Just in time for Veterans Day, the City of Miami Beach unveiled its “Boot Camp in Paradise: World War II in Miami Beach” to honor the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops that trained in Miami Beach during the war years from 1942-45, according to a press release.
The three-month outdoor exhibit runs through the end of January in Lummus Park along Ocean Drive between 11 and 12 streets in Galería Ocean Drive, a new outdoor exhibit space. The inaugural exhibit, which was unveiled earlier today, features more than 150 photographs and memorabilia related to World War II on more than 30 weatherproof panels as part of the city’s annual Veterans Day parade and celebration. With the Boot Camp in Paradise exhibition, the City of Miami Beach joins the global celebration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024.
Exhibitgoers will be transported back to a time when Miami Beach served as a vital training ground for the then U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Command during World War II. Hotels and apartment buildings were converted into barracks. Lobbies, ballrooms, theaters and retail stores were repurposed into classrooms with fine-dining restaurants becoming mess halls. City parks and golf courses were turned into parade grounds and the glamorous bathing beauties of Miami Beach were temporarily replaced by predominantly male soldiers. Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold estimated in 1944 that the war effort would have been set back by six to eight months had Miami Beach hotels not been available for training.
Curated by the Office of the Mayor and City Commission, in cooperation with the Wolfsonian-FIU and supported by the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the free exhibition will also feature family-friendly activities such as guided tours and social media activations — even a photo prop designed to look like the iconic World War II-era Willys Jeep.
Galería Ocean Drive will continue with programming as a year-round exhibit space to celebrate Miami Beach’s rich history and foster a deeper appreciation of the city’s unique heritage. New exhibits are expected to open about every three months. Learn more here.