Miami-Dade WINTER 2016 A Boatload of Offshore Fun at Pelican Harbor Marina Get Out There On Two Wheels and Enjoy Miami-Dade New Soccer Complex at Amelia Earhart Park Discover Inside: Parks Events camping Calendar Close to Home Become a WE BELIEVE IN member today Places to play, relax, and enjoy time with friends and family. and make Beautiful open spaces – an oasis in our urban a difference community. Memorable experiences in parks and natural areas – in your parks. now and in the future. www.liveaparklife.org 93-1516 -15762 Parks Foundation Inside Cover Ad.indd 1 12/14/15 9:23 AM Miami-Dade Parks contentsWINTER 2016 MIAMI-DADE COUNTY Carlos A. Gimenez Become a Mayor BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WE BELIEVE IN Jean Monestime Chairman member today Esteban Bovo, Jr. Places to play, relax, Vice Chairman Barbara J. Jordan Daniella Levine Cava and enjoy time with District 1 District 8 Jean Monestime Dennis C. Moss friends and family. and make District 2 District 9 Audrey M. Edmonson Senator Javier D. Souto Beautiful open spaces – District 3 District 10 features Sally A. Heyman Juan C. Zapata an oasis in our urban a difference District 4 District 11 A Boatload of Offshore Fun at Bruno A. Barreiro José “Pepe” Díaz 5 community. District 5 District 12 Pelican Harbor Marina Rebeca Sosa Esteban Bovo, Jr. Adventure-loving visitors can get their fill on land Memorable experiences in District 6 District 13 and water. in your parks. Xavier L. Suarez parks and natural areas – District 7 now and in the future. Harvey Ruvin Get Rolling With Bike305 Clerk of Courts 7 Encouraging families, commuters and cyclists to get Pedro J. Garcia Property Appraiser on two wheels and enjoy Miami-Dade. Abigail Price-Williams County Attorney New Soccer Complex at Amelia Miami-Dade County provides equal access and equal 9 opportunity in employment and services and does Earhart Park not discriminate on the basis of disability. It is the policy of Miami-Dade County to comply with all provisions of the State-of-the-art soccer complex creates a venue for Americans with Disabilities Act. youth and adult soccer tournaments. Discover Camping Close to Home 10 You don’t have to travel far to enjoy the great outdoors. Miami-Dade Parks Receives State’s Published by 18 Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation Exceptional Employer Award and Open Spaces Disability services aimed at helping people with intellectual disabilities become more independent. Creative Director Lissie Allen Art Director Marc Needleman parks calendar 12 Editorial, Design and Photography Staff Diane Arias, Sarah Ballard, Ruth Kimbrough-Bent, Yasenny Camejo, Francesca Constantini, Keith Darby, Claudia Dimitrio, Karla Echeverria, Aliette Gomez, Ryan Holloway, Leila Khalil, Gerald Lopez, Victoria Muñiz, Ruben Perez, Laura Phillips, Armando Rodriguez, Jr., Cindy Yeh Comments or questions? www.liveaparklife.org Write to us at [email protected] WINTER 2016 • MIAMI-DADE PARKS 3 93-1516 -15762 Parks Foundation Inside Cover Ad.indd 1 12/14/15 9:23 AM TM MIAMI-DADE PARKS, RECREATION & OPEN SPACES FREE CONCERT SERIES Noches Tropicales - Friday - 8:00 p.m. Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St. Miami February 12, 2016 Latin Jazz ALL-STARS FREE April 1, 2016 PUBLIC TO THE TO Conjunto Progreso Salsa Tropical For more information, call 305-271-0812, 305-480-1717 Visit www.miamidade.gov/parks/concert-series.asp 4 MIAMI-DADE PARKS • WINTER 2016 A Boatload of Offshore Fun at Pelican Harbor Marina Adventure-loving visitors can get their fill on land or water un, adventure and blissful sea views can be part of your boating experience—and you don’t have to own a boat. Take pleasure in the boating life by renting the Pelican Island FSkipper—a 45-foot catamaran—available at Pelican Harbor Marina, which offers easy access to Biscayne Bay from Haulover inlet to Biscayne National Park. You can rent the boat for a two-hour minimum at the price of $267.50 per hour for a group up to 45 people, and you’ll have a wonderful and memorable expe- rience that everyone will be talking about for years to come. Pelican Harbor features a variety of boating services and amenities, such as free parking, 24-hour security, wet slips and more. Experience a visitor-favorite—a two-hour guided sunset birdwatching trip each month aboard the Pelican Island Skipper (upcoming tours run Jan. 9 and Pelican Harbor Marina Feb. 13). Tickets cost $40 per person which goes toward the seabird sta- of the water as the sun sets behind the tion’s wildlife relief efforts. The strikingly beautiful Miami skyline. cruise travels along the shores For an afternoon pick-me-up, the of the prominent bird rookery ship store located in the marina known as “Bird Key,” home to sells cold beverages and snacks. brown pelicans, cormorants and Kayak and paddle board rentals are other magnificent aquatic birds. Along with great available, and a sailing school helps