Follow the Pros to Miami Photo Ops

Named for Eddie Rickenbacker, a World War I flying ace and aviation pioneer, the causeway opened in 1947, linking two barrier islands -- Virginia Key and the former coconut plantation of Key Biscayne -- to the mainland. Stretching 5.4 miles (8.7 kilometers), it offers spectacular skyline views of both Miami and Miami Beach across Biscayne Bay with plenty of places on both sides of the road to pull off safely for the perfect shot.

As you approach the soaring William Powell Bridge, you may want to veer off to the right. If the wind is right, catamarans may be skimming across the bay. Also what's left of an old section of the causeway, replaced in the mid-80s, is good for bay shots or photographing fishermen casting a line.

TIP: If you turn off under the bridge, you will have to double back to continue the tour. Stay to the left as you exit the causeway. Turn around is through the parking lot just before the toll plaza.
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Address
2601 Brickell Avenue
Miami, Florida

Phone: 305.854.2468

After crossing the William Powell Bridge, you are on Virginia Key. Off in the distance to the right, you’ll see a golden geodesic dome. That’s the Miami Seaquarium where the Flipper TV series and movies were shot in the 60s. Opened in 1955, it is the longest operating oceanarium in the United States. You can still swim with the dolphins at the attraction. The beach on the right just before the Seaquarium is the only one in Miami that welcomes dogs.

For years Miami treated Virginia Key as a throw-away island where it dumped its garbage. Until segregation ended in the 1960s, a "colored-only" beach was on the Atlantic side, just before the bridge to Key Biscayne.

In 2008, the beach was revamped as Historic Virginia Key Park. Enter at the traffic light across from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. It is favorite among cinematographers seeking a more intimate and isolated beach than Crandon Park Beach.

Sadly, Virginia Key's top location for filming -- Jimbo's, a funky beer bar and bocce court -- closed in early 2012. "Magic City" was one of the last productions. Opened in 1954, Jimbo's was the backdrop for a slew of movies and TV series, including "Ace Ventura," "True Lies," "Flipper," "Miami Vice," "CSI Miami" and "Burn Notice." There's talk of turning it into a museum.

The two-mile beach at Crandon Park routinely ranks among the top 10 beaches in the US. Without a doubt, it is the most photographed beach in South Florida.

A lagoon-style beach protected by a sandbar just wading distance off shore, it's one of the most popular recreational destinations in the area for locals and tourists alike. If you visit weekdays, you're likely to see somebody filming something. If you come on the weekend, you're likely to see crowds. The parking lot holds 3,000 vehicles.

The attraction is far more than the perfect beach. The 808-acre (337-hectares) park has concession stands, kite-board and kayak rentals, eco-adventures, self-guided nature walks, a nature center, bird and butterfly walks, a mangrove boardwalk to a fossilize reef overlook and cabana rentals. The Crandon Family Amusement Center, open weekends only, features an outdoor skating area, a splash fountain and a 1950 carousel.

If you come for the beach, park in the southern lot. If exploring nature, particularly the Bear Cut Preserve, pull into the north parking area.

Squint as you look south along the beach, and you may be able to spot the lighthouse that has survived Indian attacks and hurricanes since it was built in 1825. If you want a closer look, turn left (south) as you exit the park and drive through the Village of Key Biscayne to the entrance of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. (Admission: $8 per vehicle with no more than eight passengers). Hours:8 a.m. to sundown.

