Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Biscayne National Park

LOCATION

9700 SW 328th Street
Sir Lancelot Jones Way 
Homestead, FL 33033

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center, which also houses the office of the Biscayne National Park Institute, is located on Convoy Point, the only mainland-based section of Biscayne National Park with amenities for tourists (picnic area, short trail, canoe / kayak launch). While the shoreline for many miles north and south of the Visitor Center is also part of the park, it is covered by impenetrable mangrove thickets, not sandy beaches.

Mangroves cover the mainland shoreline at Biscayne National Park

OPERATING HOURS

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to check out the official Biscayne National Park Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule.

Bay side of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Biscayne National Park

AMENITIES

• Ranger-staffed information desk where you can pick up a park map and ask questions of a Ranger
• Office of the Biscayne National Park Institute. Book tours and check in for tours for which you have reservations.
• Meeting place for excursions and Ranger-led programs (see the park’s Calendar for a list of upcoming activities).
• Short videos on various park-related topics
• Art gallery
• Exhibit area
• Picnic area outside
• Restrooms

Information desk at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Biscayne National Park

PARK VIDEOS

As variety of short videos on park-related topics are available for watching in the auditorium. There is no set schedule, so choose from a list of videos and the park Ranger will start your choice, provided another one isn’t already showing.

EXHIBITS

You can also peruse an exhibit on the park’s natural history. Information is provided through a number of dioramas that feature the birds, fish, and corals found in the area. It is not a large exhibit, and anyone wanting to read through all of the information can do so in less than a half hour.  There is also an art gallery with rotating exhibits.

Exhibit area at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Biscayne National Park

Exhibit area at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Biscayne National Park

Exhibits at Biscayne National Park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center

OUTSIDE THE VISITOR CENTER

Outside the Visitor Center is a small picnic area and a marina for boats of the National Park Service and authorized concessionaires. This is usually closed off until departure time for a public excursion, but if you can get down there, be on the lookout for manatees.

View of the Convoy Point marina and grounds from the back porch of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Biscayne National Park

Manatee at the boat dock at Biscayne National Park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center

There is also a hand-paddled watercraft launch that is free to use from 7 AM to 5:30 PM year-round.

Hand-paddled watercraft launch at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Biscayne National Park

WHO WAS DANTE FASCELL?

Dante Fascell (1917-1998) was a Florida politician who was instrumental in creating Biscayne National Monument in 1968. He began his career as a state representative in 1950, then served in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1955 to 1993.

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Plan to spend no more than a half hour at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center, not counting time spent for tours and Ranger programs.

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