Homestead and the Redland: your gateway to the Everglades and Biscayne

Two parks, one town in between

Homestead does not try to be a destination in its own right. It works as the last stretch of road before two very different parks that both belong to the everglades-south-dade region: the Ernest F. Coe entrance to Everglades National Park, and Biscayne National Park, whose visitor center sits nearby on Biscayne Bay. Both are reachable within about 35-45 minutes of Downtown Miami, and both use Homestead as the last town with gas stations, food and lodging before the pavement runs out or the water starts.

What trips people up is assuming these two parks are variations on the same experience because they sit on the same map and share a gateway town. They are not. One is a drivable, walkable landscape with a marked entrance station. The other is almost entirely water. Planning a Homestead day means picking which of the two you actually want, or accepting that combining them in a single day means a shortened version of each.

This page is about that split and the logistics of getting there. For what to actually do once you are inside Everglades National Park itself — Shark Valley’s tram loop, the different entrances, ranger programs — see the Everglades guide and the airboat versus Shark Valley tram comparison. This page stays on the approach through Homestead and the decision of where to point the car.

Getting to Homestead from Miami

Homestead sits south and slightly west of Miami, reached by US-1 (South Dixie Highway) or the Florida Turnpike extension. From Downtown Miami or Brickell, figure on 35-45 minutes without heavy traffic; from Miami International (MIA), it is a similar drive since Homestead is roughly as far south as MIA is west.

A rental car is the practical way to do this trip. There is no direct transit line built for Homestead day trips, and once you are past the edge of the urban area, ride-hailing coverage thins out fast, especially heading into either park where cell service can drop. If you would rather not drive, look at organized Everglades day trip options that include transportation, or a private Everglades airboat ride with transfers built in — several operators near the Tamiami Trail run these, distinct from the Homestead entrance itself.

Along the way, you pass through the Redland, Miami-Dade’s agricultural area between the urban edge and Homestead. It is worth slowing down for as a change of scenery — open fields and nursery rows instead of the city grid — but treat it as a stretch of road to notice, not a stop with a specific list of names to hit; nothing here claims a particular farm or stand is worth detouring for.

Everglades side: the Ernest F. Coe entrance

The Homestead approach to Everglades National Park goes through the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, near Homestead, which functions as the main southern gateway into the park (the Flamingo area lies further inside, at the end of the main park road). This is a different entrance from Shark Valley, which sits on the Tamiami Trail well to the north and works as its own separate approach — the two are not connected by a road inside the park, so choosing this side means committing to the Homestead route, not a quick detour from Shark Valley.

The entrance charges a per-vehicle fee valid for seven days, and on top of that, a $100 per-person surcharge for non-resident visitors aged 16 and over, waived with an annual pass or an America the Beautiful pass. This surcharge specifically applies at the Everglades entrances, including this one, and it catches people off guard when they compare it to the flat entrance fee they may have seen quoted elsewhere. Fee schedules do get reviewed, so check the current numbers on the National Park Service’s own Everglades page before you go rather than relying on a number repeated secondhand.

Once inside, the detail of what to do — Anhinga Trail, ranger talks, the drive to Flamingo — belongs to the dedicated Everglades content on this site, not here. What matters for this page is the logistics: this is a landscape you explore mostly on foot, by bike or by short drives between trailheads, and the payoff builds over a few hours rather than a fifteen-minute stop.

Biscayne side: 95% water, no entrance fee

Biscayne National Park starts at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center near Homestead, and from there the experience changes completely. About 95% of the park is bay, coral reef and a scatter of barrier islands (Boca Chita Key, Elliott Key among them), which means there is very little to see by simply driving up and walking around. The visitor center itself, a short nature trail and the shoreline view are the extent of what you get without a boat.

Unlike the Everglades side, Biscayne National Park charges no general entrance fee. What you do pay for is the way you get onto the water: a guided boat tour, a snorkeling trip out to the reef, or a kayak or paddleboard rental. Camping and mooring on the outer islands carry their own separate fees, but simply visiting the visitor center and shoreline costs nothing.

Because access depends entirely on boats, this side rewards planning ahead more than showing up and deciding on the spot. If snorkeling the reef or getting out on the bay is the goal, an island-hopping boat trip or a kayak and paddleboard outing booked in advance removes the uncertainty of turning up at the visitor center with no water transportation arranged.

a half-day island-hopping boat trip with a floating mat stop gives a sense of what a Biscayne-adjacent water day looks like, departing from the Miami side rather than the Homestead visitor center itself, so confirm the departure point matches your plan before booking.

Comparing the two sides

	Everglades (Homestead/Coe entrance)	Biscayne National Park
Terrain	Freshwater “river of grass,” trails, marked roads	95% bay, reef and islands
How you see it	On foot, by bike, short drives between stops	By boat, snorkel or kayak
Entrance fee	Per-vehicle fee (7 days) + $100/person non-resident surcharge, 16+	No general entrance fee
Starting point	Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center	Dante Fascell Visitor Center
Typical time needed	Half a day to a full day	Half a day, tied to a boat or tour schedule
Best for	Wildlife spotting, walking trails, ranger programs	Snorkeling, boating, calm-water paddling

Both entrances sit within a similar drive time of Homestead, close enough on a map that first-time visitors sometimes assume one visit covers both. In practice, the two ask for different gear, different paces and different bookings (a boat reservation on one side, nothing to reserve on the other beyond the entrance itself), so most people get more out of choosing one focus for the day.

