Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, the city of Miami’s largest park which has been closed since 1982 reportedly for reasons of disrepair, will reopen this Black History Month weekend of Friday-Saturday-Sunday, February 22 through 24 with dedication celebrations and a family fun festival. The entire community is invited to attend and enjoy this grand reopening.

It’s a time to enjoy great food along Vendors Alley and have fun times. It’s all free, free admission, free parking and free park-and-ride from the MLK and Overtown Metrorail stations on Saturday only from 12 noon to 10 pm. Bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs.

Friday’s, February 22, ribbon-cutting-dedication ceremony featuring dignitaries begins at 10 a.m. with inauguration speech by Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery of the Coalition for the Peoples Agenda, remembrances, Mini-Train Display , Museum Exhibit and Tours, Unveiling of Poster Contest Designs, Bahamian Junkanoo Revue, Florida Memorial University Steel Band and Choral Ensemble, and nostalgic treats.

The Saturday Family Fest Day, February 23, runs from 1 pm to 9 pm with live performances by Jeffery Osborne, Crossovah, Senior Steppers, Hip Hop Kidz, Mecca A.K.A. Grimo, Ball Greezy and Grind Mode. 

Saturday’s Children Amusement Fun Zone will include a merry-go-round carousel, sand castles box area, bounce house arena, mini-carnival rides, face painting, magician, story-telling, puppet show and other park amenities to enjoy. The park will also host vintage cars on display, as well as a Glimpse of the Past Museum Exhibit and Tours.       

Sunday, February 24, is an open day of relaxation for the public to individually experience this beautiful tropical paradise. Come enjoy a blast from the past.

Virginia Key Beach Park is located at 4020 Virginia Beach Drive along the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Originally dedicated in 1945, on an unequal, separate basis, Virginia Key Beach Park represents the focal recreational space where the Black community at-large was allowed to gather, commune and create the conditions for solidarity necessary for a civil rights movement to flourish. Miami’s 82.5-acre “colored beach” beach, like no other recreational park of its kind during the 20th century, established a significant turning point in terms of forging compassionate negotiation and creative communication between Black and non-African American societies.

In 1999, Virginia Key Beach Park was once again reclaimed by the Black community under the leadership of a Trust organization.

The Trust’s Founding Chairperson, the late M. Athalie Range stated:  “There were several developers and entrepreneurs who wanted to build on the beach. When we found that out, through public meetings, we had to plead with them not to let this happen. That is when we made the push to revitalize the beach as it was in those days. People don’t know the history of south Florida. Nobody talks about the segregated beaches and golf courses.”

“Virginia Key Beach was special to us because of the laws of segregation. It was ours. It was the only place that welcomed us and the only place where we could be free, in a way. It was not a very good feeling to have the coast of Miami as a beach with all this beautiful water around you and you couldn’t enjoy it during the days of segregation when Blacks were not welcome. Signs on beaches said No Jews, No Dogs, and No Coloreds,” Athalie Range concluded.

Taste the Tradition of Virginia Key Beach   
Nowadays, visitors are invited to relish the historically restored Concession Stand and Snack Bar where typical seaside taste treats from the past are still served. Sample an old-fashioned corn dog on a stick, a bag of kettle corn glistening with butter, a ruby-red candied apple or a sticky mountain of cotton candy. Then wash it down with cold drinks from the well-shaded refreshment pavilion.

Outdoor grills, fueled by burning charcoal which may be brought from home or purchased at park stands, are available for use on a first come basis without charge. Besides the individual barbecue grills, a large 20 x 6 foot barbecue pit area is available for large groups. Shelters for large organized picnics may be reserved. Picnic tables spread under the coconut palms assure ample eating space.

Hearken back to the days when Virginia Key Beach meant dawn to dusk family gatherings filled with plenty of talk, play and foods to be shared. It’s no wonder why everything tastes better in the great outdoors of Virginia Key Beach Park.

Feel the Fellowship
The island was, and still remains, a magical spot for fun, excitement, dancing, entertainment, and self-expression—a centerpiece for social gatherings both large and small—an oasis, available to everyone, apart from developing urban core that provides scenic areas for reflection, rest and relaxation along the shimmering seaside.

Popular belief holds that there was a ‘Negro Dancing Pavilion’ on the island as early as 1918. The restored circular concrete slab located amidst a circle of shady palms and park benches, still is a testament to the spell of love and evening romance under starry skies. 

Countless picnics, church outings, sunrise services, ancestral ceremonies, baptisms, family reunions and retreats can feel the connection of fellowship as a meeting place, even to this day, and in so doing pay reverence to the historical significance of this special site.

“Few people had automobiles back in the day. But in the Black community there was a main thoroughfare, Northwest 3rd Avenue. Youngsters, especially of those families that did not have automobiles, would get their gear and stand at the side of the road. These fellows driving those large trucks would stop and pick them up. And everybody would get to the beach,” said Dr. Edward Braynon. 

Enjoy the Ecology

The newly restored Boardwalk is sure to entice visitors. The unique plant varieties that verge Virginia Key’s Atlantic coastline include one of the oldest surviving Coastal Mangrove communities in Miami-Dade County. A giant Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) can be seen near the beach on the eastern end of the Park and gives indication of the original plant life. In addition, Virginia Key is fringed with fresh water wetlands, tropical marine hammock, coastal strand and abundant sea grass, flora type plants for wildlife, sea birds, the Gopher Tortoise, the Hawksbill Sea Turtle, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, the West Indian Manatee and the American Crocodile.

Event Sponsors

Grand Reopening Event sponsors include Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, City of Miami Cultural Arts and Entertainment, Miami-Dade County, The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade College, City of Miami Parks & Recreation, Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council, Miami-Dade Transit, HandsOnMiami, The Miami Times, HOT 105, WEDR 99 JAMZ, WMBM Gospel Radio, VP Records, Black Global Bikers, OnPoint Marketing, IconZ Music, FIJI Waters, Snapple and Rusty Pelican Restaurant.

For more information, call 305-960-4600, events hotline 305-960-4626, or log on to http://www.virginiakeybeachpark.net/

EVENT INFORMATION-ADDRESS-DIRECTIONS-FREE BUS SHUTTLE SERVICE:
Event Location
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park
4020 Virginia Key Beach Park
Miami, Florida 33149

More Information
Call 305-960-4600
Go to http://www.virginiakeybeachpark.net/
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Directions
From North:
Take I-95 South to exit 1a Rickenbacker Causeway
Bear left to toll booth
Go through toll booth
Make left turn at 2nd traffic light

From South:
Take US-1 to Brickell Avenue
Bear right to toll booth
Go through toll booth
Make left turn at 2nd traffic light

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Take Free Bus Shuttles-Saturday Only, 12 Noon to 10 pm
Park at or go to Free Park-and-Ride Lots
Model City MLK Metrorail Station
NW 62nd Street-27th Avenue

Overtown Metrorail Station
NW 7th Street-1st Court
Bus Shuttles will run between 12 noon and 10 pm
to and from Metrorail Stations to Virginia Key Beach Park