Museum Park opens in downtown Miami

21-acre waterfront property recently eliminated as site for proposed soccer stadium

MIAMI – Miami's downtown landscape just got a bit greener.

After years of debating and planning, city leaders officially opened Museum Park located next to the AmericanAirlines Arena.

The 21-acre waterfront property includes at least two museums, one of which is still being built, a beach area, cafés and some of the best scenery downtown Miami has to offer.

Many have been keeping an eye on the property, trying to develop on or near it.

First, it was Marlins Park and most recently it was the desired site for David Beckham's proposed soccer stadium.

Those stadium plans, however, are now off the table.

City leaders say they want Major League Soccer in Miami but argued that the waterfront property would be better used as a free green space for the public to have as opposed to big businesses.

Condo and area residents say they dodged a bullet and have been enjoying the park since its debut Saturday.

The U.S. Coast Guard's "America's Tall Ship," which is often used to train cadets, is currently docked at the park's boat slip.

Visitors can tour the monster ship throughout the weekend until 7 p.m. and again Monday.

As for Beckham's South Florida soccer plans, his team says it is discussing where it wants to go from here.


About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.