Miami Stories
The Miami Stories initiative collects stories about Miami’s past, present, and future. Through this oral history project, HistoryMiami Museum documents life in the Magic City through written stories, video submissions, and audio recordings, which are preserved in the museum’s archive, and shared online and through local media outlets.

Your Story Matters
HistoryMiami Museum accepts written stories and video submissions on a rolling basis. We welcome written stories between 500-1,000 words and video stories under 5 minutes about life in Miami. We encourage storytellers to submit a photo with their written story. To submit a written story, complete the Miami Stories Submission Form. To submit a video story, click on the video story link.
How did you or your family get to Miami?
When do you feel like a Miamian?
What would you miss if you left Miami?
What makes Miami, Miami?
What do you see for Miami’s future?
Mariel Stories

In collaboration with the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami Libraries and as a part of the program El efecto Mariel: Before, During, and After, HistoryMiami Museum is collecting stories related to the Mariel boatlift of 1980. Members of the community are encouraged to share their personal memories, stories, and reflections related to Mariel. Stories will be collected virtually on a rolling basis and a series of prompts give participants ideas from where they can begin their story. Submitted stories will become part of the permanent collections of the HistoryMiami Museum and Cuban Heritage Collection and featured on both online platforms.
Miami Stories Recording Booth

The Miami Stories Recording Booth allows the museum to capture audio stories at local events.
For more information about booking the Miami Stories Recording Booth, see the Recording Booth Information Sheet or contact us at miamistories@historymiami.org.
Explore the Miami Stories Archives
VIDEO STORIES

Click here to watch these videos with closed captioning.
As part of the 2020 10 Days of Connection, HistoryMiami Museum invited South Florida residents to share a story about an item that reflects an aspect of their cultural identity and build a community exhibit. We continue to collect these stories and invite you to share yours. Either by yourself or accompanied by your loved ones, submit a video explaining how this object represents your cultural identity. Feel free to submit your story in the language of your choice.
AUDIO STORIES

Click here to access the Miami Stories Audio Archive
WRITTEN STORIES
In 1986, Miami International Airport was pretty scary for a first-time traveler coming from Guyana, a small country in South America. The escalator comes readily to mind when I think of that overwhelming experience. Although I saw others stepping on it, I was deathly afraid of this incredibly long, moving… Read More
Some might say that I was made to serve in public office. I don’t know, but I have lived an interesting and good life. I learned so much doing what I did, what I still do. I looked back at an old calendar from when I was a city commissioner… Read More
In the summer of 1939, our Catskills vacation was cut short when the hotel we were staying in was destroyed by fire, leaving my family with just the clothes on their back. Returning to the Bronx, Arthur “Art” Bressler, my dad, was determined to try his luck in Florida and… Read More
Back during the mid-1950s, my parents migrated from rural Georgia, with five young kids in tow. Seeking a better life with more opportunity for their children, they sold most of their possessions, left family and friends behind and struck out for the big city. Getting to Miami was quite… Read More
It feels like a high speed chase west on the ironically named Dolphin Expressway, veering south on what follows as a seamless string of highway on the “Palmetto,” the Don Shula expressway, and the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, all certifiable assaults on the nervous system. I pass hurling arcs of overpasses… Read More