Sand is sand is sand...

Well...not really.

I've visited, spent the day at, and passed by many a beach in South Florida. I've never really found a beach that I've enjoyed completely. There's always been some feature or characteristic of the beach that kept me from enjoying my time there completely. For instance, the beach might have been too crowded, the shoreline was rocky, the waves were nonexistent--whatever--you get the idea.

Well, I recently visited a beach that I had heard of my whole life, but which I had never had the chance to visit. It is now my new favorite beach (maybe another day I will write about the beach this new favorite has replaced).

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne (otherwise known by the Hispanic community as "El Farito") is a wonderful place to spend the day with your family, with your significant other, or even alone.

It is listed in Frommer's as one of the Best Beaches and the TravelChannel website refers to it. There are loads of other web references about this park, most of them positive.

My favorite aspects of the park:

• beautiful sandy beaches
• not crowded (granted, weekdays in the early morning are the best time to visit...but most people will visit the free beaches nearby)
• sand dunes
• little or no shell shards or rocks to hurt your feet
• bike and nature trails
• lighthouse you can climb up
• snorkeling is possible
• nice little waves (not too big/not too small)
• lots of tables, benches, and gazebos available for rent
• affordable admission prices
• pets are allowed (in certain areas, not on the beach though)
• two places to get food

Also, one more thing that made me enjoy my time there, but probably won't matter to most people, is that the place reminded me so much of the beaches in St. Augustine, Florida where I felt very peaceful, removed from the hectic city-life, and I was surrounded by nature.

This is a great place to visit and I plan on going there often. I can't believe I've never been before. I suppose most people that go to the area opt for the free beaches which abound. That's what my family and I used to do, but thankfully, Tony and I like to try new things. So we checked this place out. We're planning to go back soon!

Here's the addy and the official webpage...
1200 S. Crandon Blvd.
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Phone: 305-361-5811

Remember though...if you're in Miami and want to visit, but forget the address or get lost (which happens to us locals) just ask for "El Farito." You'll get strange looks if you say "Bill Baggs".

(Picture taken from http://mpancier.blogspot.com/ who has a nice entry about the Hispanic ties to "El Farito" that I, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to participate in...give it a read.)