Miami is one of the most seductive cities in the USA. Beyond the crystal clear waters of South Beach, Ocean Drive’s art deco hotels and Miami’s megaclubs, the city’s vibrant Latin American culture is what really makes Miami tick. It’s a perfect example of America’s regional cultural diversity and is one of the reasons Miami is one of my favourite travel destinations in the USA. The beating heart of Miami’s Latin American community is Little Havana, a historic neighbourhood populated mostly by Cuban exiles and immigrants from other countries in Central and South America.

When I visited Miami for the first time last summer, I was excited to explore Little Havana but also was keenly aware that without any local insight I was likely to misunderstand the character and history of the neighbourhood. Taking locally guided tours is one of the things I’ve vowed to do more of when I travel. Every time I take a good tour, I walk away with a much better understanding of the place I’m visiting, one that I would never have come to without hearing from locals. Before Miami, I’d spent ten days in New York City. While I was there I took two food & history walking tours with Urban Adventures, one of the Lower East Side and one of South Brooklyn. I loved them both so much that I booked this Little Havana walking tour for our trip to Miami, and also a tour of the Mission for our next stop, San Francisco.

One thing I really like about Urban Adventures tours (this post isn’t sponsored I swear!) is that they are always small group, and it’s not unusual to end up with a private tour. There’s a maximum of 12 guests, but on this tour, my boyfriend and I had our guide to ourselves! It made me feel way less conspicuous and feel much less intrustive – one of my pet hates is being part of a tour group that takes up the entire footpath or stops on a street corner and irritates every one else. It really felt like we were wandering around Little Havana with a really knowledgeable friend, rather than being part of a tour.

Before visiting Miami, my knowledge of Cuban culture and Little Havana was limited to what I’d seen in Magic City, which is set in 1950s Miami. Despite having a Cuban character who makes occasional forays into Little Havana, I didn’t gather much from the show. I like reading books set in places I’m visiting, so I was also reading Veins of the Ocean by the pool at our hotel

Our guide, Dayana, grew up in Cuba but had moved to Miami a few years ago. Not only did she have a local’s knowledge and understanding of Cuba, but she had also lived in Little Havana when she first moved to Miami. She was a huge history buff and gave such fascinating insight into life in Cuba and life in Miami for Cuban exiles.

Cubaocho Performing Arts Center

Our tour started at the Cubaocho Performing Arts Center, a remarkable community space founded by Cuban Exile Roberto Ramos. Roberto is an art collector, who fled Cuba in the 90s with his most prized artworks. He was rescued by the US Coast Guard and established Cubaocho in Little Havana as an art gallery, museum and a place for the Cuban community to gather to discuss ideas, art and politics. It also doubles as a bar and event centre.

Every spare inch of the walls and ceilings are covered in beautiful, colourful Cuban art. When we were there, a meeting was being hosted by Cubans, and a morning tea was laid out on an enormous table for afterwards. Dayana guided us through some of the most significant artworks

Cuban Cigars 

We continued down Calle Ocho to a cigar-making workshop, where craftsmen handrolled cigars in the Cuban style. Cuban cigars are regarded as the best in the world, but the trade embargos against Cuba make it impossible to export Cuban cigars made in Cuba into America. They get around this by planting the same plants in Florida, and making them in a Cuban style. To be honest, while I can appreciate the craftsmanship and tradition of making Cuban cigars, as I’m not a smoker, this part is probably the part of the tour I remember the least.

Santeria Store

Next up, we stopped by a Santeria shop while Dayana explained to us the Santeria religion. Santeria is an Afro-American religion, borne out of the beliefs of the Yoruba people, a West African people brought to Cuba as slaves in large numbers. In order to preserve their religious beliefs in a hostile Catholic environment, the Yoruba people merged their belief systems with those of the Spanish.

When they wanted to worship or celebrate their deities, known as orichas, they synchronised each deity with a Catholic saint. This way, they could celebrate their orichas and the Spanish colonists and landowners assumed they were taking interesting in the Catholic faith. Hence, the name Santeria for this adaptation of the yoruba belief system. This began in the 16th century, and over the centuries it has fused into a unique religion that has spread to other parts of Central America, and into America after the Cuban Revolution.

