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Places within 3 hours of Miami

77 places are worth the drive within 3 hours of Miami, counted by road time from ZIP 33130: 14 under 1 hour, 35 1 to 2 hours and 28 2 to 3 hours.

The mix leans toward wildlife, history and beaches & lakes, mostly to the north and west. Three hours each way makes a long day trip, or an easy overnight if you would rather not drive back the same day.

The headline places are Shark Valley, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Bahia Honda State Park, and the closest real day trip is Oleta River State Park (25 min).

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Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours

Under 1 hour from Miami 14 places

Photo: Everglades National Park Photo, Public domain

National park · 46 min west

Shark Valley

Bike or take a tram along a 15-mile paved loop with gators everywhere, and climb the observation tower at the halfway point.

Half day
Year-round; best Nov-Apr
Everglades NP $35 per vehicle, $20 per person (checked Nov 2026)

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Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0

Small town · 53 min north

Delray Beach

Walkable Atlantic Avenue with cafes and galleries that runs right to the beach.

Half day
Year-round
Free; paid parking

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Photo: Daniel Di Palma, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bike trail · 25 min northeast

Oleta River State Park

Florida's largest urban park, with miles of mountain bike trails, paddling and a calm beach.

Half day
Year-round
Florida State Parks fee per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Christina Rutz, CC BY 2.0

Historic site · 36 min southwest

Coral Castle

Mysterious coral rock sculptures and buildings carved by one man in the 1920s to 1940s.

1-2 hrs
Open daily
?
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

State park · 40 min north

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Green escape across from Fort Lauderdale Beach with paddling, trails and a lagoon.

2-3 hrs
Year-round
Florida State Parks fee per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Daderot, CC0

Family fun · 47 min southwest

Everglades Alligator Farm

Gator shows, hundreds of alligators and airboat rides near Homestead. Good with kids.

2-3 hrs
Open daily
?
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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More under 1 hour from Miami, by type

Mountains & views: Flamingo Gardens (35 min), Biscayne National Park (36 min), Butterfly World (44 min), Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (55 min)
History: Bonnet House (38 min)
Family fun: Everglades Holiday Park (39 min)
Food & wine: Robert Is Here (41 min)
Wildlife: Wakodahatchee Wetlands (59 min)

1 to 2 hours from Miami 35 places

Photo: Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0

State park · 1 hr 11 min south

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

America's first undersea park, with glass-bottom boats and snorkel trips to the reef off Key Largo.

Full day
Year-round
Florida State Parks fee per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain

Wildlife · 1 hr 31 min west

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

Two short trails into panther country near Immokalee. You will likely not see a panther, but the habitat is rich.

1-2 hrs
Year-round
Free

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Photo: Fred Ward, Public domain

Small town · 1 hr 37 min northwest

Clewiston

Sugar town on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, a base for bass fishing and airboat rides.

Half day
Year-round
Free

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Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park

Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Hike · 1 hr 3 min south

Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park

Quiet trails through rare tropical hardwood hammock in north Key Largo.

1-2 hrs
Year-round
?
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain

Museum · 1 hr 4 min west

Big Cypress Gallery

Gallery of giant black and white photographs of the Everglades, with guided swamp walks in season.

1-2 hrs
Year-round
Gallery free; swamp walks extra
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Beach · 1 hr 23 min north

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

Long natural beach on Singer Island reached by a boardwalk over the lagoon. Good snorkeling at the reef.

Half day
Year-round
Florida State Parks fee per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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More 1 to 2 hours from Miami, by type

Wildlife: Palm Beach Zoo (1 hr 8 min), Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (1 hr 10 min), Lion Country Safari (1 hr 23 min), Loggerhead Marinelife Center (1 hr 26 min), Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (1 hr 39 min), Robbie's of Islamorada (1 hr 41 min), Naples Zoo (1 hr 57 min)
History: Norton Museum of Art (1 hr 10 min), Flagler Museum (1 hr 13 min), Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (1 hr 31 min), History of Diving Museum (1 hr 33 min), Smallwood Store (1 hr 38 min), Indian Key Historic State Park (1 hr 39 min)
Mountains & views: Big Cypress National Preserve (1 hr 6 min), Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park (1 hr 30 min), Gulf Coast Visitor Center (1 hr 31 min), Flamingo (1 hr 40 min), Naples Botanical Garden (1 hr 59 min)
Hikes: Kirby Storter Roadside Park (1 hr 13 min), Jonathan Dickinson State Park (1 hr 39 min), Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (1 hr 44 min), Collier-Seminole State Park (1 hr 45 min), Long Key State Park (1 hr 53 min)
Scenic drives: Loop Road Scenic Drive (1 hr 11 min), Turner River Road Loop (1 hr 52 min)
Family fun: Theater of the Sea (1 hr 31 min), Billie Swamp Safari (1 hr 38 min)
Theme & water parks: Rapids Water Park (1 hr 14 min)
Beaches & lakes: Anne's Beach (1 hr 43 min)

