Beaches and swimming
Crandon Park, on the northern half of the island, is the big one: lifeguards year-round, an offshore sandbar that Miami-Dade says protects swimmers from crashing surf, picnic tables, and grills. Crandon charges $7 plus tax Monday through Thursday and $10 plus tax Friday through Sunday. Bring cash as a backup.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, at the southern tip, is quieter and has no lifeguards, so swimming is at your own risk. Entry is $8 per vehicle (2–8 people), $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 for pedestrians and cyclists. The park is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days. Waves are gentle.
If you're swimming with kids, pick Crandon—it has lifeguards and Bill Baggs doesn't.
Check beach water quality, flags and the rip-current forecast, and sargassum conditions before anyone gets in. To get an email only when a Key Biscayne beach advisory changes, sign up for a free alert.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
The Cape Florida Lighthouse was built in 1825. Tours run 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday through Monday. You must be at least 42 inches tall to climb the 95-foot tower. The lighthouse grounds are open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission is included with park entry.
Plan your Bill Baggs visit around the lighthouse tour window—it only runs Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to noon.
Just across the causeway, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park opened in 1945 as Miami's only beach for Black residents during segregation. The park has picnic pavilions and an exhibit on that history. Swimming is not permitted in park waters; for a guarded swim, use Virginia Key Beach North Point Park next door.
On the water
Bill Baggs has a paddling launch at Beach Access No. 1 and off the No Name Harbor seawall. The PADL paddleboard station at Beach Access 1 is temporarily closed, so bring your own board or kayak. No Name Harbor rents overnight anchoring slips for $20 per boat per night. Crandon Marina, farther north, is the island's public ramp for boaters.
The Crandon Park kiteboarding concession offers rentals and lessons on the Atlantic side. On Virginia Key's bay side, Hobie Beach is Miami's hub for windsurfing, sailing and wing foiling.
From the Bill Baggs seawall, you can see Stiltsville, the cluster of historic stilted houses on the bay's shoals. The Biscayne National Park Institute runs boat tours Thursday through Sunday from Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove (not from Key Biscayne). Tickets run about $70. Views from the island are free.
Skip Stiltsville if you're doing a tight day trip. The boats leave from Dinner Key in Coconut Grove, not from Key Biscayne.
Before you head out, check the marine forecast. The bay and the ocean can behave very differently on the same afternoon.
Nature and wildlife
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center is open daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6767 Crandon Blvd, no admission fee. The center's Public & Family Seagrass Adventure is a guided, waist-deep net-and-release walk in the seagrass beds. It costs $15 per person, requires closed-toe water shoes, is open to ages 7 and up, and needs advance registration. The next public date listed is Saturday, October 24, 2026, 1–3 p.m.
At Bill Baggs, nature trails run along the park's west side near the Boater's Grill parking area. Pick up a trail map at the ranger station. Dogs are allowed on trails and along the seawall on a six-foot leash, but not on the beach.
Cape Florida Banding Station mist nets run from mid-August through the first week of November. Fall migrants funnel through the southern tip. Banding is usually done by mid-morning; call the ranger station ahead to confirm the day's schedule.
Biking and running
Bill Baggs has a 1.5-mile paved bike path. Bike rentals near the Lighthouse Café are $10 per hour or $15 for 90 minutes for singles, and $20 per hour for quads.
The Rickenbacker Causeway is popular with road cyclists, but stay in the bike lane and assume drivers aren't looking.
I don't bike the causeway with kids—the bike lane needs caution and the Bill Baggs loop is a better family ride.
For causeway traffic conditions before you head out, check the causeway page.
Golf and tennis
Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne, at 6700 Crandon Blvd, is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Call 305-361-9129 for tee times.
Crandon Park Tennis Center, at 7300 Crandon Blvd, has 27 courts (hard and green clay) and is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. You can book courts up to three days in advance. Call 786-378-7649 for walk-up availability. USTA Florida has operated the facility since January 2026.
Eat and drink
For waterfront picks, try the Boater's Grill at No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs, the Lighthouse Café on the Atlantic side of Bill Baggs, or the Rusty Pelican on Virginia Key for Biscayne Bay sunset views. Crandon Park has concession stands near the beach. See the restaurant directory for what's open now by cuisine and location.
Seasonal calendar
- October 2026: Seagrass Adventure Saturday, October 24, 1–3 p.m. King tides October 24–30. Bird banding through early November.
- November 2026: 49th Key Biscayne Lighthouse Run Saturday, November 14 (10K at 7:40 a.m., 5K at 7:50 a.m.).
- December 2026: Winterfest Eve Saturday, December 5, 6–10 p.m., free. Winterfest with Santa's arrival Sunday, December 6 at 4 p.m.
- Winter (November–April): Dry season. Best time for trails and biking because mosquitoes are scarce. Portuguese man-of-war warnings are more common at Bill Baggs in winter.
- February 2027: Miami International Boat Show February 10–14 at Miami Beach Convention Center. Expect causeway traffic delays during the show.
- Summer (May–October): Sargassum peaks June through August. July 4 parade runs along Crandon Boulevard. Mosquitoes are dense near mangroves and on trails; check the forecast before heading out.
- Year-round: Key Biscayne Farmers Market Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Key Biscayne Community Church grounds.
For a live event calendar, see the Events page.
Before you go
Everything on Key Biscayne depends on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Check causeway conditions before you leave, especially on weekend mornings and event days. Weekend delays are common.
Crandon Park parking fills up on sunny weekend mornings. The live crowd estimate on the parking page can help you decide when to arrive. Bill Baggs is smaller and less crowded, but it has no lifeguards.
Fees: Crandon is $7 plus tax weekdays, $10 plus tax weekends. Bill Baggs is $8 per vehicle (2–8 people), $4 for single-occupant vehicles or motorcycles, $2 for pedestrians and cyclists. Bring cash as a backup.
Mosquitoes: Key Biscayne mosquitoes are worst June through October, especially after rain. If you plan to hike the Bill Baggs trails or walk Bear Cut Preserve, check the forecast and bring repellent.
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