mangrove forest and coastal estuary. Mangroves are important because they help reduce erosion and they filter pollutants out of the water. It is a vital wildlife corridor between two major state conservation areas, Oleta River State Park Annex and the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve. Some of the diverse wildlife you may see here includes manatees, saltwater crocodiles, wood storks, great-horned owls, egrets, herons, pelicans, ospreys, swamp rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, possums, box turtles, land crabs, ghost crabs, eagle rays, mullet, snapper, snook, grouper, and more. Arch Creek Environmental Preserve was designated as an Environmental Preserve in perpetuity by the City of North Miami in 2007. The Urban Paradise Guild has worked for years on habitat restoration projects such as removing invasive plants like Australian Pines and planting mangroves. There is limited parking at the start of the trail and the trail ends at the campus of Florida International University. The preserve includes a butterfly garden and the paved exercise trail used by walkers, runners, cyclists, bird watchers, and nature lovers. This was an enjoyable place to take a walk and enjoy nature in the middle of urban Miami. Whether you're looking for a quiet stroll, a safe place to exercise, or simply somewhere to unwind outside, Arch Creek Environmental Preserve offers a welcoming and accessible haven for nature enthusiasts.

I lived across the street from Arch Creek East for 10 years and somehow missed paradise hiding in…read moreplain sight. It took a global pandemic, endless doomscrolling, and one long walk to realize there was a slice of untouched Florida literally across the street from me the whole time. COVID-19 gave us a lot of things -- paranoia, banana bread obsessions, and, for me, the gift of finally discovering this little Eden. Arch Creek East is where Miami sheds the neon and noise and quietly reminds you what existed before developers paved paradise into condo parking lots. It's part of the ancient hammock ecosystem, sitting on what was once a Tequesta Native American settlement. Spanish explorers passed through here centuries ago, and if you close your eyes long enough, you can almost hear the whispers of history in the mangroves -- or maybe that's just the ibis arguing with the egrets. This place is wild Florida at its best. Winding trails, shaded canopies, and a breeze off Biscayne Bay that feels like nature hitting the reset button. You'll spot herons, manatees if you're lucky, and the occasional kayaker who looks way more coordinated than I'll ever be. During lockdown, this became my sanctuary -- my daily escape from cabin fever and bad news cycles. Arch Creek East isn't just beautiful, though; it's peaceful in a way Miami rarely is. There's no blasting reggaeton, no condo noise, no traffic screaming at you -- just water, wildlife, and sky. Pro tip: bring bug spray, a camera, and your curiosity. And if you've been living nearby for nearly two decades without visiting, do yourself a favor -- don't wait for a pandemic to stumble into paradise like I did.

In 1916 the Miami Beach Improvement Company, founded by John Collins, platted the Oceanfront…read moreSubdivision on a two mile isthmus. The Company named the area Miami Beach. Today the Collins Waterfront Architectural Historic District includes 110 buildings and structures near Collins Avenue. The earliest dates to 1922 and the majority were built in the late 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Architectural styles include moderne, Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival architecture, and the local Miami Modern style called MiMo, a type of mid century modernism architecture style that developed after WWII from the 1940's to the 1960's. Its hallmark is modern simplicity of form influenced by South Florida. Many of the buildings in this district are large resort hotels. The district is defined by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and 24th Street, Indian Creek Drive, Pine Tree Drive, and the Collins Canal. One of my favorite things about Miami Beach is the Miami Beach Boardwalk, a paved pathway that runs for seven miles, the length of Miami Beach. It begins at 87th terrace and Collins Ave at the border of Surfside and takes you south through North Beach, Mid Beach, and ending at the Ocean Drive Promenade in South Beach in South Pointe Park. Along the boardwalk are parks, hotels, condos, and restaurants. On one side you have a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean and on the other, a front row seat to the hustle and bustle of Miami Beach. For the convenience of those traveling the boardwalk there are benches and water stations. You also often see people setting up tents and selling things like jewelry. While the historic buildings and boardwalk are important draws for the area, the crown jewel of Miami Beach is the beach itself. Wide white sand beaches meet the clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean beckoning sun worshippers, waders, and swimmers. There are many beach front parks offering amenities like lifeguards, restrooms, and volleyball courts, fitness equipment showers, and playgrounds. Pay parking is available in area lots and along the street via kiosks and apps.

My family and I came here for vacation. It was our first time visiting Miami. It's a big beach and…read morethe views were absolutely stunning! There are many restaurants right across from the beach and some souvenir shops. I was able to pick up some nice souvenirs. I totally left my heart in Miami beach. Felt so relaxing and the water is clean. We will be back for sure.