Way before the sensationalized Mariel boat lift made "Cuban" synonymous with Miami, the Spanish Caribbean island and Florida had sealed a bond. By dint of close proximity, trade between the two was happening well before Europeans arrived.

Later, Florida fishermen swapped smoked fish for rum during Prohibition days and when trouble struck in 1868, Cubans grabbed their tobacco seeds and headed to Key West, 90 miles away. In 1886, Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar-making operation to Ybor City in Tampa, attracted by better trade deals and transportation. Today the Cuban influence has added spice and spark to cuisine, arts and customs throughout the state. Here are some great places to trace this strong influence on Florida culture.


NORTH FLORIDA

 Monument to Father Félix Varela, St. Augustine. Near today's Cathedral, this monument honors a hero and saint in the eyes of the Cuban people. An important advocate for human rights, he lived as a child in St. Augustine and also retired and died here.

Plaza de la Constitución, St. Augustine. The bond between Cuba and St. Augustine was created when Spain traded colonial Florida with England in exchange for Cuba. Spanish citizens fled to Cuba, returning 20 years later when Spain took Florida back. The bond remains strong and Cubans and Spaniards alike come to St. Augustine to trace their heritage and property titles. Old Town's central plaza was once site of a major rally for Cuban independence. Several renditions of the Cathedral of St. Augustine have bordered the park.

Varela Chapel in Tolomato Cemetery, St. Augustine. Here Father Varela was laid to rest in 1853, but later his remains were returned to Cuba, where he was proclaimed a national hero. Cuban patriot José Marti once visited the site.

Ybor City grew up around the cigar industry as a Latin district of Cubans and other nationalities. Cigars and Cuban food still figure importantly into this colorful historic area.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

 Fiesta Day, Tampa, 813-248-3712. Free bean soup, Cuban bread and café con leche welcome revelers to February's Cuban street fair.

Museum of Arts and Sciences, Daytona Beach, 386-255-0285, www.moas.org. Its "Cuba: A History in Art" permanent collection contains rare pieces from the 18th to early 20th centuries organized to illustrate the nation's past.

Parque Amigos de Jose Marti, Tampa. This small plot of land memorializes the Cuban revolutionary's frequent exiles to Ybor City.

Ybor City Museum State Park, Tampa, 813-247-6323, www.floridastateparks.org/yborcity. Ybor City grew up around the cigar industry as a Latin district of Cubans and other nationalities. Cigars and Cuban food still figure importantly into this colorful historic area. Its museum flashes back to the industry's ups and downs and broad influence on the city. It includes a cigar worker's "shotgun" home you can tour.

Columbia Restaurant, Tampa, 813-248-4961, www.columbiarestaurant.com. Opened in 1905, this flagship of a Florida-wide chain is worth a visit for the architecture and authentic cuisine. The shop next door sells hand-rolled cigars.


SOUTH FLORIDA

 Calle Ocho, Miami. Mainline of Miami's Little Havana, Calle Ocho (Eighth Street) exudes a festive air any time of day. By morning, it gets pumped up on the café con leche dispensed from bakeries and restaurants through sidewalk windows. Daylong, salsa music issues from unseen sources, everyone is chattering in Spanish and delicious aromas embody a homeland not forgotten. Stars inset along the sidewalk honor Latino celebrities and shops sell religious icons, guayabera shirts and domino tables.

Carnaval Miami, 305-644-8888, www.carnaval-miami.org. Every March a week-long showcase of Cuban festival arts culminates in Calle Ocho Festival, the nation's largest street festival.

Cuban American Heritage Festival, Key West, 305-295-9665, www.cubanfest.com. The island celebrates its Cuban roots with a week of cigar samplings, Cuban cuisine, a salsa party and coast-to-coast conga line.

Freedom Tower, Miami. A symbol of the saving grace America offered Cubans from 1962 - 1974 as an immigration processing center, it was rescued in the 90s itself as a monument and museum commemorating the flee from Castro and life in Old Cuba.

Maximo Gomez Park, Miami. Home to the slap-happy Domino Club, it has made many movie cameos, this Old World portrait of Cuban machismo haloed in a cloud of cigar smoke occupying a small corner of Calle Ocho.

San Carlos Institute, Key West, 305-294-3887. Built in 1924 and restored in 1992 by and for the Cuban people, it magnificently showcases their architecture, history and culture in the heart of Old Town.

Versailles Restaurant & Bakery, Miami, 305-444-0240. A landmark restaurant, here the food is genuine Cuban, without the nouveau influence that has created the Floribbean sensation.