Few cities beat the energy of Miami, and the city’s beaches, nightlife, and restaurants attract millions of travelers every year. But Miami also has a rich Black history and culture that’s often overlooked. Few people know that one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods, Coconut Grove, was built by Black Bahamians, and in the 1930s, the historic neighborhood of Overtown used to be a bustling entertainment district, hosting greats like Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, and James Brown.
For your next visit to the “Magic City,” check out the following hotels, restaurants, and attractions where you can learn about Miami’s Black history and support the city’s Black-owned businesses.
Black-Owned Miami: Where To Go
Little Haiti Cultural Complex
Courtesy of Mariette Williams
Located in the heart of Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex pays tribute to Miami’s Haitian community with a display of Haitian art and textiles. Community events include Afro-Caribbean folk dancing classes and the “Sounds of Little Haiti” outdoor concerts on Friday nights. On Saturdays, the cultural center’s Caribbean Marketplace is filled with local vendors selling food, crafts, and books. Check the center’s site for upcoming events before you go.
This Black-owned tour company will help you “go beyond the beach” by offering walking tours of Miami’s Black neighborhoods. The owner, Cidelca, has been providing tours since 2016. You can also take a walking tour of Little Haiti and learn more about Haiti’s contribution to South Florida and how it became the first Black nation to gain independence under colonialism.
Another popular tour is the “Melanin Miami” tour hosted by Keymia Sharpe. The 90-minute walking tour explores Overtown and ends with a soul food lunch.
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park
Like other Southern states, Florida has a history of harsh segregation and discrimination, and when Miami was settled in the 1890s, white residents prohibited Black residents from using public beaches. In response, Black activists claimed a beach area for themselves, and on August 1, 1945, “Virginia Beach, a Dade County Park for the exclusive use of Negroes” opened.
Though Miami’s beaches are no longer racially segregated, visitors can visit the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park to walk along the mile of white sand beach, picnic under a shaded pavilion, and pay homage to those who fought for the right to beach access.
Black-Owned Miami: Where To Dine
Rosie's Chicken Sandwich
Courtesy of Mariette Williams
Founded by husband and wife duo (and chefs) Akino and Jamila West, Rosie’s is regarded as one of the best places to eat in Miami. The weekend-only restaurant is a fusion of Southern and Italian flavors, and the highlights here include the lemon ricotta pancakes, wild mushroom polenta, and juicy fried chicken sandwich. The Bib-Gourmand recognized restaurant is located on a breezy outdoor patio in the Little River neighborhood, and you can look forward to fresh food and friendly service.
Helmed by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster Overtown has quickly become one of Miami’s best restaurants. The restaurant is a fusion of Caribbean and American soul food with dishes like Bajan salt fish cakes, fried catfish sandwiches, and Guyanese oxtail on the menu. If you’re here on the weekend, the Sunday brunch is a must. There are live gospel singers and musicians, and one of the most popular dishes, the fried yardbird and Belgian waffles, is served with warm maple syrup and sweet potato butter.
Nestled in the colorful Wynwood neighborhood, Dunkanoo Jamaican Kitchen has classic Caribbean dishes like crispy plantain bites, saltfish fritters, and fried whole snapper. There’s also an “Irie Hour'' from 4-7 p.m. where you can get $7 cocktails and jerk chicken sliders. Drop by the restaurant after exploring the outdoor murals and museums in Wynwood and plan on staying late - the restaurant is open until 2 a.m. on the weekends, and there’s a DJ spinning on the patio late into the night.
Black-Owned Miami: Where To Stay
The Goodtime Hotel
Courtesy of The Goodtime Hotel
For a chic South Beach stay, check into The Goodtime Hotel, which is owned in part by entertainer and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams. The Art Deco-inspired hotel has stylish rooms (floral shades and quirky art adorn the walls) and one of the coolest pool decks in Miami Beach.
The 3rd-floor pool deck features green and white striped cabanas, pink chaise lounges, and a Mediterranean restaurant and bar. The hotel is a five-minute walk from the beach and steps from restaurants and shopping.
For a boutique hotel experience, consider The Dunns Josephine Hotel in Historic Overtown. Founded by real estate developer Kristen Kitchen, the 15-room hotel pays tribute to the Harlem Renaissance stars who once made Overtown so famous. Each room is individually decorated as a tribute to entertainers like Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Billie Holiday. The hotel also has a convenient location - Downtown Miami and the Design District are just a few minutes away.
The Gabriel Miami Downtown, Curio Collection by Hilton
Downtown Miami has come a long way in recent years. The area used to be just high rises and commercial buildings, but with the addition of the Brickell Shopping Center along with a bunch of chef-driven restaurants and bars, the area is now a “can’t miss” destination in Miami. You can get close to all of the action with a stay at The Gabriel Miami Downtown, a contemporary hotel with 129 guest rooms that feature polished wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and sleek, comfortable furniture. Guests also have access to complimentary bikes to explore downtown Miami, and on the weekend, there’s a shuttle service to the beach.
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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