folks learn to sail. birdwatching opportunities, there are amazing views The marina also houses an internationally-recognized seabird rehabilitation station that has helped thou- sands of injured seabirds. Pelican Harbor Marina Adventure-loving guests can plan ahead to reserve a memorable daytime getaway at the nearby Pelican Is- Boating Services land nature preserve and bird sanctuary, just 400 yards • Boat rental offshore. The 10-acre island, home to nearly 30 species of • Free parking birds and other wildlife, has a day dock, open “chickee” • 24-hour security huts with canvas roofs, barbeque grills, picnic tables and a sand volleyball court. Access to the island is only avail- • Boat ramp access able via boat and to those who rent the island facilities • 112 wet slips for special gatherings like birthdays, weddings, reunions • Transient dockage or corporate retreats. It’s like being on your own private • Sailboat mooring field tropical island with all the playground perks. The Pelican • Dinghy dock Island Skipper is available with reservation for guests requesting round-trip marina/island transport with their • Fuel operations facility reservation; reservation is required. • Pump-out services Pelican Harbor Marina is located at 1275 NE 79 Street • Dock master building (on Biscayne Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway at statute mile 1084). For more information call 305-754-9330 or visit For more information about programs and activities www.miamidade.gov/parks/pelican-harbor.asp. at Pelican Harbor Marina, visit www.miamidade.gov/ parks/pelican-harbor.asp or call 305-754-9330. WINTER 2016 • MIAMI-DADE PARKS 5 YOU BE YOU! SPRING BREAK www.miamidade.gov/parks CAMPS MARCH 21-25 93-1516 -15785_YOU BE YOU_Winter Guide Full Page AD.indd 1 11/13/2015 1:37:56 PM 6 MIAMI-DADE PARKS • WINTER 2016 Get Rolling With Trending now: a car-optional lifestyle Bike305 he perfect time to go cycling in Miami-Dade County is now. Neither hot and humid, nor rainy and frigid, Miami’s mild weather during the winter months offers the ideal conditions Tfor families, commuters and cyclists to get out there on two wheels and enjoy all that South Florida has to offer. March is Bike305 Month, and the 17 municipalities par- ticipating in the Bike305 cycling movement are planning community bike rides; history and nature excursions; street closures for bike days and ciclovias (a spanish word that translates to bike path and also known as events where streets are temporarily closed for biking and socializing); bike rodeos for children, and off-road ventures at some of the most scenic levees, trails and greenways in Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and Parks Director The month kicks off with “Bike to Work Day” on Jack Kardys bike to work. Friday, March 4, 2016. Residents are encouraged to leave the car behind and commute to work by bike or a corridor within the next decade. “Bike the Underline” is combination of bike and public transportation, like the scheduled for Saturday, March 19, 2016. Metrorail. Elected officials will lead groups on bikes, Throughout the year residents can enjoy a connect- showing their commitment to relieving traffic conges- ed network of paved trails from Snake Creek Trail in tion and promoting healthier lifestyles. the north to Black Creek Trail in the south. These two recently-expanded trails join north-south trails from Florida City to Key Biscayne. Using roadways, cyclists can reach North Miami Beach. Parks, schools and librar- ies, along with beaches and natural areas, are great stopovers along the trails for cyclists exploring South Florida on bikes. Want to be in-the-know? Find trail maps, events, and cool information on commuter cycling by visiting and signing up on bike305.com. Bike305 Month Events • Gables Bike Day • Pinecrest Bike Day Biking is a family affair. Miami-Dade County Parks Assistant Director • Miami Lakes Ciclovia George Parrado with his family. • South Miami Bike & BBQ The second-annual “Bike the Underline” will intro- • Palmetto Bay’s Ride with the Mayor duce many residents to the paved trail underneath the • Cutler Bay-Palmetto Bay Community Bike Ride Metrorail line currently known as the “M-Path.” The or- • Biscayne Everglades Greenway Bicycle Festival ganized event is a leader-led bike ride from downtown • Everglades Bicycle Club’s Snowbird Century Miami to downtown Dadeland with attractions at key Metrorail stations. The Underline is a work-in-progress For weekly community bike rides and updates which will transform the under-utilized transit property visit bike305.com. into a 10-mile linear park and multi-modal transportation WINTER 2016 • MIAMI-DADE PARKS 7 TENNIS é BASKETBALL é TRACK & FIELD The Youth Sports Championship Series aims to build and support a strong foundation of organized sports throughout Miami-Dade County through a series of sport championships coordinated by the Miami-Dade Parks department.