Music and Sports Venues

American Airlines Arena is located along Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami and is home to the Miami Heat of the NBA. It is positioned between the tall buildings of downtown Miami and the nightlife and beaches of South Beach. The venue is the largest sports and concert venue in Miami and cost $213M to build. It opened in 1999 and replaced the old Miami Arena. The Heat shared the Miami Arena with the Florida Panthers of the NHL until 1998 when the Panthers moved into BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, just outside of Miami. The Heat have played all their home games in the arena since the opening and the old Miami Arena was eventually demolished in 2008. The arena houses the Waterfront Theater (Florida’s largest theater) which seats between 3000 and 5800 people depending on the configuration. The theater is used for concerts, musical theatre, family events and other stage shows. The American Airlines Arena Travel Center is also located in the venue. There is a huge airplane painted on the roof of the building that can be spotted when you are flying in and out of Miami International Airport.

The arena has a seating capacity of 19,600 for basketball (16,500 without the upper levels). For concerts the seating capacity ranges from 12,202 to 19,146 depending on where the stage is set up. There are 2105 club seats, 80 luxury suites and 76 private boxes in the arena. Food and drink are plentiful in the venue. The luxury suites and the clubhouse areas offer cuisine from around the world as well as a wide variety of wines and premium liqueurs. The Dewars Club seats provide access to a dining room, full service bar, dance floor and HDTV monitors. Fourteen general concessions and 28 portable carts offer selections including hot dogs, deli sandwiches and pizza among other choices for everyone who is not in premium seating areas. The $5M scoreboard is sure to catch your attention when you walk into the arena. It is nicknamed “Medusa” because of the design making it appear to have tentacles. Visitors are always impressed with the scoreboard.

The venue opened on New Year’s Eve in 1999 with a Gloria Estefan concert and the Miami Heat played their first home game in the arena on January 2, 2000. Since the opening of the arena concerts have been plentiful and there have been a lot of big name performances. Some of which include Mariah Carey, U2, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5 and Janet Jackson to name a few. The 2006 and 2011 NBA finals were held at the arena along with the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Heat played the Dallas Mavericks in both finals while winning the championship in 2006 and losing to the Mavericks in 2011. Other events that have been held in the venue include the 2004 and 2005 MTV Music Awards. The NFL honors is scheduled for the arena in 2020.

Parking at the arena is limited to just over 900 spaces during Heat games that are reserved for Premium seat ticket holders. There are parking garages within walking distance of the arena but parking is expensive. Visitors are encouraged to use public transit when traveling to the venue. The Metromover is free transportation and it connects to the Metrorail at Government Center Station. The Metromover’s Park West Station is located only one block from the arena.

If you’re going to Miami it is definitely worth taking in an event at American Airlines Arena. You won’t be disappointed. The setting alone is awesome and the arena is one of the best in the country.

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