Calle Ocho & Little Havana — Miami

Every tourist goes to South Beach. The smart ones go to Calle Ocho. Little Havana's main strip is an explosion of color, music, and Cuban culture domino players in Maximo Gomez Park, hand-rolled cigars in shopfronts, ventanita windows serving cafecito, and murals that tell the story of an entire community. Julie and Jamie walked the whole strip on a Saturday afternoon and ended up at a fruit stand where an abuela handed Jamie a mamey sapote and watched him try it for the first time like it was the funniest thing she'd seen all week. Skip the beach, walk Calle Ocho, eat everything, talk to everybody. This is the real Miami. Best time: Year-round, Fridays for Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays) monthly street festival Cost: Free to explore, budget $15-30 for food and cafecito