I came here from out of town to attend my goddaughter's graduation recently, so this review isn't from like a spectator sport game or anything. Local PD did the best they could to detour traffic and I'll admit. I probably could've gotten there a bit sooner than I did so that is on me. The staff that was waving folks into the adjacent parking garage which was easy enough to find and it was just a matter of following folks there. From what I saw the center was very clean. The bathrooms were clean and the concession stands had a lot of food that was reasonably priced and people seem to enjoy as well. read more

Watsco Center - Graduation - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

See all

First of all I just want to mention how great the staff were at the Watsco, communicating and being kind to attendees even though our concert was moved here last minute. The venue was also very clean and well organized. The reason I took off one star is because the sound system for concerts... is not great. There was significant feedback and oftentimes we could hear the crowd better than the vocalist (except for during acoustic songs which were fine). The main problem seemed to be the instrumental being louder than the performers. Aside from that, we had a great time! read more

This venue has a huge problem handling traffic and large amount of vehicles exiting the adjacent parking garages after an event (Be it a game, concert or graduation). People get impatient and start to uncontrollably lay on their car horns, carelessly reversing into vehicles stuck waiting to exit or go around the line of cars creating opportunities for further jams or even accidents. Last event took us an hour to exit the parking garage. I was parked only at the second level. UM needs to fix and address this problem. Very stressful experience and because of this can't recommend this venue. If you must come here, take either public transportation/Metro rail or Uber/Lyft. Not worth the aggravation and sheer madness of the poorly Managed traffic and parking situation at Watsco Center during major events. read more

As almost everyone with a partying bone in their body knows, this was Miami Music Week aka Ultra. Various world famous DJ's come to play in our hometown at multiple venues. I also try to schedule my PTO this weekend for a sort of staycation. I'm somewhere between my mid and late 40's :) but I still need some magnitude of regular nights out. Instead of Ultra downtown, and in addition to the show at the Clevelander Friday night I came to the "Freestyle Explosion" concert here at my alma mater's on-campus arena. The show was great! If you grew up during the mid 80's / early 90's especially in Miami, Chicago, the Bronx, LA you know the names: TKA, Lisa Lisa, Stevie B, the Cover Girls and Lil Suzy. Power 96 was the local sponsor and music took me back to afternoons in Westland Mall, sneaking into Casanova and other all ages clubs. Acoustics were pretty good; it's a good place for a 7000 - 8000 seat "specialty" concert. They had plenty of bars and concession stands in the middle concourse, and the bar food I enjoyed (chicken tenders and house cut chips) were not too bad. They had run out of bbq sauce, and just had regular ketchup. They also didn't sell mojitos but I did enjoy a well-blended Hennessey & Coke, and they did sell Woodbridge Moscato. One other thing that would have made it better is if they would have had an organized area for autographs and such. I did get to take a picture with LisaLisa though! read more

See all

It looks like this arena at the University of Miami is slowly but surely replacing The Arena (whatever it is called these days) in Downtown. More and more events are taking place here from concerts to award shows, you name it. I'm not complaining about this as I live closeby. Also, parking is a lot easier here than in Downtown. I went here twice: for Sesame Street Live and for Jurassic World Live Tour. The venue was great for both of these. The food isn't the greatest. And the place gets a bit too slammed at the end of a show as it takes a long time to walk to an exit. read more

See all

Water isn't allowed there at all. You have to pay for basic necessity like Water. I don't approve as people want to have Water accessible to them if they're going to be seated for more than an hour. I mean that is a stupid rule that should go away for every venue. If it's for safety and security, why can't they just provide water to people at the venue or at least allow reusable and empty bottle and refill it. But buying water is a stupid cash grab, they're not an airport (still stupid there too) or nothing special to be requesting people to throw out their water. Water is a human need, stop putting prices just for greed. Private property or not, it's still dumb. read more

We went for the Gracias Christmas Cantata this past weekend. The show was phenomenal! We found parking fairly quickly and use pay by phone. It was a decent rate, we spent $8-$9 for five or six hours. The checkpoint moved quick as you go through metal detectors and the stairs steep. Note that even though it was not advertised, there are elevators! Just right of the stairs close to the building. The place was very clean and staff amicable. The bathrooms were kept clean which was much appreciated as it was a lot of people. I haven't been to a sports arena in a while so prices seemed steep for concessions: a coke was $8 (the cup without refills, for refills it was $12 and had a souvenir cup for it) food seemed to range from $8-12 for tenders, pretzels or fries... The seating was better than I expected. We were pretty much at the back but could still see the stage well. All in all, I'd definitely return. read more

