Historic Overtown
Known as the Little Broadway district northwest of downtown Miami, Historic Overtown once shone with the bright lights of African-American nightclubs and music halls. Headliners like James Brown, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald once entertained crowds with blues, jazz and soul music across the neighborhood.
This golden era ended in the 1960s when two expressways went through the center of the neighborhood and displaced 20,000 residents. The Lyric Theater, however, stood through it all.
Today, groups can glimpse Historic Overtown’s remarkable past during a visit to the ornate 1913 theater. Apollo-style talent shows, jazz concerts and other performances regularly welcome groups seeking to relive the theater’s glory days.
The 1946 Jackson’s Soul Food remains another favorite group stop. One of the oldest restaurants in Overtown, the restaurant serves meals that combine American Southern and Caribbean flavors. Diners can choose from classics like fried catfish and biscuits, oxtail, collard greens and peach cobbler.
Other heritage stops include a look at the murals at the Overtown Folklife Village and a tour of the Black Police Precinct Courthouse and Museum.
“The museum was an actual police precinct in the area,” said Kinnard. “During the civil rights era, African-Americans were charged with policing their own area. The precinct had its own courthouse and jail in Overtown’s historic African-American neighborhood.”
Little Haiti
Political, economic and natural disasters have led scores of Haitians to Miami for many years. Visitors can glimpse the proud Haitian culture at Little Haiti, where a walk down the street passes markets selling sugar cane, signs written in Creole and murals commemorating significant events in Haitian history.
“The Haitian population is one of the largest demographics in Miami,” said Kinnard. “You can explore its historic culture in Little Haiti. The hub of the Haitian experience for groups is the Little Haiti Cultural Complex.”
The Little Haiti Cultural Complex offers experiential ways to connect with the Haitian lifestyle, including a cultural dance class and a ceramics workshop. Art exhibits from Caribbean-American artists rotate regularly at the center. The 2009 center also houses a 270-seat theater where Haitian folk artists and musicians perform.
The popular monthly Big Night in Little Haiti turns the center into a Port-au-Prince-style party with Haitian music, Creole cooking, handcrafted art and lots of dancing.
Groups can explore more of the area’s culture at the Haitian Heritage Museum, the Caribbean Marketplace and numerous quality Haitian restaurants. Leela’s Restaurant draws many foodies for its Haitian classics. One sought-after dish is the restaurant’s griot plate, which combines fried pork, rice, peas and plantains.
Coconut Grove Village West
Before Miami’s skyscrapers and urban trappings, a group of Bahamian fishermen established a historic settlement in Miami’s Coconut Grove. These settlers traversed the waters separating the Bahamas from Florida to work at the Peacock Inn in the 1870s.
Though relatively poor, the community constructed simple houses of coral rock built to withstand storms. Many of these durable homes still stand for groups to admire in a section of Coconut Grove called Village West.
Since that time, the area has burgeoned into an art mecca with Caribbean-inspired art and other works.
“The Kroma art gallery is a central place in the area that brings together the art in the community,” said Kinnard. “Groups frequently will go there for a tour to learn about Bahamian art and culture.”
The Kroma strives to connect Coconut Grove to its Bahamian past through its art, as well as showcase art of all types. The gallery consists of 19 art studios and two communal exhibition spaces. Groups can meet resident artists, attend an art workshop or tour the facility.
This summer, the gallery will host Miami Goombay, an event designed to bring the energy of the Bahamas to Miami with art, crafts, food and music.
Coconut Grove also offers attractions not related to the Bahamas that groups love, such as Cocowalk, a luxury outdoor mall. Many visitors also rent paddleboards to explore the area’s mangroves and piers.
