DK Travel : Miami : Downtown and Little Havana

A little rundown, this part of Miami is a foreign land for most Americans, but – if you are willing to make the cultural adjustment – it is a fascinating land. Here along the Miami River is where it all started in the late 1800s, but it took the arrival of Cuban exiles from the 1950s on for Miami to come into its own as a world player. On these brash streets, you will see that the influx from countries to the south has yet to abate and that the face of Miami is more Latino each day.

The Top 10 sights of Little Havana are covered on (see Calle Ocho, Little Havana)

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Gusman Center for the Performing Arts

The major Downtown venue often features Latin American performances of all types, including films during the annual Miami Film Festival.
Havana To Go

If you are interested in Cuban memorabilia, this store is bound to have it. Items on sale include reproductions of Cuban artwork, telephone books and, of course, cigars.
Ingraham Building

Completed in 1926, this is a kind of Neo-Renaissance work: the building’s twelve stories are clad in Indiana limestone and its roof sheathed in Spanish tiles. The interior is opulent, featuring a lavish ceiling decorated in gold leaf, with the building’s insignia cast in brass. The lobby’s light fixtures, the mailbox, and the office directory are all original. Picked out in gold on the elevator are scenes of South Florida wildlife.
La Carreta I

From the food to the clientele, this family restaurant is thoroughly Cuban. Located in the heart of Little Havana, good food at reasonable prices ensures its popularity. Open 24 hours.
La Casa de los Trucos

If you’re in town for Carnaval or Halloween, this is the place to come for all your costuming needs. From the most predictable to the most bizarre, this shop has a vast inventory and excellent prices, to buy or rent.
Los Pinareños Fruteria

A delightful fruit market for finding all sorts of exotic Caribbean produce, such as mamey and small “apple” bananas. There’s also a wonderful café and fresh juice bar.
Manuel Artime Theater

A former Baptist church, this Downtown facility has been converted into an 800-seat state-of-the-art theater and is the home of the Miami Hispanic Ballet, which produces the annual International Ballet Festival.
Mediterranean Gallery

A pleasing array of imported ceramics. The pottery and garden decorations come from Spain, Colombia, and Mexico, while the columns and mouldings are made by the proprietors themselves.
Miami-Dade Cultural Center

Designed by the celebrated American architect Philip Johnson in 1982, the Mediterranean-style complex, set around a tiled plaza, incorporates the Miami Art Museum; the Historical Museum of Southern Florida); and the Main Public Library, which contains four million books.
NationsBank Tower

The city’s most striking skyscraper is the work of architect I. M. Pei, perhaps most famous for putting the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre in Paris. This building is notable both during the day for its Op-Art horizontal banding across the stepped hemi-cylinders, and at night for the changing, sophisticated colors of its overall illumination. Built in 1983, the office building was known first as Centrust Tower, but it now bears the moniker of its current principal tenant.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $20
- $20–$40
- $40–$55
- $55–$80
- over $80