Miami's Secret Places

Simpson Park protects one of the last surviving pieces of the Brickell Hammock, once South Florida's largest and most diverse tropical hardwood hammock, stretching for miles along Biscayne Bay before the city grew up around it.

Inside its walls, more than 160 plant species grow, including at least 96 native to South Florida and several that are officially endangered or threatened — a genuine old-growth forest community a short walk from the glass towers of Brickell.

Free Nature Walk Tours run every Saturday and Sunday, led by City of Miami park naturalists along a half-mile path, covering the hammock's native plants and the history of its conservation, first-come first-served for up to 20 people per session.

Run by Miami-Dade County in the agricultural town of Homestead, Fruit & Spice Park is unlike any other botanical garden in the mainland US: every plant inside is edible, from tropical fruit trees most Americans have never tasted to spice plants grown nowhere else nearby.

Twice-daily garden tram tours (included free with admission) introduce visitors to the collection, while separate tasting tours let you sample whatever happens to be ripe that day — the exact lineup changes with the seasons, since this is a working collection, not a static display.

The county actively encourages locals to visit, offering a standing 50% discount for Homestead residents with local ID and a 10% discount for seniors and military, alongside the standard adult and child pricing.

At the southern tip of Key Biscayne, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park pairs a genuinely uncrowded beach with the Cape Florida Lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County, built in 1825 and rebuilt after an 1836 Seminole War attack.

Because it's a 30-45 minute drive from the South Beach hotel strip, across the Rickenbacker Causeway, it draws a noticeably different crowd than the beaches closer to downtown — more local families and bird-watchers, fewer tour buses.

The park charges by vehicle rather than by person, which means the cheapest way in is also the simplest: arrive on foot, by bike, or as a passenger, and the entry fee drops to a fraction of the per-car rate.