Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College

The 1925 tower where Cuban exiles were received from 1962 to 1974, reopened by Miami Dade College in 2025 as a museum.

Checked November 2026

Essential for anyone who wants to understand Cuban Miami, and an easy add to a Bayside or Downtown day. It is a museum with timed hours and a short week, so plan around the Monday and Tuesday closure.

From newsroom to refuge

The Miami Daily News built the 289-foot Mediterranean Revival tower in 1925, and it was the city's first skyscraper. From 1962 to 1974 it served as the Cuban Refugee Center, where hundreds of thousands of new arrivals received aid, medical care and food. It became a National Historic Landmark in 2008 and marked its centennial in 2025.

Inside the museum

The college reopened the building to the public in October 2025 after a two-year renovation, with four exhibitions inside. The permanent show, Libertad and Languages of Migration, invites visitors to chart their own migration stories. The college's Museum of Art and Design and its special collections also live here. A weekly public tour runs, and upcoming dates include a MOAD Talk on November 4, a salsa workshop on November 8 and a film screening on November 18.

Tickets and timing

Doors are open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday; college holidays and events can shift that. Tickets can be booked online or bought in person. The tower sits on Biscayne Boulevard about a five-minute walk from Bayside Marketplace, with street parking and public garages nearby. Rated 4.6 from about 680 Google reviews.

Good to know

Closed Monday and Tuesday; buy timed tickets online before a weekend visit.

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