Watsco arena is a satisfactory place to watch a college basketball game. The arena holds 8000 people so it is fairly intimate. As far as views, there is not a bad seat in the house. But beware, the seats on the upper ends are benches without backs and are very uncomfortable. We were lucky that we were able to change seats as I would not have been able to last a whole game there. We saw UM play Duke, a very popular and well known opponent, so the tickets were $72 each. I hear that games versus lesser know opponents can be much more reasonable. The place was almost full. There were just as many, if not more Duke fans than UM fans in attendance. There is minimal choices at concessions. I was glad we had eaten before. Alcohol was being served, with purchasers needing to show ID and get a wristband. Parking is a bit of a pain. There seems to be plenty of it in a large garage. It is just about a ten minute walk from the arena. Once you get to the arena there is tight security. They will check your bag, you will go through a metal detector, and you will be wanded. I was surprised that with all the security that they were letting in regular sized bags With several check points, the process went quickly. I didn't see many college students at the game. Perhaps that was because it was at the tail end of winter break. Still, there was some school spirit with cheerleaders, mascot, and band. A fun family nihjt out and the crowd favorite (Duke!) won handily! read more

Watsco Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

The Watsco Center is a great piece of UM culture. Here they host many thing in the arena such as basketball games, ceremonies, concerts, educational presentations, and much, much more. I have been able to enjoy many concerts and basketball ball games here for both the Men's and the Women's teams. This arena is just the perfect size to accommodate everything they host. It's located directly of Ponce de Leon in coral gables witching the University of Miami campus. For students it's perfect walking distance from school. The have a decent sized parking lot, but it could be bigger. Campus PD and Coral Gables PD do a great job in keeping everyone safe and organized here at the arena too. read more

Nice venue to watch sports. Not too big, so you get good views from anywhere you sit. It also has a couple of large garage buildings close by, so you are always a close walk to the arena. Atmosphere when University of Miami is playing is great, with a good size music band and a very large cheerleading squad. Facilities are in pretty good condition, but the concession stands for food and drinks have a fairly limited selection. The one area that was disappointing was the box office. I had an issue with the tickets I bought online during my most recent visit, and they were not able to resolve and were not very helpful overall. You would expect much better customer service from a venue like this. read more

See all

Went to see Jurassic World with the family. This was the first time I've been to an event at the Watsco center. The arena, although small was very nice. It was very clean and had several concession locations with different options. We ate the chicken Fingers and french fries which were actually pretty good given it was stadium food. My friend got a small pizza which she said was just OK but what do you expect at an arena? Anyway, overall the experience was pleasant. The arena was nice. Parking was easy as there were two parking garages, depending on which side you entered from that were just within a short walk of the arena. Security was good as they checked purses and made you go through a metal detector before entrance which was a nice piece of mind. Finally, the seats seemed to be a little larger than average stadium seats. My son is a very big guy and he said he felt comfortable and I have to agree because he did not overlap into my space! I would definitely go see a show there again. read more

See all

Came for Sesame Street Live and at the 2:00pm show the food was stale. Fries cold, chicken tenders hard and popcorn had been sitting there for a while, and all for almost 30 bucks. Not expecting gourmet food but at least let the food be fresh, especially when there is more than one show for the day. The parking has no clear distinction of which lot you're parking in and there were only two pay to park stations with very long lines due to this. I chose the north and south lot and prayed for the best but there needs to be better signage. The show I attended was great for the kids but the facility needs to improve on their service. read more

Watsco Center - Sesame Street Live - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

Came for Pittsburgh at U of Miami Men's basketball. Spacious venue located on the southwest side of campus. Parking was cheap and I love the pay by phone option. 1/4th of the concession stands were open, but that didn't hinder choices or wait times. Great place to watch basketball, a bit dim in regards to lighting. The UM band was amped up and exciting to watch. read more

See all

Amazing place to watch basketball games and ect. I used to work there before I moved north of Miami florida.

