--- title: "New WWII exhibit opens in Miami Beach" date: "2024-11-11" modified: "2024-11-11" authors: - name: "Tessa Robinson" job_title: "Chief Emeritus, Former CIA" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/tessarobinson/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/feature/new-wwii-exhibit-opens-in-miami-beach/" categories: - "History" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # New WWII exhibit opens in Miami Beach ![White Beach Patrol Headquarters building with round windows and a clock on the front, surrounded by palm trees under a clear blue sky.]() *Getty Images/Alexander Spatari Alexander Spatari* 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. ![WWII Boot Camp in Paradise exhibition poster featuring men in vintage workout attire climbing wooden obstacle structures. The event is held at Galería Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, from November 2024 to January 2025. The design includes a WWII Miami Beach emblem with an American flag ribbon and text in English and Spanish.]() *Photos via [website]()* ![Between 1942 and 1945, one-fifth of all enlisted men and one-fourth of all officers of the Army Air Forces were trained in Miami Beach, totaling about 600,000 troops. The Miami Beach City government leased over 300 municipal properties to the U.S. Department of War for million at per year. The Army Air Forces occupied over 300 hotels, comprising 85% of the city's hotel rooms. The municipal golf course was leased for per year. In 2023, Miami Beach reimbursed the U.S. Army 0,000 for costs related to hosting troops during WWII. The infographic includes pie charts showing 1/5 of enlisted men and 1/4 of officers trained in Miami Beach, silhouettes of soldiers, and icons representing properties and hotel rooms.]() ![Poster for the exhibition "Boot Camp in Paradise" featuring a WWII theme in Miami Beach. The top section has a blue background with white text and an emblem that includes "WWII in Miami Beach" with an American flag ribbon and the Army Air Forces logo. Below, a colorized historical photo shows a woman sitting on a sandy beach holding a smiling child, with a soldier standing guard in the background near palm trees and a concrete structure. The exhibition dates are November 2024 to January 2025. The bottom section includes logos for Galería Ocean Drive Miami Beach and FIU.]() 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.]() ## Author Tessa Robinson served as Editor in Chief for We Are The Mighty for 5.5 glorious years from January 2020 - May 2025. She spent over a decade with the federal government working in emergency management before reinventing herself as a writer courtesy of military life. Prior to WATM, Robinson served as Managing Editor for Spouse & Family at Military.com and Branded Content at Task & Purpose. She's the author of the New York Times Deployment Diary and founder of Humans on the Homefront. When she's not scrolling through social media aimlessly looking for stories, she's coaching her daughter's basketball team or playing baseball with her son. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()