You can fly to Cuba from Tampa, but you could also drive. Time Warner Cable News’ Valarie D’Elia explains.

The prospect of traveling to Cuba with fewer restrictions is exciting to many, but those who would like a taste of the island nation on U.S. soil can visit Tampa’s national historic landmark district of Ybor City.  Dating back to the 1880’s, Ybor City has the largest collection of buildings related to the U.S. cigar industry. Today, the tradition of cigar rolling has been revived, although mainly as a tourist attraction.

"It’s really awesome for us working in here with a lot of history around," says cigar roller Ernesto Ceijas. "We try to be pretty close, doing almost the same thing, the same way that we would do it in Havana."

Ybor City can trace its roots back to its founder, Vicente Martinez Ybor, a prominent Spanish-born cigar manufacturer who originally operated out of Cuba and Key West.

Ybor built hundreds of small houses in this Tampa enclave to attract Cuban, Spanish and Italian cigar workers. In its heyday, millions of cigars were rolled in Ybor’s factories. Then, the Depression snuffed the industry out.

The area was reborn in the early 1990s when the main drag breathed new life as an epicenter for nightlife with a gay-friendly vibe. Florida’s oldest dining establishment, Columbia Restaurant, has been dishing out Cuban/Spanish cuisine here since 1905.

Ybor City is easily accessible by car, and a system of streetcars links it to downtown Tampa.