Florida’s Biscayne National Park Offers Shipwrecks, Wildlife

May 19th, 2016

With 2016 marking the centennial year of the origins of America’s National Parks System, “City Lights” travel contributor Kevin Benefield has his recommendations for National Parks to visit around the South.

This time he’s exploring Biscayne National Park off the Southern Coast of Florida.

While there may not be much to see if visitors have not made their way into the water “below the tranquil surface of the ocean lies a vast and colorful world,” Benefield says. One of the most popular ways to explore the park is by glass-bottomed boat.

Visitors who want to get a closer look by snorkeling or scuba diving will be rewarded by “clusters of undulating limestone-secreting polyps that make up the coral reef; an alien-like landscape that attracts hundreds of species of fish, shrimp, crabs and other animals.”

Benefield also recommends a trip down Biscayne’s Maritime Heritage Trail. The underwater journey takes visitors through six shipwreck sites. While snorkeling is an option, Benefield says the best way to see the shipwrecks is by scuba diving.

For the seasick and landlubbers, The Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point offers a virtual journey beneath the waves. Additionally, the park includes a 65-foot ornamental lighthouse built in the 1930s, offering views of the ocean and Miami skyline.