Cheery yellow wood boards by the ocean, a reclining chaise at the patio, Ralph Middleton Munroe built for himself a dream by Biscayne Bay. The only way to reach him was by boat, leaving him in relative isolation to devote himself to yacht design. Over the span of his lifetime, he sketched out 56 fay crafts of the water, keeping 2 of the sailboats as part of his personal collection. Closed off to the back by the thick, dense green tropical hardwood hammock, that was exactly as Munroe preferred it.

Since its heydays in the 1890s, his house has since been incorporated into the larger Barnacle State Historic Site. These trees having seen a 100 years and more still provide recluse to the kingfishers by the bay. Dive bombing cormorants and majestic pelicans can be seen dancing over the waters as you recline on the chairs by Munroe’s front yard as he must have all those years ago. It’s not a mystery really why this area had stolen the heart of the yacht builder then as it steals the hearts of its visitors today.