Neighborhoods

Which black Miami pioneers helped shape Liberty City? Here are some names to know

We dug into Miami’s history to find a list of black leaders that helped shape Liberty City’s history.

/ February 15, 2019

Video: Claps for Mr. Yap

People say Mr. Yap is crazy. But ask him, and he’ll tell you he’s just “crazy happy.” George Yap migrated from Jamaica to Miami in 1976 with $50 in his pocket. With the help of family and friends, he founded Leasa Industries in 1977 inside a dilapidated warehouse in Liberty City. Today, his company is […]

/ February 13, 2019

Video: Meg Daly, the visionary behind the Underline

Meg Daly thinks great cities are defined by great public spaces, so she’s building a park. But this isn’t your ordinary park. For starters, it spans 120 acres. Running from Dadeland to Brickell, The Underline will transform the land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, biking and jogging trail, and outdoor art gallery. […]

/ February 11, 2019

Video: Inside the Historic Hampton House

Just outside Liberty City, you’ll find Brownsville, a neighborhood frequented by influential athletes, entertainers and civil rights leaders during the fifties and sixties, when Miami was segregated. Brownsville is home to the Historic Hampton House, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. first rehearsed a draft of his “I Have a Dream” speech and organized strategic […]

/ February 7, 2019

Video: Liberty City’s best kept secret – Conch salad in a nail salon

We didn’t think we’d find Miami’s best conch salad inside a nail salon, but we did. In 1988, Willie Brown took over his dad’s nail salon, Nails by Daddy, and he’s been a household name in Liberty City ever since. They call him “Daddy.” Fourteen years later, after a trip to the Bahamas, he decided […]

/ January 31, 2019

How was Miami’s Overtown neighborhood chosen as the place to expand I-95?

Interstate 95’s expansion through Overtown had a huge impact on the neighborhood and the City of Miami, so we took a look at how the decision happened.

/ January 15, 2019

Spotlight on Overtown

Overtown has for decades been considered the heart of Miami’s black community. In the early 20th century, when it was known as “Colored Town,” the area housed jazz clubs and local businesses that attracted everyone from a young Muhammad Ali to legends like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.

/ January 15, 2019

Video: Meet Overtown’s RBG, Ms. Jackie Bell

At 81, Jackie Bell is far from retirement. She may not have a computer or a smartphone, but what she lacks in technology, she makes up for in resilience. She remembers the Overtown she grew up in, before the construction of I-95 drove businesses out of the community. “You didn’t know you were segregated,” she […]

/ January 10, 2019

Overtown: A Miami neighborhood full of history and promise

Once known as “Colored Town,” Miami’s Overtown neighborhood has a vibrant and full history. It’s also currently experiencing a renaissance driven by locals who grew up there and newcomers inspired by the opportunity to support a community rebuilding itself. The Lyric Theatre has been renovated and reopened and new businesses like Lil’ Greenhouse Grill and […]

/ January 9, 2019

Is Lincoln Lane the next big thing? Our stomachs think it is.  

Rendering via Terranova While most locals know the rich history of Lincoln Road, today it’s a destination for shopping, dining, and celebrating. The New Tropic’s Creative Studio rounded up a Lincoln Road Guide that covers some of our favorite (and free!) things to eat, drink, and do. And it looks like we’ll need to update […]

/ January 7, 2019