If you've been craving an adrenaline rush mixed in with your holiday shopping, Aventura Mall is the place to be this weekend. The mall’s towering, 93-foot slide sculpture officially reopens for the season this Saturday, November 22. As always, it's free to ride, open to all ages and guaranteed to make you forget about holiday stress for at least a few minutes.
The Slide Tower is the brainchild of German artist Carsten Höller, who is known for turning everyday spaces into joyous, unconventional playgrounds. When Aventura Mall expanded its three-story wing in 2017, Höller was brought in to work his magic. What he delivered is a playful structure that looks a bit like a futuristic lighthouse crossed with a carnival ride, complete with two twisting slides that spiral down nine stories. The slide promotes, in his own words, a feeling that's "somewhere between delight and madness." If you've ever slid down something tall enough to make your stomach flip and your brain question your motives, you probably understand exactly what he means.
The Tower is a sight to behold, as a work of art and as entertainment: watching people climb the tower and shoot out of the bottom of the slide is half the fun. But the most fun part, of course, is sliding. Climb up, grab a mat and let gravity handle the rest. It's pure joy for all ages. The slide is open weekends (Friday through Sunday) from noon to 8pm. It's completely free, but there are no reservations or tickets, so get their early if you don't want to wait.