Matheson Hammock Marina

Matheson Hammock Marina is a full-service Miami-Dade County marina inside Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables. The National Park Service lists it among the mainland marinas in Biscayne's northern vicinity, so it's a practical launch and mooring point if you're taking a boat onto the bay. The marina sits on county land on the mainland; boats from here enter Biscayne Bay toward the national park's islands.

The county lists capacity for about 330 vessels, wet slips for boats 30 to 50 feet long, dry storage, 11 boat-launch lanes, a fuel dock, pump-out, water and electrical hookups, and a bait-and-tackle shop. Free Wi-Fi is available around the docks. On heavy-traffic days, marina access can pause until congestion eases and parking opens up.

Matheson Hammock Park also has a sandy beach, picnic areas and a saltwater swimming lagoon. Its so-called atoll pool is a man-made saltwater lagoon, created by dredging and flushed by the bay's tides. If you're arriving by car, you can pair the waterfront with a meal at Noma Beach at Red Fish, a seafood-forward restaurant in a historic coral-rock building. A separate grill serves casual lunch food.

The park began after William J. Matheson donated 85 acres of beachfront to Dade County in 1930. In 1936, landscape architect William Lyman Phillips worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps on a plan that carries the entrance road from swamp through dense mangroves to Biscayne Bay. Coral-stone walls and limestone picnic shelters help mark that change in landscape. The marina is a useful way onto the water; the wider park is what makes this a worthwhile stop for anyone coming ashore.