Long before Wannado City at Sawgrass Mills or talk of a theme park at the still dreamed about American Dream mall, there was an attraction at the old 163rd Street Shopping Center.
The outdoor shopping center, which opened in 1956 on the outer rim of North Miami Beach, boasted The Kiddie Park, a mini-amusement park area with a choo-choo train and a Ferris wheel-styled ride with seating that was designed as small mustard-yellow helicopters. Think of the kids carnival rides during the early years of the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair, which started in 1952 at U.S.1 and North Kendall Drive.
The mall also had a go-kart track in the north parking lot until Hurricane Cleo destroyed it in 1964…