Aaah, Nature. It’s sometimes hard to appreciate in sweltering heat. While we have a break from the humidity that makes this a tropical paradise, grab your one sweater and go for a walk . . .
MiamiBeach411.com recently offered this SUPER ARTICLE reviewing the parks in South Florida.
SMALL PARKS: There are many more small parks around than you might realize! This helpful map from Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation lets you search for parks by your zip code.
MEDIUM-SIZED PARKS: On the street where Stallone and Madonna bought a house, between the Rickenbacker Causeway and Vizcaya, Alice Wainwright Park (20 acres) has the same view of the bay they enjoyed! And it’s FREE. It’s a gem of a little park with a ‘silver bluff’ rock wall. Sometimes there are less than a handful of people there. It’s a favorite of joggers from Brickell who tend to glance at the water and run back home. A great place to bring a picnic, there are benches to sit and read a book; also, there are restrooms.
Culitvated Gardens: Just down the street from Alice Wainwright’s gift to Miami is James Deering’s Vizcaya House & Gardens. The gardens here inspire with their incredible beauty. The setting and the use of tropical materials makes it a romantic place to wander at any time of the year. Originally 180 acres, Vizcaya’s property was whittled down to its present size (50 acres), with 10 acres of formal gardens. You can’t help but wonder, when you’re there, what it might have been like before Mercy Hospital was built. The gardens have so many beautiful features, a maze, rock grottoes, statues, stairs, fountains, and a waterfront gazebo that is the most romantic spot in Miami. Just $9 for Miami-Dade residents, Seniors, and Students, $12 for Adults, and $5 Children 6-12. Open 7 days a week, 364 days a year, 9:30 AM-4:30 PM
LARGE PARKS: Click to see photos and vintage postcards of yesteryear! Matheson Hammock (351 acres) is known for its swimming hole and marina, but there are acres to walk and picnic in on both sides of Old Cutler Road where there is no entry fee! (Park spots available on both sides of the road.) Yahoo link. Pay the entry fee and you can dine at the Red Fish Grill, launch your boat, or take sailing lessons. The Historical Museum of Southern Florida periodically offers an eco-history walking tour:
A Matheson Hammock Eco-History Walking Tour
is available with eco-historian Frank Schena. Hear about its distant past as an Indian hunting ground and marvel at the diversity of the flora and fauna there today. Learn how this land, once an estate, became Miami-Dade’s first county park and how the Civilian Conservation Corps designed and constructed the park. Meet at the parking area just east of the traffic light, at 9610 Old Cutler Road. HMSF members $20, Non-members $25. Advance reservations and payment required. Call 305.375.1621 for information.
The Everglades (1.5 million acres): If not for the air boats, this would be a paradise. The skull-splitting noise of an air boat engine makes me wonder what they are doing in a nature preserve. Surely there must be something quieter that can glide over the grass. But, thankfully, they are limited to several tourist-y areas. The Everglades still teems with life and alligators and cormorants are everywhere. You can go camping or just get away from high rises.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (83 acres)
Fruit & Spice Park (35 acres)
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens (4.5 acres)