Little Havana is no longer a string of run-down buildings and cigar shops, Cuban restaurants and botánicas. It has managed to draw a host of new businesses by young entrepreneurs — particularly in food and drink — without losing the historical look and feel that gives it its identity and draws tourists by the literal (double-decker) busload.
And it’s not out-of-towners but native Miamians helping to push Little Havana forward.
This was by design. Rather than allowing developers to raze whole blocks of Little Havana and rebuild it with high-rises and sleek storefronts, locals locked arms to protect the neighborhood’s history.
Now, nearly three million people a year visit Little Havana, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. But it’s Miamians who are rediscovering Little Havana.
Check out the full Miami Herald article here.
