This the only tropical botanical garden in the United States of its kind. This 37 acre public park has over 500 varieties of fruits, spices, nuts, herbs and vegetables. The includes 70 varieties of bamboo, 75 banana varieties, and 150 mango varieties. You will be invited to taste some at their tasting counter inside the Park Store.

Please check out the following list of up coming events:

The Great Green Family Festival
November 13, 14, & 15 from 10 am to 5 pm
Admission: $6 (Children under 11 are free)
A new festival showcasing “Eco-Friendly” living including: local & organic farmer’s market, alternative energy, vehicles & fuels, medicinal herbs, oils & teas, natural foods, and culinary plants. Live musical entertainment, lectures & children’s activities. Services to include: Aromatherapy, yoga, tai chi, reiki, and chair massage. Sponsors: Redland Evening Society and the Fruit and Spice Park.

Mark your calendar for FREE – FREE days this year:

August 14-15, 2010
September 25, 2010
(Public Lands Day)
November 11, 2010
(Veterans Day)

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

http://www.hmsf.org

In 1921, Miami Beach’s founding father, Carl Fisher, commissioned the creation of this accessible-only-by-boat island, known as Monument Island, as a base for a monument to honor pioneer Henry M. Flagler.

The Historical Museum Young Professionals (Tropees) have partnered with ECOMB, the Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach, to help restore the natural beauty of the beach. Join us and have fun while giving back to the community!

To volunteer, call 305.375.1618. Space is limited.

Historical Museum of Southern Florida
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130

Take a break to feed your mind at the museum’s monthly lunchtime series that brings together your brown bag lunch with our coffee, dessert and various experts from the community. Join Miguel A. Cisneros-Abreu, President of the Redland Evening Herbal Society for an interactive and aromatic presentation on essential oils and medicinal plants and how they can revolutionize your health. For the past 20 years, Cisneros-Abreu has been researching, teaching, and practicing Aromatherapy-Complementary Alternative Medicine (A-CAM). He is considered a pioneer in this field and has an active practice in South Miami and teaches healthcare practitioners the A-CAM Concept. FREE for HMSF members and $5 for non-members. For more information, contact Member Services at 305.375.5356

Saving Our History: The Preservation of Black Historic Sites
Thursday – September 17, 2009
6:30 PM

Over the past two decades, the number of Black historic sites in Miami undergoing preservation battles and successes has increased significantly. Come hear the leaders of these projects share the unique history of sites such as Virginia Key Beach, the Hampton House and the Black Precinct and their herculean efforts to save these spaces from city bulldozers, neglect and commercial development.
Panelists:
Clarence Dickson – former Chief of the Miami Police Department, Black Precinct Museum.
Hellen Cage – Preservationist, Bethel House African Bahamian and Museum.
Enid Pinkney Ph.D – Chairwoman, Historic Hampton House Preservation Board.
Dinizulu Gene Tinnie – Vice-Chairman, Virginia Key Beach Park Trust.
Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Ph.D – Historian and Founder, The Black, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.

Integrating Miami’s Schools
Thursday – October 15, 2009
6:30 PM

The desegregation of schools was a slow process in South Florida, but by the late 1960’s Miami’s schools were increasingly becoming intergrated. Hear personal accounts from some of the first African American, Haitian and Jamaican students to enter predominantly white schools such as Killian High School, Miami Edison High School and Arvida Middle Schooll.
Panelists:
Elizabeth Charlton – Curriculum Support Specialist, Miami-Dade Public Schools.
Gala Brown Munnings – Director of Field Education, School of Social Work, Barry University.
Claudine Sada – Translator, Government Information Center, Miami-Dade County.

From the Wolfson Archives: Historic Footage of the Civil Rights Movement in Miami
Thursday – November 19, 2009
6:30 PM

Watch historic footage from the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives about Miami’s Struggle for equality, including lunch counter sit-ins and protest marches. Hear what important community leaders thought about segregation and the African American battle for equal rights. Share your reactions to this fascinating period in South Florida history.

1200 S. Crandon Blvd
Key Biscayne, FL
305-361-5811

Florida state parks are open from 8:00 AM until sundown 365 days a year.
Admission Fee:
$5.00 per vehicle, including up to 8 visitors.
Single-occupant vehicle = $3.00.
$1.00 each per bicycle/individual walk-in.

Picnic Pavilion Fees:
The park has 18 picnic pavilions that may be reserved up to one day in advance by paying the required fee at the park entrance station. All visitors attending a picnic or party are still required to pay the park entry fee. The rental fees are as follows:
We have 15 pavilions with 6 picnic tables that accommodate 40 people. These rent for $100.00 plus tax per day.
We have 3 large pavilions with 10 tables that accommodate 80 people. These rent for $150.00 plus tax per day.
Electricity is available for $15.00 per day, only at the large shelters.
There is a $50.00 cleaning fee that may be assessed if the shelter and immediate vicinity is not cleaned prior to the group leaving. The group is responsible for leaving the pavilion and grounds in the same condition as it was when received.

