MIAMI (AP) — A long-awaited science museum is set to open to the public in Miami.The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science will open Monday in downtown Miami after five years of construction.
The $305 million building features a digital planetarium housed in a globe-shaped structure, a 500,000-gallon aquarium simulating a dive into the Gulf Stream and displays that show injured birds undergoing rehabilitation.
The other animal displays include juvenile alligators, sharks and live coral.The museum expects 750,000 visitors in its first year of operation.Revenue from ticket sales will be critical to its financial success.
The museum required a $49 million bailout from Miami-Dade County taxpayers last year after a budget crunch blamed on a private fundraising shortfall threatened to halt construction.
Photo Credit: NBC6 Miami