Named in honor of the first director of Miami-Dade Parks & Recreation, this 65-acre park is located in the unincorporated area of Coral Terrace, just minutes from the Palmetto Expressway. "Doug" Barnes Park is an oasis of family-friendly green space with native forest habitats, a fishing lake, heated pool, jogging trails, picnic shelters, a playground and much more. Home to a 15-acre wilderness of native tropical hardwood hammock and pine rockland habitats, A.D. Barnes Park offers visitors a respite from urban life and many ways to connect to nature.

Featuring a native tropical hardwood hammock and pine rockland hiking trail, the park’s aura aligns with the mission of its namesake, who sought to make recreation a critical component of community life and whose 40-year career brought us Miami’s park system as you know it today. As a space providing accessible pavilions for those with special needs and camp programming for children with disabilities, A.D. (Doug) Barnes Park allows everyone to benefit from its natural treasures. It opens daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Address: 3401 SW 72nd Ave., Miami
Contact: 305-666-5883
Website: miamidade.gov/parks/ad-barnes.asp

Entrance fee: NA

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Only steps from CocoWalk and the bustling restaurants and shops of Coconut Grove’s entertainment district, Barnacle Historic State Park is the location of the oldest home still in its original location to be built in Miami-Dade. It also happens to be one of the most secluded, quieter parks to discover on one’s own, as the winding, canopied entryway leads to a grassy lawn with a head-on view of Biscayne Bay. And it is Barnacle Historic State Park which is one of the best parks in Miami.

Built by Ralph Middleton Munroe, a 20th-century settler of the area who fought off developers seeking to build artificial islands offshore and engineers who wished to pipe raw sewage into the bay, the passion project of a man who loved yachts and boats and, most of all, his Grove home, continues to be enjoyed by visitors today. Admission is $2 per person. It opens Sunday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address: 3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove
Contact: 305-442-6866
Website: floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/barnacle-historic-state-park

Entrance fee: $2

Rating: 4.0/5.0

When you think of going to a park, the idea of arriving at night might seem a little off the beaten path. For stargazers and awestruck enjoyers of space, Bill Sadowski Park’s 33-acre terrain can be experienced quite nicely in the evening, thank you very much. With the largest telescope in the county available for visitors to use, the Southern Cross Astronomy Society has utilized the park to host weekly star parties since 1986 (interrupted only when the pandemic forced a suspension of operations).

Bill Sadowski is known as one of the best parks in Miami. Named after William “Bill” Sadowski, an environmental lawmaker who worked to create accessible homes and landscapes for Floridians, the southernmost park on this list also features vast geological landscapes, from solution holes to limestone rock formations and even a drained Everglades slough. It opens daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address: 17555 SW 79th Ave., Palmetto Bay
Contact: 305-255-4767
Website: miamidade.gov/parks/bill-sadowski.asp

Entrance fee: free

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Spread across 22 acres in North Miami, Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park is a scenic oasis of subtropical plants, tree canopies and native wildlife. Bordering Arch Creek, this unique outdoor space has community and butterfly gardens, horse stables and even a monument to the heroes of Greater Miami’s LGBTQ community.

This park, named in honor of Elaine Gordon, whose political activism in support of human rights, especially for women, is located only steps away from Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus, where Gordon helped raise funds for scholarships. The park is brimming with North Miami’s best-kept treasures, including the county’s first public LGBTQ+ sculpture, created by Miami-based artist Alan Gutierrez, and borders Arch Creek Park, a historical site where a Tequesta Indian village once existed. It opens daily 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address: 1725 NE 135th St., North Miami
Contact: 305-895-1119
Website: northmiamifl.gov/facilities/facility/details/Enchanted-Forest-Elaine-Gordon-Park-12

Entrance fee: just $3 unless you are 17 or younger, in which case it's free

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Kendall Indian Hammocks County Park is a park in the United States. Kendall Indian Hammocks County Park is located in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida, in the southeastern part of the country, 1,500 km south of the capital city Washington, D.C. 2 meters above sea level is located in Kendall Indian Hammocks County Park. This park is also considered to be one of the best parks in Miami.

This hardwood hammock in suburban Kendall, which provides a much-needed a breather from the harsh Miami sun, is located alongside a 14,000-square-foot plaza where adrenaline junkies and skating rookies abound. Inspired by Philadelphia’s Love Park and San Francisco’s Embarcadero, the Indian Hammocks Action Sports Plaza features ramps and rails where skaters of all levels and skillsets can thrive and grind, with a shaded bleacher section available for those who prefer to watch from a safe distance. It opens daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Address: 11395 SW 79th St., Miami
Contact: 786-537-2016
Website: miamidade.gov/parks/kendall-indian-hammocks.asp

Entrance fee: free

Rating: 4.5/5/0

While Miami Beach’s Lummus Park tends to be the one that comes to mind, there happens to be another Lummus Park: in downtown Miami. The Lummus Park Historic District or simply Lummus Park, is on the National Register of Historic Places and a locally historic designated district in Miami, Florida. It is roughly bound by Northwest Fifth Street to the north, Flagler Street to the south, Northwest Third Avenue to the east, and the Miami River to the west. On October 25, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Lummus Park has some of the oldest structures in Miami, and over the decades, has been able to retain a large part of its early pioneer character.

