DISTANCE: 16 miles (26km)
TIME: A half-day
START: Alice Wainwright Park
END: Cape Florida Lighthouse
POINTS TO NOTE: Take your swimming gear with you, as you’ll be passing some of the best beaches in Miami. You could also walk this route but it’s at least five hours of walking, one way, though you could catch a bus back from the Cape Florida Lighthouse. A combination of driving and walking is another option, as there are some excellent hiking and biking trails on the islands. The Cape Florida Lighthouse is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (limited opening hours on the other days too), although the state park remains open. Start this tour in the morning if you really want to see it.
Especially at weekends, you’ll find Virginia Key and Key Biscayne busy with cyclists, not to mention hikers, kayakers and other outdoor enthusiasts. They’re all taking advantage of an easy way to escape the Miami high-rises, by crossing the causeways that link these keys to the mainland, and to each other, and getting out into the open space. Virginia Key is almost nothing but green spaces, and over half of Key Biscayne is the same. It would be a long old hike if you were to try to explore these places on foot from the mainland, making a bike the ideal choice to cover the ground and see these two Miami marvels.
The best way to get around in Key Biscayne
Norbert Eisele-Hein/imageBRO/REX/Shutterstock
Alice Wainwright Park
If you are coming across from the mainland then the perfect place to start is at the foot of the causeway to Virginia Key, at the Alice Wainwright Park 1 [map] (2845 Brickell Avenue; tel: 305-416-1300; daily 6am-6pm). This is only a small park with an outdoor gym and a couple of basketball courts, but it’s a nice place to hike or cycle around, with great views of the city skyline and across the water. There are palm trees and even some small cliffs. The park also has a part of the Brickell Hammock, as does Simpson Park (for more information, click here), the hammock being the hardwood forest that once existed between the Miami River and what is now Coconut Grove.
Virginia Key
Leave the park onto the Rickenbacker Causeway and take the right-hand cycle lane across the bridge to Virginia Key, enjoying the views across the water. On your right on the first spit of land you cross is the Hobie Island Beach Park. Nicknamed Windsurfer Beach, this is the best spot in the city for windsurfing, and there’s a school here if you want to stop off and have a lesson, rent a kayak or try a paddleboard (Sailboards Miami: www.sailboardsmiami.com).
Off to meet Flipper the dolphin at the Miami Seaquarium
Shutterstock
Continue on the causeway which then skips across the water on the William M Powell Bridge to Virginia Key. On the left (take care crossing the traffic) is the Rickenbacker Marina (3301 Rickenbacker Causeway; tel: 305-361-1900; www.rickenbackermarina.com). There’s not a lot to see there but it’s pleasant to stroll around or sit and watch the coming and going of the boats, and there’s a popular restaurant there too, the Rusty Pelican (for more information, click here). Off to the left a little further along the causeway is the Atlantica Seafood Restaurant and Market, see 1.
Miami Seaquarium
Keep cycling across the causeway until you reach the Miami Seaquarium 2 [map] (4400 Rickenbacker Causeway; tel: 305-361-5705; www.miamiseaquarium.com; daily 10am−6pm; charge). This large aquarium covers about 15 hectares (37 acres) and you can easily spend a few hours here. There are dolphin shows, sharks, sea lions, and crocodiles, but for out-of-state visitors one of the more interesting displays is of the fascinating manatees that live off Florida’s coast. There’s also a tropical fish aquarium, killer whale shows, tropical birds, and penguins. Plan ahead and you can swim with the seals or be a trainer for a day. There are plenty of eating places too.
Outdoor fun
On the far side of the causeway from the seaquarium is the sprawling, wooded Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (4020 Virginia Beach Drive; tel: 305-960-4600; http://virginiakeybeachpark.net; daily 7am−sunset). This 349 hectares (863 acres) park has some excellent biking and hiking trails, including coastal trails and nature trails. There’s also a mountain biking area towards the northern tip of the island. Kids can enjoy a playground, a carousel, and a mini-train ride, and everyone can enjoy the mile or so (1.6km) of beach. Keen birdwatchers should look out for herons, egrets, pelicans, lots of waders and seagulls, and with luck the beautiful roseate spoonbill.
