Kayaking with manatees and mountain biking in Miami

Kayaking With Manatees And Mountain Biking In Miami

Go kayaking with manatees and mountain biking in Miami with Virginia Key Outdoor Center. Enjoy outdoor fun only minutes from downtown Miami!

Virginia Key Outdoor Center

It’s crazy to think that you can enjoy nature, and do so many outdoor activities, all while looking out onto giant skyscrapers. But that’s exactly what you can do on Virginia Key, a small island just off of Miami, thanks to Virginia Key Outdoor Center (VKOC). They offer kayak and bike rentals and can take you on fun tours around the island.

Pro Tip: For a romantic evening, go on their Sunset Kayaking Tour!

We had the pleasure of spending a day on Virginia Key and got to see parts of it we’d never seen before, like their bike trails that go on for miles. We also spent some time with adorable manatees. 🙂

Check out our video!

YouTube video

Mountain Biking In Miami

So there might not be mountains, per se, but yes you can go mountain biking in Miami. The Virginia Key Bicycle Club has done an amazing job building and maintaining trails that will get your heart pumping!

We took a quick tour of some of the trails and were impressed with the ingenuity and creativity that it took to create them. We even saw a few bikers on the trail, and we held our breath as we saw them go up and down some pretty steep inclines.

We also thought it was cool that as you’re mountain biking on these trails, you are steps from the ocean and get some pretty amazing views.

Mountain biking in Miami with Virginia Key Outdoor Center
Mountain biking in Miami with Virginia Key Outdoor Center
Mountain biking in Miami
What will we find around the corner??
One of the many mountain biking trails in Virginia Key in Miami
One of the many mountain biking trails

Kayaking With Manatees In Miami

No matter how many times we’ve see them before, we still get giddy when we come across manatees. We’ve been kayaking a few times now, but there’s something extra special about kayaking with manatees.

They move so slowly, and you wait what seems like forever for one to pop up out of the water, and then quick as a flash, they dip back in the water. The anticipation is thrilling lol!

We could see there were a lot of manatees in the lagoon that afternoon, and we carefully paddled towards them. Of course, we always try not to disturb them by making too much noise or moving too quickly. Most of the time we just floated and drifted.

You lose track of how long you’ve been out on the water when you’re kayaking with manatees, but eventually we decided to navigate out of the lagoon and out towards open water. We wanted to see the downtown Miami skyline, but unfortunately the wind was really picking up, so we decided to head back and finish up for the day.

Kayaking with manatees off of Virginia Key in Miami
Kayaking with manatees off of Virginia Key in Miami
Kayaking in Miami means getting close to manatees!
Sometimes the manatees got really close!
Kayaking with manatees in Miami
Esther, owner of Virginia Key Outdoor Center, taking photos

Final Thoughts On Kayaking and Biking In Miami

We always have such a great time on Virginia Key thanks to Virginia Key Outdoor Center. We always experience something new and learn more about our beautiful city.

If you’d like to learn more about VKOC and what they offer, feel free to check out the Virginia Key Outdoor Center website.

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11 Comments

  1. Manatees!!! MANATEES!!!…If you can’t tell yet. I like manatees. Hope to see them in person one day too!

  2. I came for the mountain bike park, I stayed for the manatees. I might have to do this when I visit Miami. Great write up!

    1. Thanks so much Danny! I really think you’d have a fun time! 🙂

  3. I wanna go kayaking with Mantees! That’s one Florida experience I haven’t had yet. Looks like such a fun time.

    1. Omg, you totally have to do it! It’s amazing! 😀

  4. I would be right there with you getting giddy about seeing a manatee. I like biking too, but am way to uncoordinated for more than a straight path (ha!) and the kayaking would be my top choice of experience.

    1. Haha! I’m with you on the biking, but it definitely looks like a cool experience.

  5. I’m still trying to wrap my head about this mountain biking in Miami but yeah for them creating something so original where you would least expect it. 😉 Kaying is always a great option here in Florida. 😉 Very fun.

  6. My daughters friend just got this experience as a Christmas present!! So amazing! On my bucket list now for sure.

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