MIAMI (WSVN) - Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower is officially open to the public after two years of renovation.
Visitors will be able to explore and learn about the building, its history, and connection to the Cuban American community.
General admission tickets became available Wednesday, and people who lined up inside to take a tour said they are there to learn the history of their families while for others, it was the first time they stepped foot inside the tower since fleeing Cuba.
“I came with my mom, I was 8-months-old. I came in 1962. I don’t know Cuba but this brings back the history of my family,” said a man. “It’s a beautiful place, believe it or not.”
The 100 year-old landmark, first opening in 1925 as a printing facility for a Miami newspaper, was used by the U.S. government to process Cuban refugees who fled Cuba’s dictatorship decades later.
On Wednesday, it opened to the public after undergoing a two-year, multi-million dollar renovation. The iconic reopening gives visitors a fresh look at new exhibits that include “Libertad”- freedom, “Languages of Migration,” “We Carry Our Homes With Us,” and “Unidad,” meaning united.
Some like Marcos Carasa stood in line on the first day, hoping to find photos of their families from when they first arrived.
“My grandfather immigrated here from Cuba so it’s good to see the culture of everything where I come from and, you know, how he immigrated over here,” said Marcos. ” How he came here, you know the history behind, because I don’t really understand how he came here, how everybody came here, so it’s good to just find out how everything happened.”
For Orlando Zamora, entering the tower was an emotional experience.
“It was beautiful. The work that they did is class. I was here in ’62 when I came from Cuba and it was very emotional,” he said.
7News cameras captured people walking around the exhibits and finding the stories of their family that is stored in what was once called the Ellis Island of the South.
Exhibits also include hundreds of antique items like guayaberas and treasured photos.
To purchase tickets for the Freedom Tower, click here.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.