Miami Marine Stadium
The only floating stadium ever built in the United States. It has been abandoned since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and is now the world's largest outdoor graffiti gallery.
Miami Marine Stadium opened in 1963 as a venue for powerboat racing. The design — a cantilevered concrete grandstand over the water, no columns blocking the view — was genuinely revolutionary. It hosted concerts, boxing matches, and the 1969 Miami Pop Festival. Hurricane Andrew damaged it in 1992. The city closed it and never reopened it.
The stadium is on Virginia Key, accessible by car or bike via the Rickenbacker Causeway. The exterior is visible from the road and from the water. The interior is technically closed but the graffiti is visible through the open structure. Virginia Key Beach Park is adjacent — combine both for a full afternoon.
In the 30 years since Andrew, artists from around the world have covered every surface of the stadium in murals. The result is one of the most extraordinary collections of outdoor art in the country, in a building that is simultaneously falling apart and more alive than it has been in decades. A restoration effort has been underway for years. The stadium may yet be saved.
