Miami Is Set To Become Home To America’s Largest Mall

For anyone who thought Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia Mall was big, get ready for the American Dream Miami — Florida’s next mega-mall that will be twice the size of King of Prussia, officially making it the largest mall in the U.S.

At an estimated $4 billion, the project is known as a “destination mall” or a “retail theme park” and will feature a whole lot more than your average chain stores. Think: a huge indoor pool, an indoor ice rink, an artificial ski slope, “submarine” rides, an array of restaurants and up to 1,200 shops.

Triple Five Group, the team behind the American Dream Miami as well as the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, estimates that around 30 million people will visit the property annually. This mall will be built on undeveloped land off the Florida Turnpike.

Currently, there’s no timeline for building and the development team is still working on getting permits and funding. Moreover, Miami locals have voiced concerns about the consequences of building the American Dream Miami, which include increased traffic, unknown effects of water usage and potentially negative impacts on the city’s stormwater system.

Despite the pushback, the American Dream Miami could change the way malls are built in the future. Countless malls and mall-based stores have shut down, due to the growing world of online shopping and the shift in consumers’ buying habits.

The destination mall as a concept is heading away from the traditional mall layout, instead focusing on big attractions to draw in customers — both locally and from the broader region. Destination malls often include features like movie theaters, casinos, rock climbing walls, laser tag and roller coasters.

Triple Five has also been working on another mega-mall, this time in New Jersey. Set to open next year is American Dream Meadowlands, which will include an indoor Nickelodeon theme park, the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

How do you feel about these insanely huge shopping destinations?