Downtown Miami on the Way West: The Freedom Tower
A few minutes of skyline, and one building that tells a big part of Miami’s story.
Once you come off the MacArthur Causeway onto I-395, downtown Miami is all around you. You’re only here for a few minutes, but one building worth looking for sits right beside the highway: the Freedom Tower.
The Freedom Tower
The tall, cream-colored tower at 600 Biscayne Boulevard opened in 1925 as the home of the Miami Daily News. Its design is based on the Giralda, the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville in Spain, and it’s one of the best-known Spanish Renaissance-style buildings in the city.
Its nickname comes from what happened next. From 1962 to 1974 the building was the Cuban Assistance Center, where the federal government processed and helped hundreds of thousands of people arriving from Cuba. That’s why it’s often called the “Ellis Island of the South.” It became a National Historic Landmark in 2008 and is now run by Miami Dade College as a museum and cultural space.
What else you’ll see
From the highway you’ll pass the waterfront arena and museum area along Biscayne Bay, then the wall of towers in downtown and Brickell to the south. It’s a quick look at how much the city has grown upward in the last two decades.
Why it matters for this drive
The Freedom Tower is a good way to understand the next part of the trip. Many of the people who passed through it settled a few miles west along SW 8th Street, in what became Little Havana. If you take the scenic route to the Everglades, that’s exactly where you’re headed.
Next stop
From here you choose your route: the fast way on the Dolphin Expressway, or the scenic way down Calle Ocho.
Skip the drive. We pick you up.
Every private airboat tour includes round-trip private transportation from your Miami Beach hotel or rental. Call with your address and group size to book.