2 to 3 hours from Miami 28 places

Photo: KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0

Beach · 2 hr 28 min southwest

Bahia Honda State Park

Some of the best natural beaches in the Keys, plus a view from the old railroad bridge.

Half day
Year-round
Florida State Parks fee per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Photo: Mathisen, Jim (USFWS), Public domain

Wildlife · 2 hr 46 min west

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Drive, bike or walk a four-mile loop on Sanibel past roseate spoonbills, pelicans and wading birds.

2-3 hrs
Wildlife Drive closed every Friday
$10 per vehicle; $1 hikers and bikers (checked Nov 2026)

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Photo: Agape621, CC BY-SA 4.0

Garden · 2 hr 12 min north

McKee Botanical Garden

A historic jungle garden with water lilies and old stone buildings in Vero Beach.

2 hrs
Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm; closed Mon
Admission
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0

Hike · 2 hr 13 min southwest

Crane Point Museum and Nature Center

Trails and boardwalks through tropical forest, historic houses, a bird center and a museum in Marathon.

Half day
?
?
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic site · 2 hr 13 min northwest

Koreshan State Park

Explore the restored buildings of a 1890s utopian community along the Estero River. Nice paddling too.

1-2 hrs
Year-round
$5 per vehicle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: NASA, Public domain

Wildlife · 2 hr 2 min southwest

Dolphin Research Center

Nonprofit center in Grassy Key where you can watch dolphin and sea lion sessions and learn about them.

2-3 hrs
Open daily
?
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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More 2 to 3 hours from Miami, by type

Beaches & lakes: Tigertail Beach (2 hr 4 min), Curry Hammock State Park (2 hr 6 min), Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park (2 hr 7 min), Fort Pierce Inlet State Park (2 hr 8 min), Sombrero Beach (2 hr 17 min), Barefoot Beach Preserve (2 hr 17 min), Lovers Key State Park (2 hr 20 min), Fort Myers Beach (2 hr 26 min) and 2 more
Wildlife: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (2 hr 6 min), The Turtle Hospital (2 hr 15 min), Manatee Park (2 hr 24 min), Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 35 min), National Key Deer Refuge (2 hr 49 min), Brevard Zoo (2 hr 51 min)
History: Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center (2 hr 7 min), National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum (2 hr 9 min), Edison and Ford Winter Estates (2 hr 27 min), Calusa Heritage Trail (2 hr 59 min)
Hikes: Estero Bay Preserve State Park (2 hr 16 min), Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (2 hr 20 min)

Questions about places within 3 hours of Miami

What are the best places within 3 hours of Miami?

Our picks, by drive time, include Shark Valley (46 min), Delray Beach (53 min), Oleta River State Park (25 min), Coral Castle (36 min) and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (40 min). The full list on this page has 77 places, each with its drive time and direction from Miami.

How many places are within 3 hours of Miami?

49 places within 2 hours, 77 within 3 hours and 129 within 4 hours of Miami, by road from ZIP 33130.

Are there free places within 3 hours of Miami?

9 of the 77 places need no pass or fee, such as Big Cypress National Preserve, Clewiston and Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Fees and passes change, so check each place before you go.

What can I do with kids within 3 hours of Miami?

75 places are marked good for kids, including Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress Gallery and Big Cypress National Preserve.

How are the drive times worked out?

They are by real roads on a typical day, from the middle of ZIP 33130 to each place (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Traffic, weather and closures can change them. Places under 25 minutes from the city center count as in town, not a day trip, so they are left out.

Can I see places within 3 hours of my own home?

Yes. Type your ZIP code into Day Trippin' and it shows everything by drive time. Your ZIP is used for that one search and is not saved.

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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.