In a forgotten corner of a very popular public park on Key Biscayne,  are the ruins of the city’s old zoo.

Now inhabited by the occasional alligator,  roaming peacocks, raccoons and untold armies of iguanas scuttling through the brush, the Crandon Park Zoo ruins are a monument to the wisdom of building an animal attraction,  just feet from the water on a hurricane-prone island..

Once home to Indian tribes, soldiers and pirates, the land was part of the largest coconut plantation in the United States, operated by William John Matheson.

In 1930 he gifted 80 acres to Dade County and in 1940 his children donated 808.8 acres of land to establish a public park.

County Commissioner Charles H Crandon pledged to construct a causeway to Key Biscayne,  which was completed in 1947 and played a key role in establishing the county park system, with Crandon Park named in his honor.

In 1948 a traveling animal roadshow stranded near Miami, exchanged three monkeys, a goat and two bears for truck repairs totaling $270.   These six animals became the start of the Crandon Park Zoo.

Over time, many more animals and attractions were added, up to 1200 animals at the zoo’s peak,  including chimps, giraffes, lions,  as well as a miniature railroad that ran around the perimeter.

The zoo closed in 1980,  after Hurricane Betsy put three feet of water over most of the zoo and caused the drowning deaths of 250 animals.

The zoo was moved to a location South and became the Miami Metro Zoo.

In 1991 the zoo ruins were reopened as gardens, with a marina, tennis courts, picnic shelters, with an amusement and nature center.

The park has self-guided nature trails, including a mangrove boardwalk to a fossilized reef overlook.

The park opens daily at Sunrise and closes at Sunset.   The fee is $7 for the day and there’s plenty of parking, while there is a $2.50 fee for the bridge onto Key Biscayne Island.