New visitors center opens in Village West

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (GMCVB) Multicultural Tourism Department, in partnership with KROMA Gallery and the Coconut Grove Collaborative unveiled the new Coconut Grove Village West Visitor Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning.  Above are from left,  Jihad Rashid, president of the Coconut Grove Collaborative, Mrs. Thelma Gibson, community activist and Rafael Guiterrez, Grove artist and activist. Many local politicians were present including Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, County Mayor Xavier Suarez and District Commissioner Marc Sarnoff.

Inside KROMA gallery, a communal art space – the new visitor center will provide visitors and residents with a resource for information on the attractions and happenings in Coconut Grove as well as other heritage and multicultural neighborhoods throughout Greater Miami.

Additionally, the new visitor center will offer a wide variety of brochures on attractions and points of interest, maps, calendars of events, tours and special offerings throughout the year.  The Coconut Grove Village West Visitor Center will be open Monday–Saturday 10 am – 6 pm. Above, Corky Dozier, local activist, admires the colorful gallery.

The visitor center adds to the GMCVB’s Multicultural Tourism efforts that include the Bureau’s “Its So Miami People & Places” campaign featuring an insider’s look at the vibrant diverse heritage   neighborhoods found throughout our community.

Much of the credit went to County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, he spoke about a new future projects  to improve the quality of life in Village West. Mrs. Gibson talked about re-branding the West Grove as a “Bahamian Village," she was praised for all of her activism efforts  as well as Rashid, who talked about development trying to push families out whose roots are embedded in Village West.  Also, Bill Talbert from the GMCVB and his staff were praised for making this possible. What Rashid said this new partnership means is that the GMCVB will included the Village West Cultural Center as part of their advertising material.

The visitors center and KROMA are at 3670 Grand Avenue.Photos by Rafael Guiterrez