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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Miami
Miami is best known as a party city. People born and raised in Miami — like me — can easily list our favourite nightclubs or bars. What we can be less willing to share with visitors are the spaces where we recuperate: our neighbourhood parks and gardens. The winter months are the best time to explore Miami’s stunning natural beauty, when the heat and humidity make way for pleasant temperatures and crisp azure skies. Some of my favourite outdoor venues are off the tourist track, from a park often swarming with quinceañera princesses (Latin American girls celebrating 15th birthdays) to a seaside shrine to the patron saint of Cuba. What these parks and gardens have in common — and what makes each of them a must-visit whenever I’m back home — is that they are beloved gathering spaces for locals, restorative thanks to both their natural beauty and the gorgeous community that visits them. Consider this an invitation to join the party.
A far cry from the hotel-lined tourist hotspot that is Miami Beach, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, known locally as El Farito because of its lighthouse, is one of our city’s most loved recreation areas (and yes, it has a beach). Here, at the southernmost tip of Key Biscayne, you’ll find families fishing, hiking through mangrove wetlands, swimming in the Atlantic and watching invasive iguanas skitter along the bike paths. There are tours of its famed lighthouse (though you have to be at least 42 inches tall to participate), which was built in 1825 and is miraculously the oldest-standing structure in Miami-Dade County — an impressive feat, considering it’s faced nearly 200 years of hurricanes.
The beach area offers chair and umbrella rentals, while bike rentals are also available, and you can round off your visit with a meal at one of the park’s three restaurants — all laid-back spots that offer fresh seafood and cocktails. If a visit to Bill Baggs sounds to you like a perfect day enjoying the best of Miami’s natural landscapes, you’re not alone. It gets very busy at weekends, and admissions are curbed once capacity is reached. Arrive early and, if your plans allow it, go on a weekday.
For one of the city’s most peaceful views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline, visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, an oceanfront sanctuary dedicated to the patron saint of Cuba. Built to house a replica of Cuba’s sacred statue of the Virgin of Cobre and completed in 1973, the shrine is also home to an imposing floor-to-ceiling mural of dozens of Cuba’s historical figures, including the poet and father of Cuban independence José Martí (a pamphlet explains who all the faces are and why the artist, Teok Carrasco, chose to include them). There’s an oceanside green space behind the church, where you’ll find statues and likenesses of other saints. Visitors often leave flowers, coins and other items — I’ve even seen a pair of earrings — at their feet as offerings of gratitude. The area has an impressive serenity. Standing by the seawall as the waves lap (or crash, depending on the wind) beneath you, you’ll forget you’re in a major metropolitan area — especially when you realise that the parking is free (well, for an hour).
Located in Coral Gables at the intersection of SW 57th Avenue and 8th street is the Prado Entrance, a lavish Spanish-inspired gateway into one of Miami’s oldest (and wealthiest) neighbourhoods. With dramatic stone archways and trellis-covered walkways abloom with bougainvillea, the location is so scenic and tropically lush that you’ll regularly spot photographers there, using the architecture as a backdrop for quinceañera shoots. (I know this from experience, as it’s where my quinceañera photos were taken back in the day.) Whether you’re wearing a tulle-covered hoopskirt or not, it’s worth spending an afternoon exploring one of Miami’s most pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods while strolling beneath its signature canopy of ancient banyan trees and live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. And after a photo shoot of your own, you’ll be close to many of the area’s other well-known architectural attractions, such as the Biltmore Hotel, the Venetian Pool (reopening in May 2025) and the University of Miami campus.
You could also visit the Deering Estate, a historic mansion-turned-museum, to explore its art exhibits and history, but for me the true gem is its bay-adjacent grounds and nature preserve ($18 for admission). If you’re looking for a place to get on the water, this is it: in addition to standard guided kayaking, they offer moonlight tours, where you paddle out under the stars to see Chicken Key, a small mangrove island and rookery, as well as what they call Clear Kayak Adventures — a kayak tour in a completely transparent kayak, with incredible views of the sea life beneath you.
If you’d rather stay on land, there are tours of the nature preserve: these are hikes with a naturalist staff member through the protected areas surrounding the estate, highlighting native plants and animals along the way. They are no additional charge and happen daily from October to May. The brave can choose to take a version of this tour at night (offered once a month, usually on Wednesdays), where the price ($25) also includes a post-hike campfire. The grounds of the Deering Estate are also a must for bird lovers, as the area is home to an estimated 170 species — you’re almost guaranteed to see egrets, ibises and herons — and guided bird walks are available from October to May.
Then there’s Tropical Park — the name says it all. Bordered on the east by the Palmetto Expressway, this beloved recreation area has well-maintained walking trails, racquetball and tennis courts, playgrounds and my personal favourite: a sweet dog park that’s perfect if you’re travelling with your fur-child. My family visited this park once a week when I was growing up, as my father played in an evening softball league and the games were held there. It’s truly a community space brimming with families and locals from all walks of life, one where the real Miami — full of love, laughter, music and beauty — is always on display. In the winter months, the park transforms at night into a holiday-themed spectacle called Christmas Wonderland (until January 5). Complete with rides, carnival games and more twinkling lights than you ever thought possible, it’s a true reflection of how Miami spends the winter: outdoors as much as possible, enjoying the easy warmth and natural beauty of our vibrant, spectacular city.
Jennine Capó Crucet is author of ‘Say Hello to My Little Friend’ (Simon & Schuster)
What’s your favourite green space in Miami? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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