When visiting Miami, you’ll often hear the advice to go on plenty of boat tours. This is because Florida is made up of over four and a half thousand islands – second only to Alaska. Of course, many of the best islands, including The Keys, are located in South Florida around Miami.
Boat rental in Miami is something often overlooked, but it can be a far better way to see Florida than boat tours. Setting sail at your own pace, choosing which snorkelling spots to visit, or the idea of being ignorant enough to stumble accidentally onto secret, hidden islands – these are all things that don’t happen on a vanilla boat tour.
So, with that in mind, let’s explore the very best things to see if you decide to rent a boat in Florida.
Best things to see when visiting Miami
The Keys
If you want to begin your journey with a route that’s a little more typical and explored, as opposed to hunting secret islands, then The Keys are a great option. The Keys are a chain of islands just south of Miami that extend over 100 miles towards the Gulf of Mexico.
Whilst they used to be accessible via rail, a 1935 hurricane decimated the infrastructure. Today, it’s much better explored via boat. When visiting, Bahia Honda State Park is perhaps the most beautiful beach of the coral islands. Split into two, you can either head towards the open ocean or a smaller area which is situated next to the old railroad bridge.
Further towards the Gulf of Mexico is Dry Tortugas National Park. Being only accessible via boat (or plane), this island contains Fort Jefferson in a quiet, serene atmosphere that’s surrounded by shipwrecks and snorkelling spots.
Everglades National Park
Everglades is situated on the very south coast of Florida, making it relatively simple to access via boat. You can find an overwhelming 1.5 million acres of swamplands that are home to crocodiles, alligators, snakes, and rare birdlife.
There are various trails, as you can imagine, that cater for varying levels of hikers. Anhinga Trail is a popular and easy trail, being wheelchair accessible, which will lead you towards alligators sightings along with other animals.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
This is one of Miami’s biggest attractions – and for good reason! The Vizcaya is an Italian Renaissance-style villa that sits in the middle of a gorgeously landscaped garden in Coconut Grove. The city landscape can be seen in the background, making for a surreal juxtaposition.
Inside contains some of the most picturesque staircases and floors you’ll ever see, along with a collection of European decorative works and antiques from the 16th century onwards. Of course, there are plenty of free activities going on all-year-round too.
Florida is an incredible place because we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what to see and do upon visiting. This is the perfect place to scratch the itch of an abroad vacation, and boat rental in Miami can better enhance the experience with its peace, serenity, and privacy that’s a welcome respite from the pandemic.