Wildlife: expect both alligators and crocodiles

South Florida, including the Homestead area, is the only place in the world where the American alligator and the American crocodile share habitat, according to the National Park Service. Do not assume every reptile sighting near the Everglades entrance or along Biscayne’s shoreline is an alligator — crocodiles favor the brackish and coastal water closer to Biscayne Bay, while alligators are more associated with the freshwater Everglades side. Keep a respectful distance from both; neither is a hazard if you do not approach.

Airboats: a Homestead-area note

Airboat tours are strongly associated with the Everglades in general, but most commercial airboat rides operate from private companies along the Tamiami Trail or near Everglades City, not from inside the park boundary itself — airboats are prohibited across most of Everglades National Park, including the areas near the Homestead entrance. If an airboat ride is the priority, it is worth treating as a separate trip along the Tamiami Trail rather than something you tack onto a Homestead day; see the Everglades airboat tours guide and the airboat versus Shark Valley tram comparison for how that side works.

a 1.5-hour airboat ride without hotel transfers is one way to add that experience on a separate day, departing from the Tamiami Trail side rather than Homestead.

Planning the day: what to bring and expect

Whichever side you pick, plan around midday heat and, outside the December-to-April dry season, afternoon storms that build fast and pass through quickly. Sun protection, water and insect repellent matter more on the Everglades side, where you are on foot or on a bike for longer stretches; on the Biscayne side, reef-safe sunscreen is worth prioritizing since standard sunscreen can affect the coral you are there to see.

Fuel up and eat before or in Homestead itself — once you are inside either park, food options are limited to what the visitor centers stock, and cell coverage becomes unreliable past the entrance gates. If your day includes a boat component on the Biscayne side, confirm departure times and any weather contingency policy in advance; boats can be delayed or canceled in rough conditions, which is a bigger risk on the exposed bay than it would be on the sheltered Everglades trails.

For a return trip that adds a different kind of water activity, a private fishing charter targeting peacock bass in the canals around Miami is a distinct outing from either park and worth keeping separate on your itinerary rather than folding into a Homestead day.

a peacock bass fishing trip in the canals near Miami is one option for a different day, not a Homestead-area activity itself.

If evenings appeal more than early starts, a kayak or paddleboard trip lit up with city lights back in Miami proper is a good contrast to a full day spent south in Homestead.

an evening paddleboard or kayak trip with city lights works well as a second, contrasting activity on the same visit, back in Miami rather than in Homestead.

Where Homestead fits in a wider Miami trip

For visitors building a longer South Florida itinerary, Homestead usually earns one day, not more, unless diving deep into the Everglades on foot or committing to a full day on Biscayne’s water is the specific goal. See how many days in Miami for how a Homestead day trip fits against time spent in the city and on the Keys, and the five-day Miami and Everglades itinerary for one way to sequence it. If you are also considering the Keys, note that a Homestead day and a Key West day trip are separate undertakings in different directions — do not try to combine them in one day.

For the broader regional picture — how Homestead, the Everglades and Biscayne relate to the rest of South Dade — the Everglades day trip guide covers logistics from the Miami side, while this page stays focused on what Homestead itself gets you access to.

Frequently asked questions about the Homestead day trip

Is Homestead part of Miami?

No. Homestead is its own city in South Dade, south of Miami proper, closer to the Everglades and Biscayne National Park than to Downtown Miami or Miami Beach.

Can you visit both Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park from Homestead in one day?

Technically yes, since both entrances are a short drive apart near Homestead, but they ask for opposite paces: the Everglades side rewards time on trails or water, and Biscayne is almost entirely a boat, snorkel or kayak experience. Combining both in one day usually means a rushed version of each.

Do you need a boat to see Biscayne National Park?

Effectively yes. About 95% of Biscayne National Park is bay, coral reef and barrier islands, so beyond the visitor center and a short walking trail, seeing the park means a boat tour, snorkeling trip or kayak, not a driving tour.

Is there an entrance fee for Biscayne National Park?

No. Biscayne National Park does not charge a general entrance fee. Boat tours, snorkeling trips and any camping or mooring on the outer islands carry their own separate costs.

What about the entrance fee for Everglades National Park?

The Homestead side of Everglades National Park charges a per-vehicle entrance fee valid for 7 days, plus a non-resident surcharge of $100 per person aged 16 and over on top of that fee (fee-free with an annual or America the Beautiful pass). Confirm the current amounts on the National Park Service site before you go, since fees are reviewed periodically.

Is the Redland worth stopping for on the way?

The Redland is Miami-Dade’s agricultural belt between the city and Homestead, and it sits directly on the route to both parks. This guide does not detail specific farms or fruit stands; treat it as a stretch to slow down for on the way through, not a separate destination to plan around here.

How far is Homestead from Miami International Airport?

Roughly 35-45 minutes by car depending on traffic and route, similar to the drive from Downtown Miami. There is no direct public transit link built for this trip, so a rental car or a private transfer is the practical option.

Should I book the Everglades or the Biscayne side first if I only have one day?

Decide by what you want to do, not by which is closer. If you want to be on solid ground looking at wildlife and grassy water, the Everglades entrance fits. If you want to be in or on the water, snorkeling a reef or paddling among islands, Biscayne fits, and the Everglades side becomes something to save for a different day.