Sunday July 16th, 2017 was a special kind of a Election Day for my beautiful country Venezuela, a group of people organized it in many parts of south Florida gathered to do so. The one I went with my kids was here in Watsco, yes now that's it's new name. Thousand of people were in line to go inside and sign our election papers. The miami dade police department assisted all of us redirecting traffic and parking. A vast group of volunteer helped out with the line. The place outside and inside was clean. I was actually impressed by how well the place looked since there were so many people. Thank you Watsco and all the Volunteers for running this fun, emotive and extremely organized event. El domingo 16 de julio de 2017 fue un día de elecciones para mi hermoso país Venezuela, un grupo de personas lo organizaron aquí en el sur de la Florida. El que fui con mis hijos estaba aquí en Watsco, sí, ahora ese es su nuevo nombre. Miles de personas estábamos en fila para entrar y firmar nuestros papeles electorales. El departamento de policía de miami dade los ayudó a redirigir el tráfico y el estacionamiento. Un gran grupo de voluntarios ayudó con la línea. El lugar fuera y dentro estaba limpio. Me quedé impresionada por lo bien que el lugar se veía ya que había muchas personas. Gracias Watsco y todos los Voluntarios por este evento divertido, emotivo y extremadamente organizado. read more

See all

I came here for a couple of games (as a spectator) as part of the women's basketball Thanksgiving tournament this November. The arena itself was very clean and seats were relatively comfortable. Parking was easy and plentiful - but I'm sure that varies based on the event you are attending. My main takeaway from this event was that I was blown away (not in a good way) by the amount of staff they had in place. There were probably 20+ people standing outside of the building for security when we were there (for an event that was drawing probably 300-400 people at most), and inside the building, there were some games in the tournament for which there were *literally* more staff members there than spectators. It all felt a little over-the-top, and multiple folks were commenting on it. The staff themselves were helpful enough, but we also felt at times like we were being closely watched (e.g. during the game, there were staff members down by the court for EVERY single section of the arena; we were warned about putting our feet on the seats in front of us - at a time when the place was pretty much empty - so we definitely go the vibe that the staff was a bit bored and looking for things to enforce). At the end of the event, we were immediately rushed out (even though there was no other event starting next). One member of our party went to the bathroom afterwards, and we were worried she was going to get locked in, because they were clearing the place out so quickly (and fairly forcefully)! It would have been nice to be able to catch our breath a little bit before being so quickly ushered out. Food selection was 'meh' - I was pumped they had Dippin' Dots, but a $10 price tag for a tiny and cold personal pizza from Papa John's was somewhat disappointing. Hot food options were pretty much limited to pizza, chicken fingers, and nachos. I will say that the nachos were hot and tasty (I'm a sucker for good stadium nachos). read more

Watsco Center - Thanksgiving tournament at the Watsco Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

4/5 experience I went out to the UM and Syracuse Men's Basketball Game Saturday it was great experience they went through overtime. The beer is a lil pricey and they closed the bars at the last half which kind of sucked because they could've made more money of customers. Otherwise very nice stadium I love Miami. let's go canes! read more

Watsco Center - Freethrow - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

Came to the newly renamed Watsco Center to watch Boston College take on University of Miami's men's basketball game. Wasn't really interested in the food options and they do not serve alcohol, so just took in the game. Quality The real unfortunate part about the Watsco Center is that it does not serve alcohol, at least not during college games. They definitely had signs and taps set up at food stations inside the arena, but they are not in operation during college games. In terms of food options they had different standard fare along with Papa John's and Coldstone having small stands. Northing really caught my eye so I waited to get food after I left. Quantity It is not a huge arena, but it is plenty large enough for the crowds a college basketball game would draw. I would say it was less than half full on this Wednesday evening, which honestly was more impressive than I would have even expected. Value Tickets are very cheap and easy to get unless you are attempting to attend a marquee matchup. I got decent tickets for under $10, which is a great value. Ambiance The stadium is located on University of Miami's Coral Gables campus. The entrance is located at the top of a large staircase and they have pretty intense security coming in. The stadium has a very small and intimate feel and that ensures there is not a bad seat in the house. They do a good job in keeping the lights over the seats dimmed so all highlight is on the court. They also have good sized scoreboards and screens so you don't miss any of the game. I was also happy with the decent entertainment they had during breaks. I however did not love the music, which was almost entirely Bruno Mars and Rihanna, which to me felt too much like torture. Crowd It was a late night game on a Wednesday with a less than stellar matchup, so I was surprised with how many people were there. It was a pretty passionate crowd and although the student section was lacking, it was more than I was used to when I went to school. Also, even though I was wearing the opposing team gear, everyone was still very friendly and not hostile. Service So the security was intense with both a pat-down and a metal detector to get in. It seemed excessive, but I guess better safe than sorry. They had people at all the entrances into the arena, but most of them were on their phones and unable to assist you find your actual seat. But it was empty so there were plenty of seats to actually choose from. Parking For some reason they decided to lead everyone into the on campus garage instead of the closer lots. The lots clearly state they are open to anyone without a decal after certain times, so it made not sense to send everyone further away. But it is free parking even if inconvenient. It is also a stones throw from the metrorail station if you prefer public transportation. Extra The Watsco Center was fine for a game you may want to see, but it was far from great. The staff was pretty horrendous and the music selection was basically torture. Also, walking halfway across the university to attend the game is unnecessary, especially for an empty game. But if it is a game I want to see and the tickets are cheap I will come back. read more