Santeria is understood through a series of rituals and ceremonies, rather than a central creed. Santeria stores provide all the necessary objects to perform the rituals of Santeria. The shopkeeper was a woman in her late 50s or 60s, and she was dressed all in white. Dayana explained to us that she was going through the initiation process to become a Santera (priestess). Initiation requires one week of sacred rituals followed by a year-long period where the prospective Santera must wear all white and avoid contact with the uninitiated. They cannot consult with clients or provide remedies and services until after the one year period is up.

I had never heard of Santeria in Australia, so without the tour I would probably not have noticed the shop or understood what it means. I almost definitely would have been too intimidated to go inside and ask questions.

Memorial Boulevard for the Bay of Pigs Invasion

Our tour took a historical and more serious turn when we stopped at Memorial Boulevard, which is dedicated to the Bay of Pigs invasion. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was the unsuccessful of invasion of Castro’s Cuba by CIA-trained and funded Cuban Exiles in 1961. It’s considered part of the Cold War, because the USA’s motive was to stop the spread of communism, but it had tragic results for the Cubans involved.

Gullermina Fruteria

Our first delicious stop was at Gullermina Fruteria, a juice bar owned by Gullermina, an elderly Cuban woman who had fled to America as a young girl. We stopped for mango juice, which was so refreshing on a scorching summer’s day. The fruteria is full of eclectic furniture and decorations and doubled as a fruit & vegetable store.

Yisel Bakery

Our first food stop of the tour was Yisel Bakery, a popular Cuban bakery serving a mouthwatering array of traditional pastries. We tried chicken empanadas, guava pastelitos and Cuban coffee, which really hit the spot after a morning walking around Little Havana. The local baseball team, the Florida Marlins are also a fan – Yisel’s does all of their catering.

Cuban Sandwich at Old’s Havana Restaurant

Our final food stop was at Old’s Havana Restaurant for one of Cuba’s most famous food exports: a cuban sandwich. The cuban sandwich is thought to have been brought to Key West by Cuban workers in the late 19th century, and was popularised in Miami in the 1940s. It’s made of ham, pork, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. I don’t eat meat most of the time, but I made an exception on the tours, at least for a few bites. While I’m not crazy about combining two different meats in a sandwich (or any dish), I can see why they became so popular – they’re a hearty lunch!

Domino Park

We briefly stopped by Domino Park, where the Cuban community has been gathering for decades to play dominoes. The park sees some 200 domino players a day, and around 850 tourists stopping by to to watch. It reminded me Chinese mah jong players at Columbus Park in Chinatown in New York City in that it felt like a pastime from another era. It’s rare to see communities gather to socialise outside a bar, and it was refreshing to see such traditions preserved.

Molina Art Gallery

Cuban art has a very distinctive, bold and colourful style. We stopped at Molina Art Gallery, run by local Cuban artist Pedro Molina, and I found a colourful print to take home with me. There are no photos allowed inside, but I highly recommend stopping here – there are so many vivid, beautiful prints to choose from.

Mojitos at Ball & Chain

If you’d asked me before this trip where mojitos are from, I probably would have said Mexico which is embarrassing. Our last stop on the tour was at famed Little Havana bar, Ball & Chain, which is known for it’s lively atmosphere and naturally has perfected the famous Cuban cocktail. As our tour wrapped up at the bar, Dayana gave us some great recommendations for exploring Wynwood, where we were headed next.

Azucar Ice Cream

After the tour ended, we went for ice cream at Azucar. This popular neighbourhood ice cream bar was founded by a former banker who was inspired by her Cuban grandmother to make a range of Latin American ice cream flavours. The flavours change daily but include tropical flavours like avocado, pink guava and plaintain. Azucar is conveniently located right beside Ball&Chain, so you can combat the Miami heat with mojitos and ice cream back to back (although perhaps ice cream first is a better idea).

Have you been to Miami and did you go to Little Havana? What did you think? What’s your favourite travel destination in the USA?