A Miami theme park may see major change. Take a look at the attraction through the years
By Miami Herald Archives
Will Jungle Island survive?
That’s the question with plans to redevelop the Watson Island site into condos and a free waterfront park.
The Miami theme park’s roots go back to 1936, when it opened as Parrot Jungle in what is now Pinecrest. The park moved to Watson Island, along the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, in 2003.
The attraction added other animals and a large complex for meetings and banquets.
Through the years, there were plans to the property into an eco-park adventure land with zip lines and a hotel. But those plans dissolved and have now given way to another proposal for a large condo complex and free park on the 18-acre site.
For now, let’s take a look at the old Parrot Jungle and the newer Jungle Island through the years in these photos from the Miami Herald Archives:
How Jungle Island looks now
View of the Jungle Island garage entrance where a real estate developer wants to build a condo development and a free park on the site of Miami’s Jungle island, on Tuesday, June 04, 2024. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Aerial view of the Jungle Island where a real estate developer wants to build a condo development and a free park on the site of Miami’s Jungle island, on Tuesday, June 04, 2024. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Aerial view of Jungle Island. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Aerial view of Jungle Island. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
The sail-like landmark at Jungle Island is shown against the Miami skyline on Friday, June 15, 2012. Marsha Halper Miami Herald File
Students take a break after the written spelling exam to warm-up in the South Florida sun. Middle school students competed in the Miami-Dade/Monroe Spelling Bee at Jungle Island on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Carl Juste Miami Herald File
Jermal Trammel takes part in the show at Jungle Island on Wednesday January 7, 2015. Over fifty members from the Wounded Warrior Project visited the park prior to the kickoff of the annual Soldier Ride, a five-day rehabilitative cycling event stretching across South Florida to Key West.. Patrick Farrell Miami Herald File
Flamingos stand out like bright gems against lush greenery at Jungle Island on Friday, June 15, 2012. Marsha Halper Miami Herald File
What a hotel and adventure park would have looked like
Rendering of the renovated Jungle Island as seen from Biscayne Bay. The changes would have added a man-made lagoon and seven zip line towers.
An architectural rendering shows a conceptual design for a planned hotel, at right, at the Jungle Island attraction on Watson Island, with a revamped Ichimura Miami Japanese Garden at left. Miami Herald File
How Parrot Jungle looked at original site
This Parrot Jungle resident takes to the bicycle for a better look at the attraction’s natural Florida hammock at the original site in Pinecrest.
Macaws at the Parrot Jungle pose for fans. Miami Herald File
An old Parrot Jungle billboard on South Dixie Highway was itself a landmark. Al Diaz Miami Herald File
Parrot Jungle
Winston Churchill, Butch the Cockatoo, Marco, a military macaw, in 1946 at Parrot Jungle. Miami Herald File
A jogger passes the old 1936 entrance to Parrot Jungle. Richard Patterson Miami Herald File / 2001
