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Downtown Miami Waterfront Walking Tour
Pier 5 and Freedom Tower
In your next stay at a South Florida rental, visit Pier 5
Walking back toward Bayside Marketplace and continuing north from your South Florida rental, you'll come
to Pier 5. A pier only in name, this is the place where you'll find the real spirit of Miami showing
itself. Local artists gather to display their paintings, prints, jewelry, home decorations, and just
about anything else that's inspired them! Come discover Miami's promising new talent.
The original Pier 5 was Miami's top tourist attraction in the 1950's. Similar to San Francisco's Wharf,
it was a place for fisherman to dock at the end of the day, housewives to buy fish for supper and take it
to your South Florida rental, and other locals to congregate and talk. When it was destroyed by a
hurricane, it was not rebuilt, but today's Pier 5 stands on the original site.
If you're lucky, you may catch some live entertainment.
There are planned concert events held outdoors, as well as street performers bringing smiles to the faces
of all those that pass by. If you're feeling artistic, bring an easel and capture the feel of this little
piece of day-to-day life on the water. Once you've reflected on the life we enjoy here in Miami South
Florida rental, it's time to head off to…
Freedom Tower and the South Florida rental experience …
As you return to Biscayne Boulevard and continue north from your South Florida rental, you can't miss the
large tower looming over you. That's the famous Miami Freedom Tower. If you're a student of architecture,
you might notice that the tower has a Spanish appearance. When it was constructed in 1925, architects
modeled it after Spain's Giralda Tower.
The tower is often referred to as the "Ellis Island of the South." The U.S. government purchased this Miami
landmark from a newspaper in 1957 and began using it to process the flood of Cuban refugees seeking asylum
from the Castro regime in the 1960s and 70s.
Currently, the tower stands empty. In 1997, it was purchased by the Cuban American National Foundation who
embarked upon a massive renovation program aimed at restoring the tower to its former glory and cultivating
it as a historical landmark. It is set to reopen on May 20, 2002, the 100th anniversary of Cuba's
independence from Spain.
When the $40 million renovation is complete, visitors will be treated to a courtyard of native Cuban
plants, a library and research center, and an interactive museum aimed at helping contemporary society
understand the plight of Cuban immigrants. The museum includes a virtual reality experience simulating
the journey as they navigated the stormy seas between Cuba and South Florida in poorly constructed rafts.
That's the end of our walking tour of the South Florida rental waterfront region. Hopefully, you've
learned something new about our fair city during your stroll. If you'd like some ideas on other spots
to visit in Miami, during your South Florida rental experience take a look at our Attractions subject
page.
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