Crandon Park is popular for its beautiful beach, rich coastal environment, unique fossilized…read moremangrove reef, protected wetlands, birding sites and extensive range of sports and outdoor activities. Crandon Park is home to various ecosystems, from dunes and mangroves to coastal hammock and seagrass beds and rare plants like the Biscayne prickly ash and beach peanut. Underwater, fossilized reefs and colorful sea life give divers and snorkelers plenty to explore. Crandon Park comprises the northern portion of Key Biscayne (almost 7 miles southeast of Miami). The key began as a coconut plantation, before being donated with the stipulation that Miami-Dade County uses the land as a public park. With its golf and tennis facilities, unique eco-adventures and breathtaking beach, Crandon Park offers something for everyone Parking: Weekdays $7 and Weekends $10

I was here as a child when it was a zoo. I'm happy to see it remains a park with beach access…read more More importantly, the beach often hosts some endangered migratory birds, Piping Plovers. These birds are adorable, but they are threatened by habitat loss. There is a volunteer who regularly checks for Piping Plovers during migration, and she looks for bands that reveal the path of the bird's migratory flight. It's important that we have places for these birds to forage, and I hope the city continues to protect this beach for that use. The bathrooms were a welcome amenity. I had problems paying the parking fee, it was a complicated process. There were about 10 peafowl (peacocks) that roamed the park, a remaining vestige of when this was a zoo. There were many wild birds throughout the park.

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 ;-)

Nixon Beach (Sandbar) is a popular boating destination spot which is situated approximately a…read morequarter mile south west of Key Biscayne. It's a great place to anchor up for the afternoon and enjoy the weather, scenery and the people you happen to be with. At low tide the water is about waist deep and it's clear blue. It can be a little breezy at times which can cause the boat to rock a bit, but if your use to that then you won't have any problems. You can snorkel and paddle board here and the waters are usually very calm. On the weekends if the weather is nice, it will be packed with day trip boaters, so get here early to secure a nice spot. Now the historical footnote. The sandbar is named after Richard Nixon, the thirty seventh President of The United States. I do vaguely remember him as the President, so I'm aging myself here He vacationed frequently in Key Biscayne during the 1960s and had many political benefactors in the Miami area. Back then, Key Biscayne was more or less a sleepy area with one luxury hotel and a lot of small old Florida style single homes. In 1969, shortly after Nixon became President, he purchased three of these homes on Bay Lane, at well below market prices from Florida Senator George Smathers. The houses were in a compound that had a private beach. The Secret Service & US military had to construct a helipad to accommodate Marine One. The cost of the helipad and security upgrades to the residences was estimated at about 400k. Nixon made fifty trips there during the course of his Presidency (no, there wasn't an audio taping system in the place). Now here is the kicker, after resigning in 1974 he sold the properties, which included the helipad, at a huge profit (no, not a crook ) and was accused of benefiting from taxpayers expense. For you movie buffs Scarface was also filmed on Key Biscayne. The residences were torn down in '04 when a local real estate bought them and built a modern mansion. In addition to taking in the beautiful natural views, you can also admire the multi multi million dollar mansions that are now on Key Biscayne. Mr. Nixon probably should have held on to those properties a little bit longer.

If you haven't pulled up in your boat here during the peak summer months blasting your music then…read morewho are you? This is a major spot for boaters searching for a nearby spot to enjoy shallow waters amongst one of the most populated and lively water spots in miami. You can't swim over here so obviously a boat is required but be prepared for a plentiful bunch of party people. With a loaded cooler and plenty of music, you'll fit in just too. It's not for the faint of heart and unless it's on a weekday, I wouldn't label it kid-friendly on most summer weekends. It's not a far drive so arriving here doesn't take much fuel if you're coming from a nearby marina. Don't forget your sunscreen because it's crucial for those days where there's not a cloud in sight.

Virginia Key Mountain Bike Park is a straight-up 5-star spot, always a blast and you can tell it's…read morewell maintained because the trails stay dialed and they're constantly improving features. There's a ton of variety for every skill level, so beginners can cruise and build confidence while more experienced riders can push it and still get that "just one more lap" feeling, all with that unreal water/Miami backdrop that makes it feel like you're riding in a postcard.

great trails in the Virginia Key park.. mostly xc style for fast riding. there are a few black…read morediamond sections and 1 double black diamond from what i saw. Everything flows well and branches of from the main loop so you can get a good workout if you wish to. the plus is definitely the sections where the trails open up and you can see the ocean. definitely a new addition to the list of trails that I frequent. QUICK TIP: park general entry is cash only so be sure you have some on hand

Nice beach to escape the craziness in Miami. Totally free with a lot of parking however on the…read moreweekends the parking still fills really fast. Nice views of port of Miami and Miami skyline if you choose to walk up the causeway. There are restrooms and food trucks

Beautiful beach to enjoy an outdoorsy day with your doggie. For the most part it's clean,…read morewell-maintained, and the water is not too deep in case your doggie likes to get in. The only thing I don't like is that there's no gate in case a dog runs towards the street or parking lot. That being said, you need to keep an eye on your dog. And beautiful place to see the sunrise or the sunset.

The Tour was great our Boat captain Ana was the best i have been on the tour in the past and by far…read morethis was the best Thank you Ana

Overall fun experience. I booked a tour through viator which included hotel pickup. The pickup was…read moreon time and the driver narrated some fun facts about the everglades on the short ride there. We visited on a Saturday so it was busy as expected. There is no shade on the grounds so much of the time was spent standing in the hot sun. Waiting to get into an airboat was a bit chaotic and tiresome. There were shade canopies along the queue but they were not deployed for some reason. Staff seemed a bit disorganized, groups were confused on where to go and given mixed directions from staff members. The experience on the boat was nice and we saw a variety of wildlife. The captain was knowledgeable and spotted alligators quickly. The gator show was fun but short. The host Paul was funny and engaging, the entire audience was captivated. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. Our highlight was getting to hold a baby alligator and knowing that our money was going to one of the only no kill gator rescues!

beauty everywhere, stop and take it all in, Worth the drive all the way to the bottom and don't…read moreforget to stop and check out the short hiking trails and the overlook too

So much beauty everywhere, stop and take it all in! Worth the drive all the way to the bottom and…read moredon't forget to stop and check out the short hiking trails and the overlook too!