Sure, you can enjoy Wynwood without a guide, alone, or with friends. The whole area is covered in murals, there are three or more galleries for every block, and some of the coolest bars and restaurants in town have set up shop here. Plus, there is always something new going on. So why pay to go on a guided tour?
1. Our guides know the area, so they have separated the wheat from the chaff. You will only go into the best galleries with our tour guides. No guesswork.
2. Your guide will be a walking Wynwood Encyclopedia. You would need to do hours of research and have personal contacts here to get all your questions answered. Questions like: Why did that cool mural disappear? What was in this block before it became a mall? Who decides who paints on a wall? What did this area look like before the boom?
3. Your guide will have tips for everything. Want to know the best place to get ice-cream? Wonder about how the food is at a particular restaurant? Would like to explore further on your own?
4. But I saved my best reason for last. If you are like me, and you are not a trained artist, you probably look at a lot of the art, and you either like it or you don’t. Even the pieces you like, you may not be able to tell why you like them. However, when your guide tells you the story behind a mural, things like what drove the artist to paint it, what went into painting it, or who that artist is, then something opens up in people. Your appreciation deepens even for murals that may not have seemed like much at first glance. You will have a true art experience.
Like the piece at the top of this page. It is a beautiful piece, but did you know that the artist started working in New York City, wheat pasting her (often) lacy cutouts on abandoned blocks and dirty walls? Did you know that she worked on this piece while caring for her dying mother? That explains the figure of an older woman, in parts a skeleton, and a younger woman embraced by her. At the center of the piece, a young woman nurses a baby. The generations have rotated. The mother who once nursed is now taken care of by her grown child. It all fits together, like pieces of a puzzle.
