The best nearby escape from Miami — quieter beaches, the Cape Florida lighthouse, and a completely different pace 20 minutes from South Beach. Crandon Park Beach is far less crowded than anything in the hotel zone. Take the Rickenbacker Causeway by bike or car.
Why It’s Worth Your Time
Key Biscayne is a barrier island accessible via the Rickenbacker Causeway from the south end of Brickell — 15 minutes from downtown Miami and entirely different from South Beach. Crandon Park on the northern end has the finest beach in the immediate Miami area: calmer, cleaner, and less crowded than South Beach, with a thoroughly excellent Blue Flag water quality rating. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park at the southern tip preserves the original sub-tropical maritime landscape of the barrier island and contains the Cape Florida Lighthouse (1825), the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. The lighthouse tours give access to the top and one of the best panoramic views in the Miami area. Virginia Key Beach between the causeway and Key Biscayne has significant civil rights history — it was Miami's designated 'Colored Beach' until desegregation in 1959.
What Stands Out
- Crandon Park: the finest beach in the Miami area — calmer and cleaner than South Beach
- Cape Florida Lighthouse (1825): oldest structure in Miami-Dade, tours to the top
- Bill Baggs State Park: original sub-tropical maritime landscape preserved
- 15 minutes from Brickell — the best easy escape from Miami's urban density
- Virginia Key Beach: significant civil rights history, recently restored