The original "Miami Vice" series filmed several episodes at the lighthouse, which was also seen in "The Mean Season," a grisly murder story based on a novel by Miami Herald reporter John Kazenbach. The park has two restaurants with Cuban dishes: Lighthouse Café near the beach and the bayside Boater's Grill on No Name Harbor. And the beach there, too, is a winner.
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Crandon Park Visitors and Nature Center
6747 Crandon Boulevard
Key Biscayne, Florida

Admission
Parking: $5 weekdays, $6 weekends.
Free for cyclists, joggers and pedestrians

Hours
Daily: 8am-5pm

Phone: 305.361.5421

At the southern end of the park, just beyond the last parking spots and only steps from beach grasses, is a secret garden where peacocks strut their stuff. Throughout the year, Sandhill Cranes, ibises, herons, swans and a world of other feathered friends strike poses

This is Crandon Park Gardens, which was the Crandon Park Zoo until 1981 when the lions and tigers and bears moved south to a new zoo on the mainland. Begun in 1948 with three monkeys, a goat and a bear acquired from a failed road show, the Crandon Zoo had become one of the top 25 in the nation with more than 1,000 animals including a rare white tiger and a pair of Indian rhinos.

The memory of the zoo still lingers in the coral-rock camel corral and the walls of old cages, now decorated in pop-art colors. With winding paths, lush landscaping, fountains and ponds, the site is full of photo ops. But don’t think that all the wild animals are gone. A sign warns to keep an eye out for crocodiles just in case one wanders by.

A water fountain can be found on the east side of the park just beyond where the birds gather every morning for a free feed. An illustrated placard helps identify them.
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Admission: Free

The Renaissance-style Viscaya Museum and Gardens, on the bay a few blocks south of the Rickenbacker Causeway entrance, was the palatial winter residence of industrialist James Deering from 1916 to 1925. It's said that Deering, an International Harvester Company VP, liked to watch Charlie Chaplin flicks in the villa's courtyard.

Today the 50-acre (20-hectare) estate is a local favorite for weddings, quinceañera and recommitment ceremonies, but you may recognize the rich interiors and gracious gardens as backdrops for scenes from "Any Given Sunday," Absence of Malice," "Haunts of the Very Rich" and "Ace Ventura Pet Detective." Back in the 60s, it was even a stand-in for the Everglades in a "Gentle Ben" TV episode. The boy with the bear was Clint Howard, little brother of Ron, another child star who sometimes filmed in Miami.

Press photographers’ cameras flashed at various diplomatic functions staged in the mansion including when President Ronald Reagan met Pope John Paul II on his first visit to Miami.

Parking is free but can be confusing. To avoid missing it when coming from the north, watch for the brown and white sign just after the traffic light at 32nd Road and be prepared to turn to the left. From the south, keep an eye out on the right after passing the parking lot exit.

To avoid waiting in the sun, you might be wise to drop off one of your party at the single box office on the way to parking.
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Admission
Adults: $12
Children 6-12: $6
Children 5 and under: free
Seniors and students with ID: $9

Hours
Wed-Mon: 9:30am-4:30pm
Closed Tuesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Address
3251 South Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida

Phone: 305.250.9133

If it's boats you want to photograph, you've ended up at the right place. The marina, with 582 slips, is Florida's largest wet slip marine facility.

But had you been here in the 30s and 40s, it would have been flying boats in your lens finder. Back then Dinner Key was headquarters of Pan Am's flying clipper fleet and one of the world's largest airports.

Dinner Key today is home to the "Burn Notice" crew. The series has taken over the former convention hall and auditorium where Jim Morrison flashed the crowd at a Doors' concert in 1969. You can spot plenty of backdrops for the series in the neighborhood including Scotty's Landing, an open-air bar reached after wandering through boatyards in old Pan Am hangars.

Put your feet up, order an icy drink and a fish sandwich and take your pick of marina shots and maybe spot "Burn Notice" actors. Scotty's Landing website advises that parking is on the left after passing the divider on Pan American Drive.

You may also find photo inspiration at the Miami City Hall in what was the original Pan Am terminal and an old Coast Guard Air Station that often makes its way onto the screen. A short walk away is leafy Coconut Grove, one of the earliest pioneer settlements in Miami where you can shop or sip or see a movie at Coco Walk. Ask the barmaid at Scotty's to point the way.
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Address
3400 Pan American Drive
Miami, Florida