The park is located on a shoal between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, just north of the Broad Causeway (SR 922) and Collins Avenue.

The Dade County Commission procured the beach front property in 1940 following a lobbying effort for a $2 million municipal bond ($36 million, in 2018 dollars) by county commissioner Charles H. Crandon for the purchases of northern Key Biscayne (what became Crandon Park) and the beach north of Baker's Haulover Inlet, then called Ocean Beach.

[1] Construction began on beach facilities in 1941, halted soon afterward due to funding holds following the onset of World War II.

The clothing-optional section was first designated by South Florida Free Beaches, a local naturist organization, in July 1991.

Haulover Beach and its surrounding area boast a plethora of amenities, such as lifeguards, barbecue grills, playgrounds for children, a skate park, golf course, adjacent marina, tennis courts, concession stands, picnic tables, restrooms, and rental facilities for water sports equipment, beach chairs, and umbrellas.