MIAMI — In Little Havana — every block has a backstory.
Some are loud. Some are layered. Some still live in the music floating down Calle Ocho.
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“It was a neighborhood downtown that meant it didn’t have a whole lot,” said Dr. Paul George, resident historian with HistoryMiami Museum. “It’s special to me and to see the way it’s morphed into what it is now is unbelievable.”
From the dominoes slamming inside Domino Park to the stars stamped along the Walk of Fame — this neighborhood wears its history out in the open.
Every month, George leads free walking history tours through Little Havana as part of Viernes Culturales — the monthly arts-and-music festival designed to celebrate and preserve the neighborhood’s culture.
Last week, What Connects Us took viewers inside the festival itself. This week — the streets became the story and no two tours are ever the same.
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“Can’t do the same tour again and again because a lot of the same people come,” George said. “I think a lot of people like to learn about their neighborhood or another neighborhood they’ve heard so much about. What’s the story of this place… and they get more than snippets of it on these tours.”
One stop reveals Bahamian roots. Another uncovers Jewish influence. Around the next corner — Cuban history, protest movements and personal stories that helped shape Miami itself.
And the crowd following along? Made up of mostly locals.
Couples on date night. Families celebrating birthdays. Curious South Floridians rediscovering a neighborhood they thought they already knew.
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