GUIDED TOURS OF THE CAPE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE
Thurs. – Mon., 10 AM & 1 PM
Situated on the tip of Key Biscayne, the Cape Florida Lighthouse is the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County. Cultural displays depicting early island life may be seen in the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. A video presentation is shown in the former cookhouse. Pets are not permitted in the lighthouse compound. (Due to the large number of school groups accommodated for tours, please contact the park to determine tour availability.)
Call (305) 361-5811 for more details.
Welcome to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Cape Florida is the home of a historic lighthouse built in 1825 and reconstructed in 1846, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Visitors come to the park to sunbathe, swim, and picnic on over a mile of sandy Atlantic beachfront. Biking and kayaking are also popular activities. Anglers can throw in their lines from the seawall along Biscayne Bay for some of the best shoreline fishing in the region. Guided tours of the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper´s cottage are given twice daily, Thursdays through Mondays. The Boater´s Grill offers casual waterfront dining, or picnickers can reserve a pavilion and grill their own dinner. Bicycles, beach chairs, and umbrellas are available for rental. Overnight boat camping is allowed in No Name Harbor, and a primitive campsite is available for organized youth groups. Located at the southern end of Key Biscayne off the Rickenbacker Causeway, south of downtown Miami.

The Bill Graham Farm Village
Old McDonald had a farm–but it sure wasn’t like this one! “Bill Graham Farm Village” is a fancifully re-created Miami-Dade County homestead combining features of pioneer farms from the turn of the century with some pleasant modern additions such as an air-conditioned Country Store and a Demonstration Hall. The Farm Village was created to provide today’s urbanized children an opportunity to learn about Miami-Dade County’s agricultural past by visiting a replica of the kinds of farms that once dotted three-quarters of the region.
Park patrons can enter the farm through a bougainvillea-covered trellis and head over to the Barn with its petting area. Once there you can pet live cows, horses, ponies, goats, chickens, pigs, sheep, geese and a donkey or two.
The Demonstration Shed is the place to go to see such typical farm activities as horseshoeing, cow milking, livestock judging and sheep shearing.

Earhart Hall is a large meeting room for lectures, exhibits on early farm implements and other displays, home canning classes, organic gardening and the like. To the left of Earhart Hall is the Crop Area, where more than two acres are planted with a variety of vegetables and over-sized sunflowers.

Beyond the Hall is a boiling shed and a sugar cane press that processes sugar cane syrup, the kind our grandfathers refined into molasses and brown sugar.

Follow your nose to the Smokehouse, which turns out fragrant hams and savory smoked turkey. It’s right next to the Farm’s own Babbling Brook.

The pony ring, on the side of the Barn, is equipped with benches for weary parents to sit and rest while watching their kids ride a pony, jump into a big haystack or “drive” an old tractor.

The Country Store is surrounded by a shady welcoming porch and is stocked with lots of goodies. It even has its own post office. Then there’s the old Fishing Rock, where you can cast a line into a freshwater lake stocked with big, fat bass.

Old McDonald would be amazed, but right at home. “Bill Graham’s Farm Village” — a real place, only better!

Bark Park
The five-acre Bark Park is completely fenced and offers a separate section for smaller dogs. Amenities include paved walkways, benches, shade trees, waste dispenser stations, and specially designed drinking and spray fountains for dogs and their owners. Bark Park admission is free.
The Bark Park is part of the regional Amelia Earhart Park.

http://www.geocities.com/ameliabarkpark/

Picnic Shelters
4 Regular with BBQ
1 Large Corporate Size
2 Rain Shelters

Junior Sailing Program
Children ages 9-15 can become experienced sailors by joining the Junior Sailing Program at Amelia Earhart Park.
Administered through the United States Sailing Association, the national program provides hands-on boating instruction, including navigation, docking, sail trimming, knot tying and safe boating practices.

Mountain Biking
Sunrise-Sunset. Monday-Friday. $4 parking per vehicle on Saturdays and Sundays. Mountain bike trails for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders.

Volleyball Courts
Located at Corporate Shelter Area East Court and Corporate Shelter Area West Court, sand courts, no lights.

3400 N.E. 163rd Street
North Miami, FL
305-919-1844

Florida state parks are open from 8:00 AM until sundown 365 days a year.
Park Fees
Please call the Park for information at 305-919-1844.
Welcome to Oleta River State Park Florida’s largest urban park, Oleta River is located on Biscayne Bay in the busy Miami metropolitan area. Although it offers a variety of recreational opportunities, the park is best known for miles of off-road bicycling trails, ranging from novice trails to challenging trails for experienced bicyclists. Along the Oleta River, at the north end of the park, a large stand of beautiful mangrove forest preserves native South Florida plants and wildlife. Canoeists and kayakers can paddle the river to explore this amazing natural area. Swimming from a 1,200-foot sandy beach and saltwater fishing are also popular activities. Picnic tables and grills are available. Nine pavilions can be rented for a fee. All have water, and the largest one has electricity. Visitors can rent kayaks, canoes, and bicycles. The park has a loaner system for bicycle helmets.

1275 Northeast 79th Street Causeway
Miami, FL 33138
305-751-9840

http://www.pelicanharbor.bizland.com/index.html

Hours:
Seven days a week
9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
While there is no charge to visit the facility, this is a non-profit organization, and DONATIONS are gratefully appreciated.
The Pelican Harbor Seabird Station is dedicated to releasing rehabilitated and injured seabirds into the Biscayne Bay area.
They accept all injured wildlife, including mammals and reptiles, but no dogs or cats. Injured animals can be dropped off 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you find an injured animal that you believe needs help, please bring it in or call them at 305-751-9840.

2000 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-673-7256
www.mbgarden.org
FREE
Tuesday to Sunday
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a 4.5 acre botanical garden of tropical plants, trees, and orchids. The Garden includes a Japanese Garden. A beautiful place in the heart of Miami Beach, where you can stroll and relax. Also check for cultural events that are planned at the Garden.