Considered the “gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America,” Greater Miami & Miami Beach is more than 70 percent Hispanic, with residents from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries contributing to the fabric of life here.
Hispanic culture is the heartbeat of Miami, and it comes alive in Little Havana. Walk down Calle Ocho (Southwest 8th Street) and you’ll find Latin American restaurants, “ventanitas” (take-out windows), traditional Cuban cigar shops and art galleries. On Cuban Memorial Boulevard, admire monuments honoring Cubans and Cuban-Americans who died during the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Visit Azucar Ice Cream Company for ice-cream with Cuban-inspired flavors, such as café con leche, rum cake and plátano maduro. On the third Friday of every month, Viernes Culturales (Spanish for “cultural Fridays”) turns Calle Ocho into a streetwide party with salsa dancing, live music, Cuban restaurants with tables spilling out onto the street, Little Havana walking tours and more.
Other Spanish-speaking communities can be found all over Miami. Hialeah, which is approximately 94 percent Hispanic, is home to residents who are proud of their heritage and want to share it. Throughout this neighborhood, most store and restaurant names are in Spanish and tributes to Hispanic leaders and heroes can be found in Monument Park.
Doral has the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the U.S. Experience their vibrant culture when you eat traditional arepas at El Arepazo. Explore rotating collections of art by Latin and South American artists at the InterContinental at Doral Miami or shop at one of the city’s Venezuelan-owned boutiques.
From September 15 to October 15 each year, during Hispanic Heritage Month, immerse yourself in Miami’s Hispanic culture with special discounts, concerts, and events.
