Camp Matecumbe is the name of a summer camp created by the Diocese of St. Augustine on the Boystown land they purchased in 1955 in a rural part of unincorporated Southwest Miami-Dade called the Hammocks. In 2003, the 98 acre Boystown campus was sold to Miami-Dade to become a park marking the history of Operation Pedro Pan, a secret exodus of over 14,000 Cuban minors, ages 6 to 18 to the United States over a two-year span from 1960 to 1962. Parents sent unaccompanied children to the United States amid fears sparked by the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Many were sheltered here upon their arrival.
Today the name Camp Matecumbe is more closely associated with a new type of nature themed playground designed by LandscapeDE. They are a design firm that creates very distinctive and creative outdoor play spaces for children. If you ever saw one you would know it instantly. They created the amazing ADA accessible playground in Pinecrest Gardens with the anole lizard ramp, a small nature themed playground for Biscayne Shores & Gardens Park, and what I think is the best example of their work, the brand new play area in Pioneer Park in Port St. Lucie.
While not as large as the playground in Pioneer Park, Camp Matecumbe has more than enough to keep children entertained for hours. Invasive plants were removed and the design was developed to incorporate the endangered Pine Rockland preserve that exists in the park. A highlight of the play area is a hill with a 20 foot long slide. To reach the top children can climb native oolite block steps or a slope covered in mortared river rock. Other playground elements include musical instruments such as bells, metallophones, and chimes, a play house, swings, and a climbing net The park also has paved walkways, native plants and trees, seating, and recovered cypress river logs from Florida. I love how the design of this park incorporates elements from nature resulting in a very inviting and sustainable play area where children can enjoy the outdoors while strengthening their bodies and developing their imagination. read more