Crandon Park Zoo Ruins
Miami once had a zoo on a barrier island. A hurricane destroyed it in 1992. The concrete enclosures are still there, slowly being eaten by the jungle.
The Crandon Park Zoo opened in 1948 on Key Biscayne, a barrier island off Miami's coast. For decades it was one of the most visited attractions in South Florida, housing lions, elephants, flamingos, and a camel that gave rides to children. Then Hurricane Andrew made landfall on August 24, 1992, with 165-mph winds. The zoo never reopened.
The animals were relocated to what became Zoo Miami in Kendall. The enclosures, the moats, the keeper paths, and the concrete foundations were left in place. Thirty years of subtropical growth have been reclaiming them ever since.
The ruins are accessible within Crandon Park — you can walk through the old zoo grounds and find the remnants of enclosures, decorative ironwork, and infrastructure slowly disappearing into the vegetation. It is one of the more quietly eerie places in Miami: a children's attraction frozen in 1992, being digested by the same ecosystem it once displayed.
Located within Crandon Park, 6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne. The park charges a vehicle admission fee. The zoo ruins are in the northern section of the park — ask at the entrance for directions. Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty. The ruins are not marked or maintained.
