This free exhibition features over 150 photographs and printed materials from 1942-1945, displayed on state-of-the-art panels. It highlights a time when Miami Beach became a vital training ground for over 600,000 U.S. troops preparing for World War II. Hotels and apartment buildings were converted into barracks, while lobbies, ballrooms, theaters and stores were repurposed as classrooms. Restaurants became mess halls, city parks and golf courses served as parade grounds and troops replaced sunbathers on the beaches.

In January 1944, General Henry “Hap” Arnold noted that the war effort would have been delayed by six to eight months had Miami Beach hotels not been available for the Army Air Forces training program.

Situated in the heart of South Beach, between 11 and 12 streets along Ocean Drive, the exhibition will also include interactive elements such as social media activations and a famous Willys Jeep prop. With the “Boot Camp in Paradise: WWII in Miami Beach” exhibition, the City of Miami Beach joins the global celebration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024.