The Historic Dance Floor could be called the most popular spot at the park during its golden era in the 1950s. The concrete dance floor harks back to a 1917 historic map of Virginia Key showing a “Negro Dance Pavilion.” Though no actual pavilion still exists today, the palm-fringed open Dance Floor with its outdoor juke box was the place to go to show off a variety of dance styles over the years. Recent findings show that Muhammad Ali used to host parties here. The concrete Dance Floor has changed little since the 1950s and “Splashdown Party days of the 1970s. Today, the palm trees have been restored to make it more historically accurate, and a white tent been installed for shade, hosting such events as weddings, crawfish boils, and birthday and 4th of July celebrations.
