Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park
Entrance signage
Type	Municipal
Location	12451 SW 184th St., Miami, Florida
Area	270 acres
Created	1977
Operated by	Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department
Open	All year
Website	Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park and Campground

The Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park is the biggest park and campground in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It's a huge place, covering 270 acres! Imagine 60 acres of that is just for camping. The park is right next to Zoo Miami in southwest Miami. It's a great spot for outdoor fun and adventures.

Park Features

This amazing park has lots of cool things to do. There's a large 22-acre lake where you can relax. You'll also find picnic shelters, perfect for a family lunch. If you love to bike or ride horses, there are special trails just for you.

The camping area is huge, with space for 240 RVs. It even has a heated swimming pool! If you prefer sleeping under the stars, there's also room for tent camping. Inside the campground office, you can see a special display about the park's namesakes. It includes Larry Thompson's old typewriter and family photos.

Who Were Larry and Penny Thompson?

The park is named after two very interesting people: Larry and Penny Thompson.

Larry Thompson

Larry Thompson was a funny writer for the Miami Herald newspaper. He wrote columns for over 20 years! He was so good that he's now in the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1973.

Penny Thompson

Larry's wife was Gladys "Penny" Thompson. She was a true pioneer in aviation, meaning she was one of the first women to achieve great things in flying during the 1940s and 1950s. Penny is in the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame. She was also the president of the Florida chapter of the Ninety-Nines. This is a group for women pilots that was started by the famous aviator Amelia Earhart.

During World War II, Penny helped out by flying planes for the Civil Air Patrol. She would fly over the Gulf of Mexico, looking for enemy submarines. Sadly, her plane was destroyed in a big fire in 1945 at the Richmond Naval Air Station. Part of that air station was later rebuilt to become this very park! Penny passed away in 1975.

Park History

The land where Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park now stands has a fascinating past.

From Air Station to Park

This area was once part of the Richmond Naval Air Station. This was a U.S. Navy base during World War II. It opened in 1942 and was used for huge blimps. These blimps helped protect ships from enemy submarines in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

On September 15, 1945, a big hurricane hit the base. A fire started, destroying three massive 17-story wooden hangars. Everything inside was lost, including 366 aircraft, 25 blimps, and over 100 vehicles. After the war, the blimp base closed down. The hangars were never rebuilt.

A Guiding Arrow

You can still see a piece of this history today! At the south entrance of the park, there's a large concrete arrow sticking out of the ground. It used to point north, guiding blimp and airplane pilots to land at the Naval Air Station.

For about 30 years after the war, the land was used for different things. It was even part of the University of Miami for a while. In 1974, the U.S. government gave 1,010 acres of this land to Miami-Dade County. This land included the future park and Zoo Miami.

Naming the Park

After his parents passed away, Larry and Penny's son, Carl Thompson, asked the Miami-Dade County Commission to name the park after them. On November 17, 1975, the commission voted yes!

The park was officially opened on December 17, 1977. A writer from the Miami Herald, Gene Miller, presented a special bronze plaque. This plaque is now at the front of the campground office. It has a quote from Larry Thompson's newspaper column, saying how important parks are for people to relax and connect with nature.

Hurricane Andrew's Impact

On August 24, 1992, a very strong storm called Hurricane Andrew hit the park hard. Many picnic shelters and buildings were damaged, and lots of trees were flattened. But the park quickly recovered! Within a few years, all the damage was fixed, and the trees grew back.