With Biscayne National Park consisting of 95% water, we decided that the best way to explore the park would be to book a boat tour with the Biscayne National Park Institute. We chose the 3.5-hour Boca Chita Key Heritage tour. We met our crew and fellow passengers at the marina near Coconut Grove and set out for Boca Chita Key. Along the way, we learned that the island of Boca Chita was purchased by Mark C. Honeywell in 1937 and used as a party destination for Honeywell and his wealthy friends. He had a lighthouse, chapel, and garage built on the island. Apparently, he had a canon on Boca Chita that he would fire as a signal to his friends in Miami that he was holding a party on the island. Today, the key is within the boundaries of the national park and is used primarily as a destination for day trippers and campers.
The boat stopped at Boca Key for one hour for us to explore the island on our own. We walked to the small beach on the backside of the island, walked around the lighthouse and chapel, and followed the trail along the far side of Boca Chita Key.
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| The Chapel on Boca Chita |
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| The view from the trail around Boca Chita Key |
Once back on the boat, we headed to Stiltsville, a group of wood stilt houses located about a mile off of Miami's coast. These buildings were built in the 1930's and were "party central" in the 1940's-1960s. During Stiltsville's heyday, there were 27 buildings on stilts. They housed bars, clubs, and restaurants that were popular with Miami's socialites. Today there are only seven buildings remaining with the others having been destroyed by hurricanes or simply falling into disrepair.
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After Stiltsville, the boat brought us back to the dock at Coconut Grove. Jim and I both agreed that exploring this national park by boat was very fun, informative, and unique!
The next day we drove 30 minutes to the south of Miami to the Biscayne National Park Visitor Center located in Homestead. We spent some time in the visitor center learning about the park before following the short Jetty Trail that took us passed the mangrove lined shore to the end of the jetty.
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| The boardwalk trail in front of the visitor center |
After our morning at the visitor center, we began our drive to Key West.
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