The Ancient Spanish Monastery, officially St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church, was originally built in the Spanish town of Sacramenia in Segovia in the 12th century and named Santa María la Real. It was closed some time between 1836 and 1840 during the reign of Isabella II of Spain and as a result of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. William Randolph Hearst purchased the structure in 1925 and was subsequently dismantled and shipped to the United States. However, as a result of an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease in Segovia, the 11,000 crates containing the historic monastery building were quarantined in New York. Though he planned to relocate it to his Hearst Castle in San Simeon, because of Hearst’s financial difficulties, the building remained in storage in New York. Raymond Moss and William Edgemon purchased the building in 1952, a year after Hearst died. The building was re-assembled on a plant nursery north of Miami.
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The Bay of Pigs Air Memorial is located at the Miami Executive Airport in the Miami suburb of Kendall.
The Bay of Pigs Monument is a tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the Bay of Pigs Invasion that took place in Little Havana, Miami, Florida. The monument features the names of the fallen soldiers engraved on it, and an eternal flame burns on the top as a symbol of their courage. The monument was dedicated on April 17, 1971, by several hundred Cuban exiles, Miami Mayor David T. Kennedy, and then-Senator Lawton Chiles. President Richard Nixon sent his best wishes for the occasion via cable.
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Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is located on the southern portion of the island of Key Biscayne and is home to Cape Florida Light, which is said to be the oldest standing structure in the Miami area, except for St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church. The lighthouse was initially built in 1825 and was reconstructed in 1846, according to Florida State Parks, which owns the structure today. In addition, the state park offers ample beach space for those who want to take a dip in the water while avoiding the city’s other busy beaches.
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum, founded in 1956 and located in the former Naval Air Station Richmond (NASR), is one of Florida’s official state railroad museums. It houses a valuable collection of exhibits, including the Ferdinand Magellan. This observation car was built by the Pullman Company in 1929 and served as the Presidential Rail Car between 1943 and 1958.
The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile-long highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys to Key West. It was largely built on parts of the former Overseas Railroad right-of-way, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West Extension completed in 1912. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane heavily damaged and partially destroyed the Overseas Railroad. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections and sold roadbed and remaining bridges to Florida, making it a famous drive between Miami and Key West.
The Spanish government donated this statue of Juan Ponce de León in 1976. It stands in Bayfront Park and was re-dedicated on May 22, 1995.
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The Barnacle Historic State Park in Coconut Grove was built in 1891 and is the oldest house still standing in its original location in Miami-Dade County. The Barnacle was once the home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, who was not only one of the founders of Coconut Grove but also the founder and Commodore of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. Furthermore, he was a prominent designer of sailing yachts. The Florida Park Service acquired the remaining five acres of Munroe’s original 40-acre property from his descendants in 1973. You can easily access The Barnacle Historic State Park by taking the Miami Metrorail at the Douglas Road and the Coconut Grove stations.
The Torch of Friendship is a monument on Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami, Florida, at the northwest corner of Bayfront Park. It was built in 1960 to signify the gateway for immigrants coming from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States of America. The flame was intended to act as a welcoming beacon for both old and new immigrants to the nation. In 1964, it was re-dedicated in memory of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination.
Businessman James Deering built Villa Vizcaya between 1914 and 1922. The house served as his winter residence until he passed away in 1925. Currently, Miami-Dade County owns the property in the Coconut Grove neighborhood. Besides exploring the 34-room house, visitors can also tour the 10-acre gardens on the premises. Several movies, including Bad Boys II, have featured the house.
The Wings Over Miami museum, situated at the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, is about 13 miles southwest of Miami’s central business district. It houses a fascinating collection of historic aircraft, with the 1992 Grumman F-14D being the star attraction. This particular aircraft is significant because it was one of the last active F-14s to serve with the Navy before its official retirement in September 2006. Other notable airplanes on display include a 1943 North American AT6D, a 1942 Ryan PT-22 Recruit, and a 1972 Nanchang CJ-6A. Additionally, the museum has a 1943 Consolidated PBY-5, which is another aircraft worth visiting.