Built in 1909, the park continues to provide a glimpse into Miami’s early years as a pioneering city in the South. The majority of the buildings surrounding the park were built prior to 1926, and their architecture is unique in its construction and diverse in style, from the militant native limestone of Fort Dallas to the Masonic columns of the Scottish Rite Temple. Stroll the historic promenade with a direct view of the Miami River and find yourself transported back in time. It opens daily sunrise to sunset.

Address: 360 NW Third Street, Miami
Contact: 305-960-2920
Website: miamigov.com/Residents/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Directory/Lummus-Park

Entrance fee: free

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Another skate park on this list that’s not Lot 11? This Spohn Ranch concrete creation offers a cozier, community-based atmosphere for skaters looking to practice and mingle on the county's western fringes. Our fourth concrete skatepark for Miami Dade County, Florida makes the most of a tight rectangular space nestled in-between walking paths and basketball courts. The park features multiple stair sets, a versatile a-frame combination and a set of sculptural “skittle-shaped” manual pads. And the North Trail Skatepark is one of the best parks in Miami.

A hipped mini-ramp section adds a transition dimension to the park and contributes to the park’s enticing “one-push” flow. Besides existing as a hub for the local skate scene, the park offers after-school programming opportunities for kids, along with a well-rounded assortment of facilities for all of your fitness needs. It opens daily sunrise to sunset.

Address: 780 NW 127th Ave., Miami
Contact: (305) 207-2420

Website: miamidade.gov/parks/north-trail.asp

Entrance fee: $25 per week, $15 one-time registration fee

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Simpson Park, officially Simpson Park Hammock, is a 7.8-acre (3.2 ha) urban park and nature preserve located between Brickell and The Roads neighborhoods of Miami, Florida. The park was originally known as Jungle Park, as 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) were set aside in 1913 by a group of individuals to preserve what is now one of the last remaining tracts (along with Alice Wainwright Park and a spot on Virginia Key) of Brickell Hammock, a tropical hardwood hammock which once ran from the Miami River to Coconut Grove.

While on the smaller side of the parks on this list, Simpson Park is more about what it provides to city dwellers than what’s actually within — though it's stunning in its preservation of one of the last remnants of the tropical hardwood hammock in Brickell. With over 96 varieties of native tree and plant species, 15 endangered species, and nine threatened species — and even a pavilion constructed in collaboration by Miami architect Chad Oppenheim and Swiss landscape designer Enzo Enea — the park is a testament to the persistent commitment of those who have fought to preserve the city’s natural roots from heedless urbanization. It opens Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 55 SW 17th Rd., Miami
Contact: 305-859-2867
Website: miamigov.com/Residents/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Directory/Simpson-Park

Entrance fee: NA

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Miami Beach Soundscape Park is the green heart of Frank Gehry’s New World Symphony campus, a world-class destination that marries music, design, and culture. The lush, contemporary park is the perfect place for visitors to unwind year-round under the shade of trees or a starlit sky. If life has brought out anything from deep within us of late, it’s the desire to enjoy each other’s company in the natural environment. But the same goes for entertainment.

Soundscape Park in Miami Beach includes a grassy area where one can recline to view the screen that’s projected on the side of the New World Center. With Walllcast concerts scheduled to play live classical music performances and the Soundscape Cinema Series, providing a weekly 7,000-square-foot screen projection on which one can watch movies for free at night, the urban park enables Miami’s nightlife to thrive in an organic way. Designed by West 8, aurban planningng and landscape-architecture firm based in the Netherlands, the park is complete with aluminum structures that supply shade for its visitors and support the many bougainvillea trees scattered throughout the space. Admission is free depending on special events. It opens 24 hours.

Address: 400, 17th St., Miami Beach
Contact: 305-673-3330
Website: nws.edu/new-world-center/rent-new-world-center/soundscape-park

Entrance fee: $0-$100, depending on the type of tickets

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Rather than being named after a singular woman who has impacted the history and state of Miami, the Women’s Park pays homage to the endless contributions of yesterday, today, and tomorrow’s South Floridian females. The Women’s Park has two playgrounds, a walking path and a picnic shelter/pavilion that can be reserved on a first come, first served basis. The park hosts regular educational classes, workshops and camps for women of all ages. It is the Women’s Park which is one of the best parks in Miami.

Greeting visitors with a sculptured gate and fence designed by artist Lydia Rubio, which was created in partnership with the Miami-Dade Art and Public Places program, the park bears the name of many women who have had an impact on the city’s development. Historical bonus: A time capsule buried under the oolite limestone in the park at its inauguration in 1992 is set to be opened this year, revealing the zeitgeist of the city at the time of its creation. It opens daily 7 a.m. to sunset.

Address: 10251 W. Flagler St., Miami
Contact: 305-480-1717
Website: miamidade.gov/parks/womens.asp

Entrance fee: free

Rating: 4.5/5.0