Considering there are more than 35 miles of beaches, you’d be forgiven if you thought the only outdoor activities in Miami involve playing in the surf or lounging in the sand. While those are fine options, Miami Beach has tons of other (socially distant!) ways to enjoy nature and explore the area. Here’s our guide to just a few of our favorite ways to spend time outside in the buzzing Southern Florida city.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens
Ripe with rare plants, tropical flowers, and lush trees, this 84-acre garden provides nice contrast to Miami’s glitzy downtown. The Fairchild recommends a minimum of three hours to explore their myriad of exhibits, but if it’s particularly hot or you’re short on time, you can hop aboard the 45-minute tram tour that runs at the top of every hour. Be sure to check out the Wings of the Tropic exhibit (it runs twice a day), where you can witness riotously colorful butterflies from Central and South America flitting about.
Biscayne National Park
Roughly 95% of this national park is underwater, which makes its explorability that much more interesting. Here you can snorkel with (small) sharks over reefs, dive to six spooky shipwrecks that found their place in Davy Jones’s locker between 1878 and the mid-1960s, paddleboard in mangrove channels, and book eco-friendly and educational trips through the non-profit, Biscayne National Park Institute. When you’re done with the salt life, check out the historic lighthouse on Boca Chita Island.
Green Monkey Yoga
If you’re looking for a gentler way to work off your late-night revelry, give yoga a try. Green Monkey Yoga offers in-studio classes on their terrace with options for both beginners and more experienced yogis. The studio is only a 5-minute drive from KAYAK Miami Beach, or borrow one of the hotel bikes and you’ll be there in around 10 minutes.
Not feeling the trek to the beach? Guests of KAYAK Miami Beach can also access free yoga classes from Green Monkey Yoga on-demand that can be accessed on the connected TVs in each guestroom.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Named for a newspaperman who worked to protect the land from development, this state park is a relaxing alternative to the beaches outside big, busy resorts. Come for an afternoon of sunbathing, bicycling (they also have quad bikes for rent from the concession stand), birdwatching (keep an eye out for migrating shorebirds) or a rollerblading sesh, stay for the sunset from the 200-year-old Cape Florida Lighthouse.
Oleta River State Park
Just past North Beach and overlooking Biscayne Bay, Oleta River State Park is Florida’s largest urban park. Here you can tootle around on the 15 miles of off-road biking and running trails, or rent kayaks and canoes to paddle around the mangrove forests.
Everglades
Just south of the city, the Everglades is a 1.5-million-acre wetland preserve made up of mangroves, marshes, and abundant wildlife ranging from West Indian manatees to Florida panthers to alligators. Given how wet the area is, one of the most popular ways to explore is on an airboat tour, but there are also various hiking trails, canoeing routes, and simple boardwalk paths that make for a secluded escape in nature.
Pinecrest Gardens
In a not-so-distant past, Pinecrest Gardens was known as Parrot Jungle, a theme park that operated here from 1936 to 2003. Now that it’s original feathered denizens have flown the coop, the 14-acre facility focuses more on the botanical garden, but there are still numerous animals, including a petting zoo, an alligator grotto, and a butterfly exhibit.
Sunset Harbour
We know, Sunset Harbour is a shopping and dining district. However, you can also rent kayaks, paddleboards, or even electric surfboards and check out the Miami skyline in the calm bay waters.
Wynwood Walls
There’s a reason that Wynwood Walls is on every Miami list: it’s just that cool. Simply put, in 2009 a real estate developer and patron of the arts named Tony Goldman wanted to transform the Wynwood neighborhood, then known for being a collection of aging warehouses into an open-air art gallery. Artists from around the world were invited to use the walls as giant canvases and in the years since more than 50 painters have covered upwards of 80,000 square feet of space with a wide range of styles. The most popular time to visit is during the Wynwood Art Walk on the second Saturday of each month, when the area becomes a massive street party. However, if you’re looking for a quieter, more socially distant time slot, weekdays are a good bet.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
The former villa of businessman James Deering, Vizcaya is a stunning display of architecture in its own right, but for a taste of nature, be sure to plan for time to explore the extensive and grandiose Italian Renaissance gardens that overlook Biscayne Bay. The area is divided into differently themed “rooms” by low hedges and the whole landscape has a Secret Garden vibe.
Matheson Hammock Park
Here you’ll find Florida’s only atoll. Sure, it’s man-made, but the nearby coral is genuine and the lagoon the landmass creates is the perfect mellow pool for floating or learning how to paddleboard. The side that adjoins Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is shaded and has a more jungle aesthetic, while the bayfront is bordered on both sides by water. Come early — the beach is spectacular at sunrise.
When in Miami, stay with us at KAYAK Miami Beach. Located at the heart of the city’s vibrant cultural and cultural scene just minutes from the beach, our first-ever hotel brings together everything we love about travel and gives it a tech-forward twist.
