After breakfast, cross Main Highway and walk a few steps to the right and arrive at The Barnacle State Historic Site. Completed in 1891, this house built by Commodore Ralph Munroe is Miami-Dade County’s oldest house still situated in its original location. The park is open every Friday through Monday from 9 am to 5 pm. A long, shady path is lined with small placards telling you about the native trees and plants surrounding you. This tropical hardwood hammock is one of the last examples left of Miami’s original landscape.
At the end of the path is the payment box, where you can drop in your entrance fee of $1 per person (children under 6 are free). At the main house, you can sign up for the ranger-led tour, which is offered at 10 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm, and is limited to 10 visitors. (Friday through Monday for drop-in visitors; Wednesday and Thursday tours are for groups with reservations.)
This tour is the only way you will be able to enter the house itself to view the period furniture and artifacts. The house is preserved as a time capsule of Munroe’s life and times. Beyond the house is a large grassy area leading to the boat house, and fantastic views of the ocean. Free concerts are held here every full moon night, except during the summer months.
