History
Tropical Park opened on 245 acres at what is now Bird Road and the Palmetto Expressway on December 26, 1931, and shared South Florida's winter racing season with Hialeah and Gulfstream Park. In the 1966-67 season it experimented with a 3M synthetic surface that many trainers refused to use.
The track closed in January 1972. Miami-Dade County bought the land in 1976 and opened Tropical Park in 1979; the old stables became part of its equestrian center.
Why it matters: It was one of the three tracks of the classic South Florida winter racing circuit for four decades.
Timeline
- December 26, 1931
The track opened as part of South Florida's winter racing circuit.
- 1966Synthetic surface[1]
The track installed 3M's Tartan Turf synthetic surface, which many horsemen refused to race on.
- January 15, 1972
Racing ended after the 1972 season.
- 1979
Miami-Dade County opened the site as Tropical Park.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
|---|---|
| Current use | Tropical Park, a Miami-Dade County public park (opened 1979)[1,2,3] |
| Surviving remnants | Former track stables used by the park's equestrian center[1,3] |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Venue facts
| Location | Bird Road and the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826), Miami (Coral Gables area), Florida[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Racetrack |
| Sports | Horse racing |
| Level | Thoroughbred, Harness |
| Opened | December 26, 1931[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | January 15, 1972[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Owner / operator | Founded by Bill Dwyer and Frank Bruen with backing from Samuel Bronfman; Saul Silberman from 1953 |
| Closure | Racing ended after the 1972 season; the county later bought the property. |
Sources
- Tropical Park Race Track, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, current land use, events, opened, remnants
- Tropical Park fact sheet, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, opened
- Tropical Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: coordinates, current land use, remnants
- Latitude and longitude of Tropical Park Race Track, Latitude.to. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: coordinates
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Coordinates: Wikipedia's Tropical Park article gives 25.732, -80.323; Latitude.to gives 25.7295, -80.3202 for the race track.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.