Wynwood is Miami's area were "all cool things are happening". The area is home to Miami's hippest coffee shop, Panther Coffee, and first microbrewery, Wynwood Brewing (that these establishments opened in 2011 speaks to how late to the coffee and microbrewery trend Miami was). Each month a new "it" restaurant is opening. The Wynwood Walls, a project in which street artist paint designs on abandoned buildings pulls different sections of the neighborhood together. The area is not really gentrified per se because there wasn't anything to "gentrify" from...it's more of a neighborhood that has been repurposed. Former warehouses have been converted to art studios and restaurants. There's still limited residential space although that appears to be changing.
Just north of Wynwood is Midtown, an odd commercial and residential planned community. There's a Target, a PetSmart, a HomeGoods, etc. among apartment high rises then nothing else in the surrounding area. Compared to Wynwood the area has a more corporate feel. Miami's Design District is north of Midtown across I-195. It has the Rodeo Drive stores but not the Rodeo Drive feel. Like Midtown and Wynwood the area feels unfinished and out of place with the surrounding area. There's no residential component and despite these three neighborhoods being near one another, there's nothing linking them together. Each of these areas made me wonder what was here before and why a decision was made to develop commercial properties here. Wynwood has a genuinely authentic feel, however, Midtown and the Design District feel like you've stumble upon a mistake.
Just north of Wynwood is Midtown, an odd commercial and residential planned community. There's a Target, a PetSmart, a HomeGoods, etc. among apartment high rises then nothing else in the surrounding area. Compared to Wynwood the area has a more corporate feel. Miami's Design District is north of Midtown across I-195. It has the Rodeo Drive stores but not the Rodeo Drive feel. Like Midtown and Wynwood the area feels unfinished and out of place with the surrounding area. There's no residential component and despite these three neighborhoods being near one another, there's nothing linking them together. Each of these areas made me wonder what was here before and why a decision was made to develop commercial properties here. Wynwood has a genuinely authentic feel, however, Midtown and the Design District feel like you've stumble upon a mistake.
WYNWOOD ART WALK
The Wynwood Art Walk is a new enough attraction that it did not even appear in my guidebook / map (that may speak more to the quality of a guidebook than anything else). This may currently be the most popular place for Instagram photos in Miami. The Wynwood Walls is an open art gallery with graffiti cover the walls of warehouses, however, the entire neighborhood has walls that have been covered.
The Wynwood Art Walk is a new enough attraction that it did not even appear in my guidebook / map (that may speak more to the quality of a guidebook than anything else). This may currently be the most popular place for Instagram photos in Miami. The Wynwood Walls is an open art gallery with graffiti cover the walls of warehouses, however, the entire neighborhood has walls that have been covered.
PANTHER COFFEE AND WYNWOOD BREWING
Panther Coffee is located right in the heart of the Wynwood Walls area - there's plenty of other restaurants and activity in this section. Wynwood Brewing is located a bit out of the way west of the Wynwood Walls. Walking down to the Wynwood Brewery takes you by wall after wall of urban graffiti art.
Panther Coffee is located right in the heart of the Wynwood Walls area - there's plenty of other restaurants and activity in this section. Wynwood Brewing is located a bit out of the way west of the Wynwood Walls. Walking down to the Wynwood Brewery takes you by wall after wall of urban graffiti art.