Watsco Center - View From The Stands - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

I came to Wasco center to attend Sep7imo Dia, a Cirque du Soleil show I had waited for, for years. Not joke, from the time they announced it, production time, making the rounds in South and Central America, until it finally came to Miami. From where I live, it's pretty stray forward to get there. Parking was also a breeze, in house and free. I was prepared to pay $20 or so. The hall otself was smaller than I thought, I got my tickets the day they came out, and soI got very good sits. I've learned from other Cirque shows, in other venues not to get floor seats... I am so gad I did not. There were no floor seats, just floor. The people who bought those tickets had to stand! They were part of the show and got to see some of the acts up close, but I rather sit. I had exellent seat, first row. The show was amazing, everythng I thought it would be. The venue was nice, food prices were OK for these type of establishment. There was a lot of ushers, security and cleaning crews. Exit was also smooth. It is a smallish venue, but otherwise very good. read more

I have been going to this venue for 15 years for all types of events. It is the arena on the university of miami campus. I have seen concerts, lectures , graduations , and hundreds of um basketball games. It's a very intimate setting and I love watching a game there. It's so easy to get in and out. You don't have to deal with very large crowds and escalators etc. I much prefer going here to the heat. The concession options aren't good at all though and disgustingly expensive , but I'm not there to eat, I'm there to watch basketball. read more

Watsco Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

I've been here a couple of times for concerts. great stage set up, staff is always helpful. read more

See all

I have attended several University of Miami basketball games at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. It's one of the nicest indoor venues in South Florida with a capacity of 8,000 seats. I would say all of the seats in the arena are great because of the great design of the arena. During last night's basketball game, my seat was broken and rather than report it that night, I gutted it out and sent an email this morning. I received a near immediate response from the General Manager with an apology. There is a parking garage next door and the public transportation is across the street! read more

Worst place to go to a concert not allowing the artist to finish their song to end the concert and tell the public at least goodnight even though the concert started late last night their ending of concert was just the turn on the lights and get the hell out see you later on top of that not allowing you to go exit the same place one came in real nasty security supervisors unprofessional real nasty treating of my family member who is in a wheelchair bound if their is a concert,event or basketball stay with FTX arena or the Florida panthers arena avoid going to Watsco read more

Great place to see an awards show -- especially Premios Juventud! Good sight lines, great acoustics.

I was here for the Latin Billboard Awards and they did a great job making use of this center. The stage was awesome and they have the capability of having some large, impressive acts. It's on the smaller side so it doesn't have a huge arena feel, but it's still sizable and a great place to see live performances. read more

Typical sport stadium. My fiance and I attended his brother's graduation ceremony. The space reminded me a lot of yankee stadium where I had my graduation 3 years ago. Concession stands throughout with pretzels, popcorns, nachos, and hotdogs. Nothing too special or unique. read more

The sound system at U Miami's BankUnited Center is terrible. Apparently, somebody thought that plugging a laptop or an ipod into the speakers would be a great idea. Well, they were wrong. The volume levels caused a painful crackling noise to emanate from the loudspeakers. On the plus side, tickets are affordable and parking is plentiful. There are no "bad seats" in the house because of its small size. The suites do seem a bit too far away from the court for how expensive they are, but pretty much everyone else is on top of the action. Concessions seemed lackluster. read more

