You’re walking down a street, abstract shapes to your left, award winning portraits to your right, awe inspiring messages below your feet, disruptively chaotic graffiti up ahead, and dreamlike trails of color follow your path, say, you must be in Wynwood!

Wynwood wasn’t always so colorful but it has has a long history of being the edgy/arty side of Miami, making it feel all that more destined for what it is today. In the 1910’s it was a haven for saloons and strident behavior as it had fewer alcohol restrictions compared to the rest of Miami. The roaring twenties gave birth to the fashion district, that in 1980 Miami news claimed to be the third largest in the country.

The 50’s,60’s, and 70’s brought a decline as drug trafficking and immigration ran wild.  The mayor at the time, Dottie, was even said to drive the neighborhood at night in her old teal Chevy sedan, making note of the drug dealers and shady characters so she could then drop her notes off at the police station the next day.  Through her efforts and many others alike, a gentrification of Wynwood started to come together, ultimately dialing up the underground art scenes and dialing down the crime.

In 1987, the old bakery was converted into Florida’s largest working artist’s space, called the Bakehouse which still operates to this day. The Wynwood art scene rose to even greater highs in the mid-2000’s when Goldman Properties began buying up chunks of Wynwood’s warehouse district with a vision to transform the area into a thriving artsy neighborhood. 

In 2009 Tony Goldman dreamed up an open air gallery of murals and graffiti and the Wynwood walls were born only months later.   He had a vision that the entire Wynwood neighborhood would become an open canvas for urban street art. Nowadays, that’s precisely what it’s become, with the Wynwood walls at the center of the magic.  It’s a free admission open air gallery surrounded by streets where it is difficult to find a spot without some sort of piece of art or message. 

You can see all the art your heart desires for free but You can also join in on the Wynwood Art Walk to get a full guided tour of the best Wynwood has to offer on the second Saturday of every month.