Matheson Hammock County Park, Coral Gables

Walked in through the mangrove trial, then was rewarded at the end with the unbelievable lagoon and beach. I felt like we had just stumbled upon a tropical island.....one that looks over at Miami in the distance! I will go back, with much more time given to this spot!

Mathison Hammock was our favorite beach in Miami in the 1950s because it had a safe place to swim, a convenient bathhouse, and cold drinks available. I learned to swim at Mathison Hammock in 1947 at age 4, and spent many fun hours there throughout my school years. Unfortunately, I now live in Oregon, and only get back to Naples occasionally. Carol Jo Robinson Pettit

its a post card picture type place. I asked my girl to marry me there in 1985. We,re still in love and married. Comedian Angelo Dundee.. Atlanta Georgia feb. o8 ps... a must visit when you,re in miami..it the best kept secret...well it used to be.

This is a terrific local park. It has a terrific saltwater "swimming hole" fenced off from the ocean (no large preditors) with lifeguards--great for small kids. It is clean and has a very good privately-run restaurant. It also has a wading beach. For paddlers there is a short but very Everglades-like paddle trail--hard to imagine it is in the middle of a metropolitan area. Saturday and Sunday entertainment are the kite boarders who use the are whenever winds are up. It has an excellent marina. Roads are currently being raised so that you do not have to drive thru saltwater at high tide. In my opinion it was unconscionable to allow unsuspecting users to drive thru saltwater to reach the facilities. Certainly thousands of cars have disintegrated into a pile of rust because of the park managers permitted saltwater to cover the roads. There will be a legacy of rusted cars for years to come due to driving to this park. While some of the roads are being raised there is still the possibility the parking lots will be covered with saltwater at high tide. If you value your car, avoid the park when there is tidal flooding.