This includes Everglades National Park a 1.5-hour drive from the city. Made up of sawgrass prairies, mangrove swamps, subtropical jungle and the waters of Florida Bay, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a rare community of plants and endangered animals.

Biking is one way to see the park as well, with the best opportunities taking place along the Snake Bight Trail near Flamingo to the south and the Shark Valley entrance to the north. Shark Valley also offers guided tram tours.

The Redland and Homestead gives visitors the chance to sample fresh-from-the-farm produce and the exotic fruits and vegetables that have become the inspiration for many of Miami’s celebrity chefs. Historic and once Miami’s only “Colored Beach”, Virginia Key Beach Park (VKBP) dates back to the 1940s. VKBP was the only beach during that time allowing African American, Blacks and dark-skinned Hispanics to recreate and swim. Now a restored area where everyone is welcomed, the park is an environmental space with families and cyclists in mind.