Bayfront Park Management Trust is a limited agency of the City of Miami. The Trust manages two downtown waterfront parks—Bayfront Park and Museum Park.
Bayfront Park
Redesigned in the early 1980s by Isamu Noguchi*, Bayfront Park is a 32-acre site located in the epicenter of downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay. It is bounded on the north by Bayside Marketplace (an open-air festival style mall that attracts 23 million people per year), on the south by InterContinental Hotel, and on the west by Biscayne Boulevard (downtown Miami’s “main street”).
Bayfront Park’s 32 acres of lush greenery includes a small sand beach, tropical rock garden and waterfall (dating back to 1926), playground, fountain, Light Tower, and many different monuments**. Special event facilities within the park include the Amphitheater and Tina Hills Pavilion. The Bayfront Park Amphitheater is managed and operated by Live Nation, the largest worldwide promoter of live music. It reopened in August of 2009 after a multi-million dollar renovation that included permanent reserved seats; new, picturesque sightlines to Biscayne Bay; a new superior roof structure; state-of-the-art production capabilities; VIP boxes with table service and VIP parking; permanent, new restroom facilities; expanded concessions, and more. The Tina Hills Pavilion is available for smaller concerts, receptions, corporate events, and press conferences. The park recently underwent a renovation of its baywalk. The baywalk runs along the edge of Biscayne Bay throughout the park and continues to Bayside Marketplace. Renovations include tree plantings, benches, removable chairs, bike racks, trash containers, pavers, and a re-working of a portion of the irrigation system. The renovations were intended to soften the edges of the park and create a more pedestrian friendly environment.
Museum Park
Museum Park, is a spectacular 21-acre waterfront site adjacent to the cruise ship turning basin in Biscayne Bay. Museum Park reopened to the public on June 14, 2014. The park is also home to the Perez Art Museum Miami, which opened in December 2013, and the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, which is currently under construction. Initial improvements to the park are complete with others contemplated for the future. With the reopening of Museum Park, there are now 53 acres of public waterfront parkland under the Trust’s management.
Activities
Events hosted by the Trust are varied, ranging from popular music concerts to local musical talents, ethnic festivals, special events, annual free holiday events including America’s Birthday Bash on July 4th, our Holiday Tree Lighting and Menorah Lighting Ceremonies, and the Bayfront Park New Year’s Eve Celebration, charitable walks and runs that benefit a plethora of non-profit organizations and exercise classes including free yoga and free capoeira classes.
*Recognized as the 20th century’s foremost American sculptor, Isamu Noguchi’s innovative parks, plazas, playgrounds, fountains, gardens, and public pieces are located in many different countries and celebrated around the world. Bayfront Park contains three significant Noguchi sculptures: the Slide Mantra, the Challenger Memorial and the Light Tower. The Slide Mantra is a 10 foot high, white carrara marble slide weighing 29 tons. This slide demonstrates Noguchi’s long held belief that play could lead to a new appreciation of sculpture. The Challenger Memorial is a white, metal pipe tower that rises approximately 100 feet out of the park’s southwest corner. The sculpture is dedicated to the memory of the Challenger astronauts. The Light Tower is representative of Noguchi’s earlier work with monumental shapes and their interaction with light. The forty foot, aubergine tower makes references to Japanese lanterns and the full moon over Miami.
**Monuments in Bayfront Park include the Challenger Memorial, a World War II Veterans’ Memorial, Mildred and Claude Pepper Fountain, statues of Claude Pepper, Christopher Columbus, and Julia Tuttle, and the Centennial Time Capsule.
The Bayfront Park Management Trust was created in 1987, by the Miami City Commission, to manage Bayfront Park. As of 1994, the Trust also manages Museum Park. The Trust is comprised of a nine (9) member board appointed by the Miami City Commission. Commissioner Frank Carollo serves as the Trust’s Chairman.
Bayfront Park
301 N. Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33132
305-358-7550
Museum Park
1075 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33132
305-358-7550
Directions / Parking / Public Transportation:
http://www.bayfrontparkmiami.com/Directions.html
