The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is finally set to open to the public Monday, May 8. The 250,000-square-foot Biscayne Boulevard complex, located in Museum Park, will include a planetarium and aquarium.

It is the final piece in a transformation of the former Bicentennial Park that should draw thousands more visitors and breathe new life into downtown Miami.

Admission tickets will be available March 6 at frostscience.org. "Thanks to the hard work of our board of trustees, project team, and the museum staff, we are now almost ready," says Frank Steslow, the museum's president. "The technology, engineering, and sustainability features found throughout the museum rival those on a global stage."

Courtesy of Frost Science Museum

The museum, designed by Grimshaw Architects, is divided into four buildings: a planetarium, an aquarium, and north and west wings. The 250-seat planetarium is one of only 13 3D 8K-projection planetariums in the world and has a 67-foot dome. The aquarium will include Gulf Stream sharks and allow visitors to touch a stingray.

There will also be bird and everglades exhibits, a laser show, and solar and lunar rooftop terraces.

A year ago, it wasn't clear whether the $325 million project, which includes $165 million in county money, would be completed after it fell short on fundraising. But sponsors came through in the end.

"Of course, none of this would be possible without the financial support and governance of Phillip and Patricia Frost," says Cesar L. Alvarez, the chair of the museum's board of trustees. "It is because of their generosity that the museum will be a place where our community can learn about 21st-century science and technology."