I came here recently to attend a lecture by Richard Dawkins. I enjoyed the lecture very much but this review is about the facility. The parking was very easy. They have their own parking lot. The facility was clean and neat. I thought everything was very organized and there was no confusion as to where to go once we got in. They do have a refreshment stand if anyone wants something. The place where the lecture was held was also the basketball court but they transformed it so well that it was not apparent. Richard Dawkins was up on a stage with a microphone. As he spoke there were screens set up so that he could make his presentation and sometimes it was a close up of him on the screen. I think this was a nice place to attend an event. I would come back here again to see other speakers and for events. read more

Came here Cinco de Mayo to see After7, SWV & New Edition. Nice venue. Made sure to get seats so no one would block me. There was free parking for this event. I'm not sure if this is typical but I like it. read more

Watsco Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

Came to watch sep7imo día....the venue is way too small for an event like this. It was badly organized, barely any bathrooms inside the facility. read more

Worst venue ever for a concert. No stars. Attended Ruben Blades Concert last nigh, first time at this place, really looking forward to attending. Just FIY, I am an avid concert/activity participant and have been to 50+ venues for these types of events worldwide. I am a U of M alumni, supporter and booster. My first review, out of utter frustration. - Disorganized and un-profesional entry procedures and ticket checking - No assistance to find your chairs - Bad food, bad service at kiosks, warm beer - Bathrooms where actually clean and functioning - Most uncomfortable stadium seats on any event, ever! Section 118, AA, 1-6, the seats at a city stadium in Jalapa Mexico are more confortable - Horrible sound, could not understand singers and music was just loud noise. It got better, it got worst, it sucked - Parking in, OK - Parking exit after concert, worst I have ever seen. Made to snake inside the University of Miami campus rather than exiting directly to US1. Guess management wanted to regale attendees with a one hour+ tour of the campus while sitting in traffic, no police or security assistance whatsoever. Saw a couple of frustrated students in neon vests waving red flags.... Even Ruben was frustrated as he announce at the 10:40 PM start that the organizers had instructed him no to go over 12 midnight....didn't see this notice on any of my $130.00 tickets (6) Buyer beware? ......Wont see me again...... read more

This venue is a really decent, small place to watch a concert or basketball game. I've been to several basketball games here and always had a good time. The reason this gets a mediocre rating is that the seats are horribly uncomfortable, whether you're sitting in General Admission or in Reserved seating. I definitely wouldn't pay top dollar to attend an event here that's for sure. read more

Great venue. Bank United center is big and accommodates many people. The bathrooms are clean and the water fountains are very cold. It is in a nice part of town (Coral Gables). It sits on the University of Miami Campus, literally across from some of the dormitories. I recently built up and broke down a big production here. I worked as a stagehand for the award show Premios Juventud. I met many celebrities including Pitbull, Romeo, Prince Royce, Juanes, and El Gordo y La Flaca. I would say that working the event was the best reason why I like the Bank United Center. I should also add that the amount of beautiful latin women walking around was mesmerizing. read more

Had a great time at the UM / Mich St game. My buddy and I sat in the student section for $10 a ticket. While we didn't fit the profile it was fun to see the kids and mostly to hear their chants. For example when the MSU team goal-tended, they all started yelling " you can do that! " in unison. Outside of the standing most of the game, you couldn't beat it. As for the concessions, since it's a campus stadium there was no beer. That's a big disadvantage to the football games where beer and liquor can be purchased. I will also caution you on the Chicken Tenders. i really dont think they were cooked well. During the late stages of the game I could hear my stomach rumble and I pretty much white knuckled it back home, driving as fast as I could! :-) read more

The sound system and parking is awful at this venue. The staff were not helpful or knowledgable about where the handicap entrance and elevators were. There was also not enough people to help find your seat. Overall, it was not the greatest experience. read more

For a concert the sound is good. It is hot inside and the smells from the concessions are overwhelming. Keep in mind that access if you are handicapped and cannot navigate lots of stairs get there very early as the elevators for handicap access have very long lines. read more

Worst place ever. They have a purse policy that is ridiculous for any women or family. You can not bring in a diaper bag or anything. I think women should just leave dirty diapers on the seats full of feces to prove a point. I think there should be a lawsuit brought upon them based on there policy read more