DK Travel : Miami : Outdoor

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Matheson Hammock Park Beach

Considerably battered by 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, this 100-acre (40-ha) park is making a comeback. Developed in the 1930s by Commodore J. W. Matheson, it features the manmade Atoll Pool, a salt-water swimming pool encircled by sand and palm trees right alongside Biscayne Bay. The tranquil beach is popular with families and enjoys warm, safe waters surrounded by tropical hardwood forests. Other attractions include walking trails through the mangrove swamp.
Miami Beach to Tip of Key Biscayne

From South Beach, drive west on 5th Street, which becomes the MacArthur Causeway, I-395. Great views to be had over the water and the posh artificial islands, notably Star, Palm, and Hibiscus. Soon you’ll be soaring over Downtown on the overpass that leads around to I-95, getting a bird’s-eye view of the many skyscrapers, which are particularly attractive at night. Just before I-95 ends, take the exit for Key Biscayne. Stop at the Rickenbacker Causeway tollbooth ($1). The high arching road offers more great views of the skyline and takes you to deserted Virginia Key and then to quiet Key Biscayne.
Miami Metrozoo

An extremely well-conceived and beautifully maintained animal park, divided into habitats that imitate Australasia, Asia, and Africa. It takes at least three hours to walk around it all (the time is well worth spending), or take the 45-minute tram tour or Zoofari monorail, the price of which is included in the entrance fee.
Miami to Key West

You can do this drive in about three-and-a-half hours, but why hurry? There are great sights along the way, like the fantastic giant lobster at Treasure Village artists’ colony. It’s also definitely worth a stop to have a great seafood lunch or dinner on the water. Other attractions include parks and nature preserves (see Parks, Gardens, and Zoos), and Perky’s Bat Tower (see Perky’s Bat Tower, Sugarloaf Key).
Monkey Jungle

Here you have the chance to walk through the apes’ own jungle – where you’re the one in the cage!
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Blossoming from a Japanese colony founded here in 1905, the Yamato-kan villa is surrounded by formal Japanese gardens of various ages: a Heian (9th- to 12th-century) shinden -style garden, a paradise garden emulating those of the 13th–14th centuries, rock gardens, a flat garden, and a modern romantic garden. Serenity and restraint amid the tropical effusiveness of South Florida.
Nancy’s Secret Garden

Lose yourself, or perhaps find yourself, in this impossibly lush acre of land just a block off Duval Street. Intensely beautiful, the garden emanates a palpable sense of peace and contentment. The ravishing varieties of flora – orchids, bromeliads, rare palms – and the well-loved parrots put any visitor at ease.
National Key Deer Refuge

Fewer than 50 of these diminutive creatures were left until this refuge was established in 1957. Now there are estimated to be about 800. Drive very slowly.
Other Endangered Species

These include the American crocodile, the Key Largo wood rat and cotton mouse, Schaus swallowtail butterfly, and roseate spoonbill, all of which have either been hunted to near extinction or lost their habitats due to human encroachment.
Palm Beach

To experience the essence of this wealthy community, begin your walk at Worth Ave. on the beach at Ocean Blvd. Walk west and check out as many of the fabulous shops as you dare. Continue on to Addison Mizner’s pink palace, Casa de Leoni (No. 450), then take Lake Drive north to Royal Palm Way. Visit the Society of the Four Arts, then continue on north to the Flagler Museum. Finally, go east along Royal Poinciana Way and south to The Breakers.