Crandon Park Beach - Key Biscayne, Florida

Address:Key Biscayne, Florida

Crandon Park Beach in Southern Florida, is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of seashore. No exaggeration! A comfortable drive from Miami on Key Biscayne, Crandon Park Beach offers nature trails amidst mangrove forests, scene-y beach volleyball courts, an old-fashioned carousel and an outdoor skating rink. Stroll along Crandon Park Beach and the staggering number of beachside amenities unfold before you: a tennis center, a winding paved promenade, a public 18 hole championship golf course, a full service marina, and plenty of options for snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, sailing, picnicking, and boating. In short, the long, long laundry list of amenities keeps everyone from the boombox-carrying Florida beach bum to the Midwestern soccer mom happy. And oh, yes, did we forget to mention? Crandon Park Beach's two miles of calm, lagoon-like wading waters and sparkling white sands consistently rank among the nation's top ten shorelines.

Crandon Park Beach is perfect for the traveler who wants it all without any drama or hassle. Once a coconut plantation on Key Biscayne, Crandon Park Beach has been more recent incarnated as a sand-and-sun fun park. And Crandon Park wears this hat with gusto. Protected by a generous, long sandbar, the water at Crandon Park Beach is warm, calm, and shallow as if somehow designed for wading, swimming, and snorkeling. Depending on the tide, the shoreline varies from six to twelve feet and lifeguards stand watch from thirteen different towers April through October.

While Crandon Park Beach attracts folks of all walks, yuppies, hippies, party animals and college kids, the beach is also a family vacation mecca. When the kids are water logged and sand chafed, parents don't have to throw in the proverbial towel. Options for alternative entertainment abound. Crandon Park Beach offers a picturesque beachfront playground and an on-site Family Amusement Center complete with a refurbished 1949 carousel, a dolphin shaped splash fountain, and an outdoor roller rink.

But parents don't have to leave their own vacation dreams back at home, Crandon Park Beach also offers a baseball diamond, soccer and softball fields, a nature center, paved paths for jogging, power walking, and bicycling (bike rentals available on-site). For a little solitude out on the sea, you can cast a line into the surf, take a deep sea fishing charter, kayak the shoreline, or sign up for sailing lessons. To poke around vibrant, living tropical reefs, try scuba diving in the greater Miami area (try the nearby Biscayne National Park)—you'll find some of the best diving in the world! And what about your rumbling bellies? Crandon Park Beach offers on-site concession stands for snacking and picnic areas with tables and grills for the cooler-style beach luncheon. There are also restaurants for a proper, sit-down meal. And one more thing to keep the people happy: Three parking lots with more than 3,000 parking spaces. If you want the fun to find you, Crandon Park Beach is a full service, everything-at-your-fingertips beach retreat for the whole family!