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Named after the late Miami newspaper editor who championed this area for a state park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is part of a large barrier island ecosystem.
Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, an extensive restoration program was undertaken. The goal of the program is to restore the natural plant communities and systems historically associated with the island.
The park is on the southern tip of the barrier island called Key Biscayne. The explorer Ponce de Leon named the island in 1513 on his first expedition to the land he called Florida.
In the early 1800s, sandbars and reefs caused hundreds of shipwrecks along the Keys, prompting the U.S. government to construct a series of lighthouses along Florida's eastern seaboard.
The Cape Florida light was completed in 1825 and destroyed by Seminole Indians in 1836. A second tower, completed in 1846, still stands.
Guided tours of the lighthouse are conducted at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
Cape Florida also offers swimming, fishing, hiking and picnicking.
To reach the park, travel east on the Rickenbacker Causeway off U.S. Route 1, south of Miami.
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