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Crandon Park
Crandon Park Visitor and Nature Center is located on the breathtaking barrier island of Key Biscayne, with the Atlantic Ocean on the east side and Biscayne Bay to the west. Visitors to the park can explore the various ecosystems of the Key including the dunes, mangroves, and coastal hammock and seagrass beds; and observe herons, ospreys and many brilliantly colored butterflies. The Island is also home to rare and beautiful plants like the beach peanut, Biscayne prickly ash and the coontie.
The beautiful sandy beach, coastal dunes and tropical hardwood hammocks are an important nesting and feeding ground for migrating songbirds, hawks and sea turtles. Seagrass beds provide a home for mangrove snapper, parrotfish, crabs, shrimp, sea stars and puffer fish.
The Bear Cut Preserve located in Crandon Park is a designated natural Environment Study Area, and serves as a window to the wilderness that was once South Florida. Miami-Dade Parks’ naturalists guide visitors through the Preserve to explore the hammock, ocean and beach communities and see the amazing animals and plants that inhabit South Florida.
- Eco-Adventure tours offered
- Contains Nature Center and Self – Guided Nature Trails, a mangrove boardwalk to a fossilized reef overlook
- Kayaks Available for Rental at North Concession
- Guided tram tours of Bear Cut Preserve
- Bird and butterfly walks, historical nature walks through a preserve
- Offering a wide variety of field trip opportunities
A Vision and a Mission
The newly constructed complex houses environmental programs offered by Miami-Dade Parks, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center. The programs provide opportunities to discover Key Biscayne’s ecosystem, including the Bear Cut Nature Preserve, which has been designated as a Natural Environmental Study Area.
Costing $4 million, the facility contains a gift shop, an exhibit room, a theater and meeting room, and a laboratory and classroom. Funding was provided by the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Inland Navigation District, and the Safe Neighborhood Parks Bonds.
Naturalist Programs for School Children and the General Public
Join our naturalists in the Bear Cut Preserve, in Crandon Park, on the breathtaking barrier island of Key Biscayne. Explore the hammock, ocean and beach communities and see the amazing animals and plants that inhabit south Florida. Popular nature programs, include:
Seagrass Adventure: Catch and release sea horses, various species of fish, sponges, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers in the Seagrass beds. Learn how and why these creatures are important to this unique environment.
Beach Walk Go beachcombing with our naturalist who will identify seashells, sea beans, sea hares and the other interesting oddities discovered on our beach.
Fossil Reef Walk: A two mile walk takes you to this fossilized mangrove reef -thousands of years old. This reef is home to some special animals. Along the way learn about the coastal dune ecosystems.
Hammock Walk: Explore this south Florida coastal forest. Learn about our native plants and animals and the Tequesta, the ancient inhabitants of Key Biscayne.
Curious Naturalist: Tour the site of the old Dade County Zoo, now a lovely garden and home to many birds and reptiles that you may never have seen in the wild before. Learn how to explore nature on your own - bird watching and animal tracking.
Hammock Restoration: Join a naturalist in removing invasive exotic plants and planting native species in their place.
Program schedules vary. Please call the Nature Center for times and fees.
Educational Leader
The Biscayne Nature Center also makes special arrangements for school children's field trips. All field trips are two hours long but more than one field trip may be combined for a full day of activities. We invite visitors to bring along a picnic lunch and enjoy our shady picnic area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Our environmental education programs are interactive and interdisciplinary. We combine science, history, arts and the imagination of students to engage their interest in the natural world that surrounds them. Pre-trip and Post-trip ideas and activities for the classroom which emphasize the flora and fauna of south Florida will also be provided to you when you book a field trip.
Our naturalists are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the animals and plants of Key Biscayne. The tour groups are kept small for greater interaction. The educational discussions are geared to the level of understanding and the age of the group. If your class is studying a particular area such as coral reefs or scientific classification, we will be happy to emphasize this topic within our program. Please let us know ahead of time. Our tours book up quickly - so please call early to avoid disappointment. Call 305-361-6767. Teachers are very difficult to reach at school, so please leave a home number where you may be reached in the late afternoon or evening.
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