Located on Key Biscayne off the Rickenbacker Causeway lies an 82-acre barrier island called Virginia Key. The property belongs to the City of Miami and is maintained by City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department, the responsibility is shared in part with the Virginia Key Beach Trust who manage the historic portion of the beach front and oversee the preservation and future development of Virginia Key Beach.

The Parks and Recreation Department provides lifeguard supervision of their portion of the beach 7 days a week, 365 days a year and provide maintenance for the bathrooms and parking spaces for the beach area.

 Admission into the Virginia Key Beach :

Vehicle Weekday Admission: $5

Vehicle Weekend/Holiday Admission: $6

Cyclist Admission: $1 (when you are biking into the facility, not driving a car)

In addition to the beaches and environmental restoration projects, the Virginia Key Beach Park area also offers a 4.1 milk bike trail. Built through a collaborative effort with volunteers and City resources, the bike trail offers novice thru advances riders an opportunity to bike amongst native vegetation and along the coastal shores.

Additionally the Parks and Recreation Department is currently involved in the restoration and preservation of the 15 acre Hammock area located on Virginia Key. This has involved the removal of invasive exotic vegetation and restoring native plants to the area. During this process many important botanical species have been discovered including some that are classified as threatened or endangered such as Zanthoxylum coriaceum (Biscayne Prickly Ash), Coccothrinax argentata (Florida Silver Palm) and Scaevola plumieri (Beachberry).

For historical background on Virginia Key and to find out what the future holds for the area please visit the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust at: www.virginiakeybeachpark.net