A tourist attraction in Miami that you should not miss is Virginia Key Island, located in Biscayne Bay. It is a real blue lagoon, a perfect spot for escaping everyday life. It is a couple minutes away from Miami Finance Center. It is accessible from the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway. The island is ideal for sports and recreation, it has beautifully decorated parks, greenery, educational institutions and a museum.
The island has unified fun and history, and it is a place where everyone will find something that interests them. The history of the island and its beaches began in 1896. The beach is magnificent and it offers a beautiful view of the bay and the Atlantic, and nature is pristine. There used to be beaches which people of color had no access to. Virginia Key was accessible by boat from Miami, and in 1945 it officially became ‘colored-only’ beach, following protests led by judge Thomas. In order to fight for their rights, a group of black men led by judge Thomas entered a beach where only white people were allowed, and they swam there as a sign of protest. Officials at the time, instead of applying force on the demonstrators, they decided to meet their needs and provided them with an official beach for Afro-Americans on Virginia Key back in 1945.
The beach immediately became the gathering spot for Miami’s Afro-American communities, and it was also put to religious use. Immigrants from Cuba, Caribbean and South America would come there. Beach park Virginia Key was closed in 1982 because of the high level of expenditures. In 1999, the civil right's task force developed into a trust that was given the charge of re-opening the park The Miami Commission overlooked the development of this historic estate. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park was opened to the public in 2008.
Nowadays, the park is known for swamps that are a real ecological treasure. It has extensive flora and fauna, and some of the plants are among the oldest in the region. It has bike lanes, picnic spots, various stands – this is a place for enjoying which will meet all your expectations. There also enough parking spaces.
Author of the article:
Marijana Niković tour guide for Montenegro
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