Visit Key Biscayne via a short hop over the Rickenbacker Causeway from Miami’s southern downtown area to the tiny and exclusive South Florida island. Tucked between Bill Braggs Florida State Park and Crandon Park—two gorgeous Florida parks—Key Biscayne offers the allure of the natural including fine white sand beaches and a coastal barrier reef featuring an underwater archaeological trail. The Miami-Dade island is home to the Village of Key Biscayne, ripe with multi-million dollar mansions owned by celebrities and Fortune 500 executives. It was also once home to President Richard Nixon, who bought one of his three oceanfront homes on Key Biscayne in the late-1960s.

Things to Do in Key Biscayne

Key Biscayne is an ideal spot to delve into Florida’s natural attractions. Biscayne Nature Center presents an easy and enjoyable way to spend a day or two. The center offers lectures on local history, guided fossil-rock reef walks, beach walks, coastal hammock hiking, and hands-on marine exploration. Dolphin Harbour at Miami Sea Aquarium is located along Rickenbacker Casueway. It’s the perfect destination for getting up close and personal with dolphins. At Dolphin Harbor visitors can enjoy dolphin encounters, engage in Trainer for a Day programs, and experience the deepwater Dolphin Odyssey adventure. Bill Braggs Cape State Park and Crandon Beach Park are both great places to cycle, take nature walks, picnic, or just relax on pristine beaches. More outdoor adventures await throughout the island. Shore and deep sea fishing, boating and sailing, kite boarding, golf, and windsurfing begin a long list of fun to be had.

Key Biscayne Hotels

After the drive over the causeway onto Key Biscayne, visitors will find all the island’s hotels on the east side off Crandon Blvd. Don't expect a large variety, but what the tiny island lacks in hotels it makes up for in quality. The most renowned of all hotels on Key Biscayne is the Ritz-Carlton (pictured). The family-friendly hotel features gorgeous landscaping and pools, an incredible spa, and a strip of white sand beach. Service, as most would expect, is impeccable while dining-wise the burger bar and brunch are most notable. The northern area of the hotel district is home to Silver Sands Beach Resort featuring a relaxed, tropical vibe within a secluded property. Other accommodation options include self-catering apartments as well as a Marriott property on Biscayne Bay.

Miami Map

Key Biscayne National Park

Key Biscayne National Park was created to protect and maintain four specific eco-systems—Biscayne Bay’s shallow water, the mangrove swamp along the shoreline, the offshore Florida reef, and coral limestone keys. These important eco-systems harbor scores of species and vegetation including soft and hard corals, endangered palms and cacti, manatees, myriad bird species, and whales. The offshore barrier reefs offer some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the country. They are protected along with the entire bay. More than 170,000 acres are covered and include Elliot Key, the largest island in the park and the very first of the Florida Keys. Only five percent of the park is offshore. Access the park at Convoy Point via the Dante Fascell Visitors Center and enjoy a wealth of things to do such as windsurfing, kayaking, fishing, boating, and snorkeling and scuba diving among the many shipwrecks. Overnight camping is also available on Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key, both a part of Key Biscayne National Park.