Also towards the northern end of Virginia Key, close to the inlet known as Lamar Lake, is the Virginia Key Outdoor Center (3801 Rickenbacker Causeway; tel: 786-224-4777; www.vkoc.net; Mon−Fri 9am−6pm, Sat−Sun 8am−6pm). If you’ve driven to Virginia Key then you should head here to rent bikes for the day, and get out onto the island’s trails. The center also hires out kayaks and provides kayak and paddleboard lessons. Kids can learn how to ride bikes, adults can learn about the growing sports of kayak and paddleboard fishing and special events include kayaking or paddleboarding by the light of the full moon. It’s also a good place to pick up literature about the island’s hiking trails and bike trails, and about activities around Miami generally.
When you’ve finished here return to the causeway and continue on to Key Biscayne, looking on the left for signs to the Fossilized Reef View. This small reef stretches along the shore for about 400 yards (366 metres) and out to sea for over 100 yards (91 metres) and is composed of the fossilised roots of mangrove trees. It doesn’t look very exciting but it is a unique feature and has provided an excellent home for crabs and other marine life.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
From the reef you can head south on paths through the woods, or return to the main road, now called Crandon Blvd, and head south. Either way you will come, on the left hand side of the road, to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center 3 [map] (6747 Crandon Blvd; tel: 305-361-6767; www.biscaynenaturecenter.org; daily 10am−4pm; donation). This lovely place is beautifully set among trees and overlooking the sand dunes and the ocean. One of the aims of the center is getting children to understand, care for and get involved with the local environment. There are organized hikes, lectures, displays on the area’s natural history, hands-on exhibits, talks, and an art gallery. The center also has a program to reintroduce baby sea turtles back into the wild. Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a campaigning journalist and ardent environmentalist who worked tirelessly to protect the Everglades, in particular, and the nature center is a fine testimony to her life and work.
The lovely white sands of Crandon Park Beach
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To the lighthouse
South of the center a lovely long stretch of beach begins, while the road takes you south through Crandon Park, then through the little town of Key Biscayne. A few blocks in, look on your right for the Ayesha Saffron Indian Restaurant, see 2. The road goes out the other side of Key Biscayne into the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park 4 [map] (1200 Crandon Blvd; tel: 305-361-5811; www.floridastateparks.org/park/Cape-Florida; daily 8am−sundown; charge). The beach extends all the way down here along the eastern coast of the island, and you can either head over to enjoy some beach fun, or spend time exploring the trails plying this wooded park.
At the southern end is the Cape Florida Lighthouse 5 [map] (1200 S Crandon Blvd; tel: 305-361-5811; www.floridastateparks.org/park/Cape-Florida; free guided tours Thu−Mon 10−11am and 1−2pm). Built in 1825, then rebuilt in 1846, this is the oldest standing structure in Miami−Dade County. Unfortunately it cannot be visited except on one of the guided tours, but it’s a beautiful place to end your tour. For a well-deserved refreshment, head north from the lighthouse to the Lighthouse Café, see 3.
Food and Drink
1 Atlantica Seafood Restaurant & Market
3501 Rickenbacker Causeway; tel: 305-361-0177; www.atlanticafishrestaurant.com; Tue−Sun L and D; $$$
Honduran chef Marvin Garcia oversees the menu at this smart-casual place overlooking the water where you can have everything from a simple sandwich or a taco through to elaborate main courses such as seafood paella, a seafood basket, or the catch of the day.
2 Ayesha Saffron Indian Restaurant
328 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne; tel: 786-953-4761; http://ayeshakeybiscayne.com; Tue−Sun L and D; $$
This white-tablecloth place with colorful walls is a chance to try delicately-flavored Indian dishes such as samosas, biryanis and tandoori dishes, alongside such favorites as chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, and fish curry.
3 Lighthouse Café
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne; tel: 305-361-8487; www.lighthouserestaurants.com; daily B, L and early D; $$
Set back from the beach but with an oceanfront view this casual place serves everything from breakfast toast through to soups, salads, and sandwiches, or full meals such as fried shrimp, grilled Florida lobster, the Cuban ropa vieja, and a full drinks menu.