What do 600 orchids, a world-renowned botanical garden, and a 19-foot sculpture have in common?
This fall, they’re all helping transform Miami Worldcenter.
Visitors to the district will discover exciting new additions that bring together nature, art, and culture in unexpected ways. Through a partnership with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Million Orchid Project and the arrival of Chocolate Girl by artist Ignacio Gana, Miami Worldcenter continues to enhance its public spaces while offering new reasons to slow down, look around, and appreciate the details that make Downtown Miami unique.
From orchids growing among the trees of The Paseo to a striking new sculpture welcoming guests at the district’s entrance, these additions highlight another side of Miami Worldcenter, one that celebrates conservation, creativity, and the evolving character of the urban landscape.
The Million Orchid Project Comes to The Paseo
The Paseo has become one of Miami Worldcenter’s signature gathering spaces, connecting visitors to shops, restaurants, events, and experiences throughout the district. Now, it has an exciting new feature growing right above visitors’ heads.
Miami Worldcenter recently partnered with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to introduce approximately 600 native and Caribbean orchids throughout The Paseo as part of the renowned Million Orchid Project. Installed on existing palms and hardwood trees near the Historic Pan Am Globe, the collection includes eight orchid varieties selected for their beauty, resilience, and ability to thrive in South Florida’s climate.
Among the varieties are Epidendrum nocturnum, a Florida native known for its fragrant nighttime blooms, and Brassavola nodosa, often called the “Lady of the Night.” Visitors may also encounter Oncidium Sharry Baby, famous for its rich, chocolate-like fragrance, along with colorful Caribbean varieties and other orchids chosen specifically for the urban environment.
Rather than being planted in traditional landscaping beds, the orchids have been mounted directly onto existing trees, recreating the way they naturally grow in healthy ecosystems. Installed several feet above ground, they blend naturally into the landscape while adding a living layer of beauty to one of Downtown Miami’s most heavily traveled pedestrian corridors.
Bringing Conservation Into Everyday Life
While the orchids create an eye-catching addition to The Paseo, they also serve an important purpose.
Nearly every native orchid species in South Florida is threatened with extinction. Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project is working to reverse this decline through propagation and reintroduction efforts across Miami-Dade County. Orchids are being returned to schools, parks, streetscapes, campuses, and public gathering spaces throughout the region, helping reconnect communities with species that once flourished here.
Miami Worldcenter now joins that growing network.
QR-coded signage installed throughout The Paseo allows visitors to learn more about the orchid varieties, their role in South Florida’s ecosystem, and the conservation work taking place behind the scenes. It’s an opportunity to encounter part of the region’s natural heritage in an unexpected setting while supporting one of the world’s largest orchid conservation initiatives.
Chocolate Girl Arrives at Miami Worldcenter
Nature isn’t the only thing drawing attention this season.
Miami Worldcenter has also welcomed Chocolate Girl, a 19-foot sculpture by Chilean artist Ignacio Gana, to the district’s main entrance.
Known for his figurative sculptures and distinctive storytelling approach, Gana has built an international reputation through works that celebrate the human form and invite viewers to create their own interpretations. His artwork can be found in museums and collections around the world, and he was selected as the official artist of the Latin Grammy Awards in 2017.
Bold and instantly recognizable, Chocolate Girl creates a dramatic focal point for visitors arriving at Miami Worldcenter. The sculpture will remain on display through January 2027, providing residents and visitors with ample opportunity to experience one of the district’s newest artistic additions.
Like the best public art, Chocolate Girl encourages people to pause, look a little closer, and engage with the space around them. Its arrival adds another distinctive landmark to Miami Worldcenter while further strengthening the district’s connection to Miami’s vibrant arts community.
A Collection That Continues to Grow
Chocolate Girl joins an impressive collection of artwork already found throughout Miami Worldcenter.
Visitors can encounter works by acclaimed artists including Nina Chanel Abney, Viktor El-Saieh, Hernan Bas, Serge Toussaint, Franz Ackermann, Nick Cave, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Woody De Othello, and Zadok Ben-David. Together, these installations help create an environment where art becomes part of everyday life rather than something experienced only within galleries or museums.
The timing is especially fitting as Miami prepares for another Miami Art Week, when artists, collectors, galleries, and art enthusiasts from around the world turn their attention to the city. Public art plays an important role in that cultural landscape, extending creativity beyond exhibition spaces and into the places where people live, work, gather, and explore.
A Different Way to Experience Miami Worldcenter
The orchid installation and Chocolate Girl are very different additions, yet they share something in common: both encourage visitors to see Miami Worldcenter from a fresh perspective.
One draws the eye upward toward hundreds of orchids growing among the trees. The other creates an unmistakable artistic presence at street level. Together, they add new layers of beauty, culture, and character to the district while complementing the existing landscape, public spaces, and art collection.
The next time you visit Miami Worldcenter, take a moment to look a little closer.
You might notice a fragrant orchid blooming overhead.
You might find yourself standing beneath a 19-foot sculpture.
Or you might simply discover a side of Downtown Miami that you hadn’t noticed before.
This fall, Miami Worldcenter is proving that some of the most memorable additions to a destination aren’”t always found inside a storefront or on an event calendar. Sometimes they’re growing in the trees, standing proudly in a public plaza, and helping create a greener, more artful Downtown Miami.