OVERVIEW
Little Havana, named after the capital of Cuba, is home to the many Cuban residents in Miami. Just West of Downtown, the district boasts architecture, dining options, shops and cultural sights that are reminiscent of the residents’ former neighborhoods.
LANDMARKS
Little Havana’s main road is SW 8th Street (which residents call Calle Ocho). Most historical sights can be found between SW 12th Avenue and SW 17th Avenue, on and off Calle Ocho. Where Calle Ocho meets SW 15th Street, notice the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame, marked with pink marble stars intended to honor Cuban celebrities.
The Brigade 2506 Memorial, a flame that constantly burns in memory of those that passed during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, has been erected at the crossroads of Memorial Boulevard and SW 13th Avenue. Also in the same area, find a ceiba tree, which followers of the Santeria religion consider sacred and a place of religious offerings.
By SW 14th Avenue, find Máximo Gómez Park (known as Domino Park), which was designated a city park in 1976 and is a popular place of gathering.
ASTORIA
ART
The neighborhood’s most artistic sights are the Tower Theater, which used to be the only movie theater in the city playing films with Spanish subtitles and is now the only theater exclusively showing foreign language movies, and the Bay of Pigs Museum, memorializing the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, during which the CIA trained Cuban exiles in Miami in preparation for a covert operation looking to invade Cuba to restore American interests in the region.
DINING
Versailles is the neighborhood’s main dining destination, just 15 minutes away from central Little Havana. The restaurant is defined by wall-to-wall mirrors and an authentically Cuban menu.
Other popular culinary options include the Azucar Ice Cream Company, serving authentic Cuban ice cream, and the El Exquisito Restaurant, a casual eatery that also serves traditional dishes.