Key Biscayne National Park is spectacular with kids if they can swim. If kids can’t swim it gets downgraded from spectacular to awesome. We did a private guided boat tour with the Biscayne Park National Institute. The only way children under eight can go on the tour is on a private tour. Our tour guide told us tales of pirates, shipwrecks, sharks and crocodiles. The tales intermixed with snorkeling made for a fabulous day.
Snorkeling is one of my favorite things and seeing the marine life is spectacular. I absolutely loved sharing this experience with my kids. On the car on the way to Key Biscayne my daughter asked if we would see sharks? And what we would do if we saw a shark? I’m so glad I didn’t say we weren’t going to see a shark because we totally saw a shark (a nurse shark but still a shark)!
How Many People Were on the Boat?
My in-laws came with us (which we always appreciate extra hands and eyes to help with our kids). We had eight people in our party, the captain to drive the boat and a naturalist who gave us some history and explanation of the wild life. The captain and the naturalist were both knowledgeable and great resources. They had laminated color copies with photos of all the different potential wildlife we could see. The kids especially liked snorkeling for a little bit and then going on the boat to name the animals they saw.
What Did We Bring on the Boat ?
Most of the group took some Dramamine before we boarded the boat and we brought some on board in case we needed more. I was happy I took Dramamine. The first part of the boat ride in the bay was calm but as soon as we got out into the ocean the water was choppy. No one in our group threw up but there were definitely people a little queasy the second half of the boat ride. I wondered whether my kids would be too drowsy to swim with the Dramamine in their system but the medicine didn’t cause a problem.
We brought our own snorkels (they provided some but we just wanted to bring our own). They provided these neon yellow snorkel life vests. We used their red life jacket for my two year old (I brought his puddle jumper just in case). The captain also had noodles that provided extra support while we snorkeled. I brought goggles for my two year old so he could feel included. We also brought sunscreen, towels, snacks and water. The boat tour was about 3.5 hours long so the kids definitely liked snacking. I feel like this goes without saying but we were all in our swimsuits on the boat.
As far as camera’s we just brought our phones and goPro Hero 9. I kept debating if I should bring other camera’s but ultimately decided that the risk of water and my camera was too high. Also between watching children, snorkeling and using the goPro there wasn’t much more time to take photos.
Anything Else to Bring to Key Biscayne?
As soon as our car doors opened at Key Biscayne National Park, we were greeted by an army of ravenous mosquitos. We had bug spray and they were really so bad that we needed bug spray just to get out of the parking lot. It was just before 9am (not super early) so I was surprised at how vicious they were. In the time I sprayed myself my toddler got at least 10 bites before I could spray him down properly. I felt so bad. Luckily my mother in law brought an anti-itch cream as well. Since we were greeted by mosquitos I felt like that was a bad omen for the rest of the day, but after we got on the boat we had no problems with biting bugs.
What Did You See at the Reef?
We made two stops: Billy’s Point in the mangroves and then Anniversary Reef out in the ocean. We all initially thought we would like the reef better. I put the captain on the spot and asked if we were only going to swim in one place which one would he pick. He really couldn’t answer because each spot is so unique. The mangrove area is shallow (3-4 feet), the water clear, and calm. There were a lot of fish in this area. When you stick your head in the mangrove roots and see fish it’s kind of an unexpected surprise when fish pop our through the crannies.
What Did You See at the Reef?
After everyone was done at the mangroves, we went to the reef and that was spectacular as well. The water was clear, we saw a greater variety of fish and coral than the mangroves but definitely less. The water at the reef was choppy and it was trickier to keep the snorkel water free because of the waves. Some in our party got motion sick just swimming around the reef area with all of the waves.
The reef area is also where we saw a nurse shark. I couldn’t believe I was directly above it. I shouted that I saw a nurse shark and our guides just smiled and nodded and my kids quickly swam over so they could see it as well. After a few minutes, it went away and I have no idea where it went so that was creepy thinking about all the different animals that were close but I didn’t know were there.
What Did You See from the Boat and Visitor’s Center?
On the way back to the marina we saw several birds and we were treated with several pods of dolphins. Some even graced us with a jumping show. It was so magical to see them jump in the wake of the boat. They were playing with us. Once we got back to the visitor’s center we saw a large lizard with an orange tail. I think it was either a Southeastern five-lined Skink or a common agama.
What History Did You Learn?
We learned a little about some of the shipwrecks in the area. We also learned about a pirate I had never heard of. The pirates name was Black Caesar and he used to hide in the Keys with his men and pretend they were shipwrecked. When a ship would get close to help them they would ambush the ship and take their possessions.
Since I had never heard of this pirate, once I got home I checked out a book in the library to learn more about Black Caesar. The book is called Florida Lore by Caren Schnur Neile. There’s just a couple of pages about him. I learned there were over 5,000 pirates from 1715-1726. About 50% were of African descent and there were actually two pirates known as Black Caesar. Here are some of the tales of the original one. Apparently the expression “Dead men tell no tales” is from Black Caeser and his crew. He joined forces with Blackbeard and was captured and hanged.
We also learned that because of the lack of people around nuclear power plant close to Key Biscayne allowed the American Crocodile to flourish. My internal dialogue kept wondering is that a good thing the crocodiles have flourished? Do we need more crocodiles in the world? I was so happy we did not see crocodiles or alligators in the water.
Was there anything else to do besides the Boat Tour?
We did a quick walk along the water. We also went into the visitor’s center. Our kids did the junior ranger program and watched the movie about the park. I chatted with the volunteer at the front desk about the interesting marine life he has seen free-diving. I learned about the five different types of sea turtles in the area. After we were done at Key Biscayne National Park, we went back to our hotel to shower and change and we headed out for dinner. We had an incredible authentic Mexican dinner at La Cruzada. Have you been to southern Florida? What did you do and what did you eat? Would you go to Key Biscayne National Park with kids?
No Comments