Bill Baggs Cape Florida(Cape Florida State Park)

Located in Key Biscayne, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is an oceanfront state park that has a one-and-a-quarter mile long unnamed white-sand beach. This beach is also sometimes known as Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Beach. The area around this beach has tropical vegetation. In addition, a seawall is also present near this beach. This beach is frequently ranked as one of the top 50 beaches in the United States and one of the top 20 beaches in Florida by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert, who is also known as Mr. Beach.  

The beach in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park does not have lifeguards. However, the beach and the area around it have many amenities including biking paths, picnic areas, nature trails, restrooms, showers, a children’s playground, and a kayak launching site. In addition, rental facilities for beach chairs, beach umbrellas, hydro bikes, and kayaks are also present near this beach. The beach in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park also offers accessibility to people with disabilities. Pets are not allowed on the beach in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.

The beach in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park offers many fun activities including hiking, beachcombing, sunbathing, picnicking, wildlife watching, hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, hydro-biking, boating, surf-skiing, paddle-boarding, and snorkelling.  The water near this beach is generally calm and has a gradual depth, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, canoers, and hydro-bikers. Dr. Stephen Leatherman has also praised this beach’s calm water, naming it "the best swimming beach in the Southeast." In addition, snorkelers also enter the clear water near this beach to explore its vibrant marine landscape and biodiversity. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near this beach including West Indian manatees, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and eagle rays. In addition, sea turtles also seasonally use the beach in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park as a nesting site. However, if you are planning to go into the water near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents. If you like birdwatching, you can view many kinds of shorebirds around Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. In addition, you can also encounter Portuguese men-of-war in the water here during winters - these jellyfish can inflict painful stings. If you are planning to fish in the water near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, please make sure that you ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park has coastal mangroves and tropical vegetation which can be explored by visitors via hiking trails present here. The park’s paved roads also offer a fun jogging, biking, rollerblading, and skateboarding session. The state park is also conveniently located along a major North American bird migration route named the Atlantic Flyway - depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of resident and migratory birds in this state park including passerines and many kinds of warblers. The state park also has a harbor named No Name Harbor which offers overnight boat-camping. If you are planning to camp in your boat within No Name Harbor, we recommend visiting Florida State Parks’ website for more helpful information regarding the camping rules and charges. The state park also has a lighthouse named the Cape Florida Lighthouse which was initially built in the early 19th century and is one of the oldest structures in South Florida and Miami-Dade County. This lighthouse, which is currently a part of the United States’ National Register of Historic Places, was attacked and damaged by the Native American Seminole warriors during the Second Seminole War in 1835 and was subsequently reconstructed. The lighthouse and the nearby Lightkeeper’s house can be explored by visitors via ranger-led tours between 10 am and 1 pm from Thursday to Monday. While climbing the lighthouse may seem difficult due to its narrow stairway and its formidable height, the lighthouse’s topmost area offers Instagram-worthy views of the Biscayne Bay and the South Floridian shoreline. The park is also a part of National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom - the area currently managed by the state park was earlier used by escaped slaves to travel to the then British-colonised Bahamas, where they were granted freedom. A historical marker was erected in the state park in 2004 to commemorate this area’s crucial role in facilitating the liberation of escaped slaves.

Getting to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is easy - the state park entrance is present near 1200 Crandon Boulevard, which is easily accessible from Interstate 95. A parking lot is also available near the entrance. There are multiple access points for the beach present near this parking lot. It is important to note that you need to pay a fee for entering this state park. In addition, we also recommend visiting this state park early as this popular state park reaches full capacity pretty quickly.

There are many attractions near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a 20-minute drive away. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a local historic landmark that is also a part of the United States National Register of Historic Places. The museum and gardens were formerly part of renowned businessman James Deering’s palatial home and estate. The estate’s main villa and gardens have Mediterranean-inspired architectural influence. The main villa today houses many interesting and invaluable artworks, antiquities, and historical exhibitions. Visitors can also explore the estate’s beautifully landscaped and lush formal gardens, which were modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France and were designed by architect Diego Suarez. In addition, the estate’s premises also consist of wetlands and hammock forests and an early 20th-century village compound. This historical estate, nicknamed as the "Hearst Castle of The East", has also featured in many iconic movies including Ace Ventura : Pet Detective, Bad Boys II, and Iron Man 3. The Miami Seaquarium is an oceanarium that is spread over 38 acres. This oceanarium was founded in 1955, making it one of the oldest oceanariums in the United States. The oceanarium is home to many kinds of animals including dolphins, sharks, seals, penguins, flamingos, sea turtles, manatees, sea lions, killer whales, and stingrays. This oceanarium also has a touch tank and exhibits featuring tropical birds and South Floridian coastal fauna. In addition, it also offers fun and interactive animal shows, presentations, and programs. If you are looking for another attraction near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Crandon Park is an 800-acre park that has a golf course, a nature center, a tennis center, and a beach. The park’s nature center (named Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center) has interesting exhibits on local natural history and an amphitheater courtyard. The park’s vivid landscape has many kinds of ecosystems including mangroves, sand-dune fields, and coastal hammock forests. This park also has a preserve named Bear Cut Preserve, which is designated as an Environmental Study Area - visitors can explore this preserve via guided tours, which offer a unique insight into the local biodiversity. In addition, the park is also a great birdwatching spot-you can view many kinds of birds around this park including herons, hawks, songbirds, and ospreys. Crandon Park also has picnic areas and walking and biking paths along with designated skateboarding areas. The park also has an amusement center named Crandon Park Amusement Center which has a carousel that operates only on weekends and holidays, an outdoor roller rink, and a play area with sculptures of marine animals.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Lightkeepers is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing gourmet dishes prepared from locally sourced ingredients. In addition, the restaurant is also known for serving amazing seafood.  Lighthouse Cafe is a popular restaurant which is situated within the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park premises. This restaurant serves excellent seafood, pastas, soups, salads, sandwiches, poultry, and steaks. Milanezza Kitchen Bar Market offers amazing Italian and Argentinian dishes. In addition, the restaurant also serves amazing sandwiches, seafood, salads, burgers, and steaks. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, the modestly priced Pita Pockets offers amazing Mediterranean dishes, sandwiches, salads, burgers, and wraps. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, there are many great nearby options. The 5-Star The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami offers many amenities including three restaurants, a Cuban-style bar, an ice cream parlor, two outdoor pools, a hot tub, and eleven tennis courts. The hotel also offers access to a fitness center and a sauna and the steam room of its spa for a resort fee. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Novotel Miami Brickell is a 20-minute drive away and offers many amenities including two bars (including a seasonal one), a restaurant, a rooftop area that offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of Miami, an infinity pool, and a fitness room. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Hilton Garden Inn Miami Brickell South which is 20 minutes away by car. This hotel offers many amenities including a fitness center, a restaurant, a lounge, a pool, and private cabanas. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, the 2-Star Silver Sands Beach Resort offers many amenities including a playground and a pool which is surrounded by palm trees.