Yahoo Autos Havana Off the Beaten Path: How to See the Real Cuba
HAVANA — If you’re one of the nearly 2 million tourists who will head to Cuba in the next year, your port of entry will likely be Havana. While you should definitely enjoy the city’s most famous tourist attractions, there are a few things you can do that won’t include 1,999,999 other people.
Here are some of Havana’s key attractions, along with some quirky, less-frequented alternates.
Nightlife
The Tropicana offers a traditional night out in Havana, but if you’re looking for a little quirk, Fábrica de Arte Cubano is the place to be. (Photo: AP)
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Your tourist group will undoubtedly take you to the Tropicana, Cuba’s historical tropical cabaret nightclub that once hosted Marlon Brando, Ernest Hemingway, and more. The open-air venue still draws crowds to drink, dance, and see feathered dancing girls perform.
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If you’re looking for a more modern version, follow the cool kids to Fábrica de Arte Cubano. The former factory is now a multivenue space where you can see a live band perform, browse art galleries, see a play, watch a movie, chat in the coffee shop, or grab drinks at any of the bars. Both Katy Perry and Mick Jagger have hung out at this uber-cool spot in the past year.
Plazas and public spaces
A heated debate in the Hot Corner. (Photo: Lara Naaman)
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Plaza Vieja, Plaza San Francisco, and Plaza de Armas are all gorgeous public spaces in Old Havana where you can check out historical architecture, snap photos, or rest on a bench and people-watch.
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Parque Central, also in Old Havana, is another top attraction, similarly surrounded by culture and history. But the real attraction is the park’s Hot Corner, where men stand around arguing about baseball all day. Even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, it gets super-heated and you feel like a fight may break out. In reality, they’re just passionate about baseball and have no problem showing it.
Related: Top 7 Ways to Have a Dream Trip in Cuba
Museums
The Museo del Naipe has some of the most unique playing cards you will ever see. (Photo: Lara Naaman)
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Because they are both important cultural centers in Havana, you’ll likely end up at the Museo de la Revolución and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
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After you learn a little history, make a side trip to see the Museo del Naipe, aka the Museum of Playing Cards.
Housed in the oldest building in Plaza Vieja, this museum has more than 2,000 decks of cards on display. But these aren’t just your grandma’s bridge decks — the variety of themes is both random and fascinating. Consider a deck of ’80s American stars, including La Toya Jackson and the cast of L.A. Law.
If you’re really into modern art, head over to La Marca, an art gallery that is also a tattoo parlor. Downstairs, where the walls have been decorated by schoolchildren, you can browse installations, catch some live music, or pick a tattoo design from various catalogs. Upstairs, American-trained tattoo artist Leo Canosa will ink you up in his pristine studio.
Souvenirs
You’re not going to find awesome souvenirs like this at the airport. (Photo: Lara Naaman)
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Pretty much every tourist picks up a Che Guevara T-shirt or a Fidel Castro figurine. These, as one might expect, can be found in pretty much every souvenir shop.
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For some truly unique pieces, head to Clandestina, a design shop that boasts 99 percent Cuban design. There you can find pillowcases printed with Cuban currency, T-shirts with local catchphrases on them (you may need to ask the shop attendant to explain them), or cool posters like one of a T. rex bemoaning the state of the Internet in Cuba.
Arts and Culture
Original movie posters might be available at movie theaters … if your timing is right. (Photo: Lara Naaman)
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Havana hosts a vibrant art scene, and you can find any number of artists’ studio tours in the city. It’s a great way to discover — and maybe get your hands on — the next hot art trend before the rest of the world does.
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Cubans love film, but the theaters don’t get studio-issued posters for their features. As a result, a hand-painted or locally designed poster print will typically grace the lobby. When the movie isn’t playing anymore, these unique pieces can get tossed in a back room and forgotten.
Sometimes, all you have to do to get a really cool piece of Cuban art is to pop by a local movie theater and ask for a poster. With that said, hours of operation vary, and sometimes the person with the key isn’t there, so this isn’t always a successful expedition.
Related: Travel to Cuba Now Before It Becomes a Tourist Trap — Here’s How
For a guaranteed artistic adventure, visit Café Fresa y Chocolate, across from the Cuban Film Institute. It has a memorabilia shop inside that sells posters for around $10 to $20 apiece, depending on the artist.
History
Fidel Castro petting the famous Ubre Blanca. (Photo: Lara Naaman)
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The Plaza de la Revolución is where Castro gave many of his interminable speeches and where a giant metal mural of Guevara adorns the side of a building. Tourists love to take pictures in front of the many murals of Fidel, Che, and, on occasion, Hugo Chávez.
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Once that’s done, see some more offbeat remainders of the revolution by visiting the taxidermied corpse of legendary milk cow Ubre Blanca. This true heroine of the revolution stands about 45 minutes outside of Havana at the National Center for Animal and Plant Health in San José de las Lajas. Ubre Blanca, Spanish for “White Udder,” is a Guinness World Record-holding cow who once famously produced 109.5 liters of milk in a single day. In comparison, 30 liters would be a stretch for a regular cow.
According to reports, the milk-dispensing feats of Ubre Blanca led many a newscast in her time, and Castro was fond of showing her off to visiting foreign dignitaries. Efforts to clone her reportedly failed, but she was given her stuffed, glassed-in place of honor after her death in 1985.
Additional Tips
A classic car in Cuba. (Photo: AP)
And finally, you shouldn’t forget to ride in one of those perfectly preserved classic cars. It’s like taking a road trip back in time. Additionally, be sure to purchase some cigars at a local cigar factory — or the Hotel Nacional gift shop, where they’ll roll you a fresh one.
If you’re into rum, pick it up at the duty-free in the airport on the way out — it’s the same quality, and you won’t have to lug it around your sightseeing tours. But if you want to come back to the States with a travel story that’s one in 2 million, maybe keep this list handy.
