Go Now: Cuba

Though no longer frozen in time, Cuba hasn’t completely thawed either. The Havana you think you know—the one filled with crumbling colonial structures and hot-pink and cherry-red Oldsmobiles—still thrives. But there is another Cuba to be discovered, one where next-generation restaurateurs and contemporary artists are challenging the status quo. “Right now, Cuba is on the cusp of change,” says Collin Laverty, owner of the U.S.- and Cuba-based tour company Cuba Educational Travel (cubaeducationaltravel.com). “We’re at an important and interesting moment in history where you can see and feel hints of what the future holds, but that raw beauty and strongly preserved culture remain.” The truth is, Cuba is still not easy. But with the right connections and the right outlook, a trip to this long-restricted isle can be done—and done well. Read on to find out how.