North Shore Open Space Park, Miami Beach: What It Is and How We Use It

What the park is

It's the long strip of green between Collins Avenue and the ocean, from 79th Street up to 87th Street. North Beach News puts it at about 36 acres, planted with native vegetation, coastal hammock and dunes. Older maps and most review sites still call it North Shore Open Space Park. The City of Miami Beach parks directory lists it as North Beach Oceanside Park, and in our own house we simply call it Oceanside Park.

Where it sits from us

The park's south edge is at 79th Street and Collins Avenue. We're at 7418 Harding Avenue, on the 7400 block, so it's a short walk north of our gate rather than a drive. North Beach News notes there is street parking along Harding Avenue and a municipal lot across Collins on 83rd Street, if friends are meeting you there by car.

What you'll find inside

• Hours: daily, sunrise to sunset, per the city's parks directory.
• Pavilions: several, with barbecue grills and picnic tables. Miami and the Beaches, the county's visitor bureau, notes each pavilion has a grill, electricity and a restroom.
• Restrooms and showers: at the pavilions.
• Exercise: a series of outdoor fitness stations along the paths.
• Dogs: enclosed dog areas, one for small dogs and one for large, plus the dog-friendly stretch known as Bark Beach.
• The beachwalk: it runs along the park's ocean side and continues south for more than a mile to Allison Park.

How we'd spend a morning there

Go through the park rather than around it. The paths under the hammock trees lead straight onto the sand, and the beach on the far side is open and unhurried, the kind of place for a long read. North Beach News recommends the same route.

The park and our Courtyard Pool keep the same hours, sunrise to sunset. The courtyard is where the day really begins: a swim or a session in The Gym & Sauna, breakfast at The Breakfast Table, then the walk north before the midday heat. If you'd rather not carry anything, our own sunbeds and umbrellas wait on the sand a short walk from the gate. The details are on our beach service page.

A note for dog owners: the park welcomes dogs, but we don't take pets in the house. Certified support animals are welcome.