Haulover Park is a

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

owned and operated by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces Department, located in

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, just north of

Bal Harbour Bal Harbour is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 3,093 at the 2020 US Census. History Since the 1920s, the Detroit-based Miami Beach Heights Corpo ...

, Florida. The park is located on a

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...

between the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is large ...

, just north of the Broad Causeway (SR 922) and

Collins Avenue Collins Avenue, partly co-signed State Road A1A, is a major thoroughfare in South Florida, United States. The road runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in Miami Beach, Florida, one block west. It also runs through the cities of Surfside and Su ...

History

The

Dade County Commission Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous count ...

procured the beach front property in 1940 following a

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

effort for a $2 million

municipal bond A municipal bond, commonly known as a muni, is a bond issued by state or local governments, or entities they create such as authorities and special districts. In the United States, interest income received by holders of municipal bonds is often ...

($ million, in 2018 dollars) by county commissioner Charles H. Crandon for the purchases of northern

Key Biscayne Key Biscayne () is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and sout ...

(what became

Crandon Park Crandon Park is an urban park in metropolitan Miami, occupying the northern part of Key Biscayne. It is connected to mainland Miami via the Rickenbacker Causeway. History The land Crandon Park occupies was once part of the largest coconut ...

) and the beach north of

Baker's Haulover Inlet Baker's Haulover Inlet, more commonly known simply as Haulover inlet, is a man-made channel in Miami-Dade County, Florida, connecting the northern end of Biscayne Bay with the Atlantic Ocean. The inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow in ...

, then called Ocean Beach. Construction began on beach facilities in 1941, halted soon afterward due to funding holds following the onset of World War II. Work on the property resumed in 1945, and the park was renamed Haulover Park in January 1947, opening to the public the following year in late 1948. An 1,100-foot fishing pier extended into the Atlantic Ocean until it was destroyed by

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

in 1992.

Nude beach

The northern of the shoreline is a

nude beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to us ...

officially recognized and approved by the government of Miami-Dade County. The clothing-optional section was first designated by South Florida Free Beaches, a local naturist organization, in July 1991. The county at first tolerated but did not sanction the usage; it eventually allowed the installation of permanent signs marking the clothing-optional area, which were installed in December 1993. The clothing-optional area features lifeguards and a food and umbrella rental concession. It is the largest public nudist beach in the U.S. and attracts 1.3 million visitors per year.Clothing-optional holidays: Nudists on cruises
''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

''.

Facilities

The park features a marina, tennis courts, and an enclosed dog park. On the southern end of the park are several picnic recreational areas. Haulover Beach and its surrounding area boast a plethora of amenities, such as lifeguards, barbecue grills, playgrounds for children, a skate park, golf course, adjacent marina, tennis courts, concession stands, picnic tables, restrooms, and rental facilities for water sports equipment, beach chairs, and umbrellas. Additionally, a designated dog-friendly section of Haulover Beach allows dogs to roam without a leash, situated between Lifeguard Tower #2 and Lifeguard Tower #3.

Gallery

Image:A1A-Haulover-park..JPG, Entrance to Haulover Park northward on

Image:Haulover-park-12.JPG, View on Bal Harbour across Baker's Haulover Inlet

References

;Notes ;Bibliography
County Park Department web site for Haulover Park
- retrieved January 17, 2019 * USGS Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report - Haulover Beach Park- accessed May 16, 2010
Historical Haulover page
- accessed May 16, 2010
South Florida Free Beaches

External links

* {{Greater Miami Parks in Miami-Dade County, Florida Beaches of Miami-Dade County, Florida Nude beaches Beaches of Florida