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Biscayne National Park near Miami is a water wonderland

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Biscayne National Park is a wonderful place to visit. The mangrove shoreline, crystal clear waters, emerald isles and living coral reefs attract near 500,000 visitors a year.

According to the National Park Service, most visitors enter the park by private boat. They fish, cruise, and enjoy the waters of the park. They picnic and camp on the islands. And with snorkel or dive tanks, they explore the exciting kaleidoscope of life which is the living coral reefs.

But boating in the park can be difficult - to protect yourself and the park's resources requires skill and knowledge.

Other visitors arrive by car at Convoy Point, the location of the park's headquarters, and the Dante Fascell Visitor Center.

Here you can picnic, fish, canoe, explore the Visitor Center or take one of the boat tours offered by the park's concessioner, Biscayne National Underwater Park, Inc.

The concession offers gift sales, canoe rentals, glass bottom boat tours, snorkel trips, scuba trips and transportation to the island for campers. In addition, special programs are offered throughout the year.

Convoy Point offers a tranquil setting with picnic tables and charcoal grills, a canoe beach where you can launch your canoe, kayak or sailboard, and a picturesque boardwalk which takes you along the shoreline out to the rock jetty beside the boat channel heading to the bay. Fishing from the shoreline into the bay is allowed and Florida State fishing regulations and licensing requirements are enforced.

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center, completed in the summer of 1997, offers information, exhibits, park videos, book sales and a wonderful veranda complete with rocking chairs and great view. Although there is no restaurant at Convoy Point, drinks are available from vending machines and the concession gift shop sells packaged sandwiches and snacks.

Leashed pets are welcome at Convoy Point on the mainland and in the developed areas of Elliott Key (leashes must be six feet or less in length). Pets, except those used to assist individuals with disabilities, are not allowed on any other islands (including Boca Chita Key and Adams Key), in the shallow waters (less than three feet deep) surrounding the islands, or on boats docked at the islands.

The Convoy Point complex is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily (closed Christmas Day) with the Visitor Center open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information about Biscayne National Park, contact the park at: Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th St., Homestead, FL 33033-5634 or call (305) 230-7275.

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