AndiIf you are visiting Miami, you have to spend time in Little Havana! This vibrant colorful community is where Cubans settled after fleeing Cuba in the 1960’s. This historic neighborhood gives a glimpse of Cuba with its delicious food, music, locals and art. Below are the top 7 things to do in Little Havana.
Where is Little Havana?
Little Havana is located in Miami just west of the downtown area. It’s about a 25 minute drive from South Beach.
It’s a rather large neighborhood, but the main area to visit is the famous strip, Calle Ocho (8th Street) between 13th and 17th streets.
Go On A Food Tour
One of the top things to do in Little Havana is a guided food tour! Especially if it’s your first time to the area. I recently did the Little Havana Food & Cultural Tour through Miami Culinary Tours and it was fantastic!
Our guide Marco, was awesome and full of information about Little Havana. We got to learn the history and culture while seeing the sights and visiting family owned shops and restaurants.
The food was excellent! We got to try different Cuban dishes and drinks at some of the best restaurants in Little Havana!
The best things to do in Little Havana can all be done on this food tour, so I highly recommend it!
Visit A Cigar Shop
Like to indulge in a good cigar? Visiting a cigar shop is one of the top things to do in Little Havana! And even if you don’t smoke cigars, watching them get rolled is a neat experience.
During our food tour, we stopped at Casa Del Tabaco. Our guide went over the entire cigar making process and even showed us the tools they use to make them. We were able to meet a couple locals and actually watch cigars being hand rolled. It’s a long process!
There are several cigar shops to visit on Calle Ocho, so definitely make time to visit at least one.
Domino Park
A visit to Maximo Gomez Park, aka Domino Park is a must when visiting Little Havana.
Playing dominoes is a big thing in Cuba, so of course it is in Little Havana as well. It was fun to watch the locals play.
Don’t expect to be able to play when you visit. You must have a membership and be a Miami resident aged 55 or older in order to play.
Eat
Eating is one of the best things to do in Little Havana! There are so many yummy options!
Things to eat in Little Havana:
- Guava Pastelitos -Party Cake Bakery
- Churro -Churro Mania
- Cubano Sandwich -Old’s Havana Cuban Bar & Cocina
- Cuban Empanadas & Cuban Coffee- El Pub Restaurant
- Mojito- Ball & Chain
- Abuella (guava ice cream)- Azucar Ice Cream
- Sugarcane Juice- Los Pinarenos Fruteria
If you choose to do a food tour, you will be able to try most of these places!
Listen to Live Music
One of the things I loved most about Little Havana is all the live music I heard walking around. A few of the restaurants offered live music. We were able to listen while strolling around and trying food.
My favorite was at Ball & Chain. This is such a fun bar and the music was awesome.
Shop
Check out the stores. They have unique souvenirs that you can’t get anywhere else…. well maybe in Cuba.
We stopped by one of the local shops on our tour and met the owner. He sells authentic Cuban shirts, the Guayabera shirt. In case you are wondering these shirts have four pockets on the front. They were made this way for the husband’s to pick guava.
Check Out The Street Art
When strolling through Little Havana stop to admire the street art. There are several great murals to see along with chicken statues along the strip.
These were my favorite things to do in Little Havana! I highly recommend taking a few hours to check out this area on your next Miami trip.
Full disclosure, I was hosted by Miami Culinary Tours but all opinions are my own. I highly recommend them! The Little Havana Food tour was exceptional.
