Ybor City Museum State Park

The Ybor City Museum State Park occupies a former bakery building and showcases exhibits about Tampa's cigar manufacturing heritage through artifacts and photographs. The grounds also include a Mediterranean garden with restored worker housing that reflects early 20th-century life.

Vicente Martinez Ybor founded the first cigar factory in 1886, transforming the area into a major manufacturing center producing millions of cigars annually. This industry drew workers from many countries and shaped the neighborhood's development for decades.

The museum tells the stories of Spanish, Italian, German, Jewish, Cuban, and Afro-Cuban immigrants who built this diverse Tampa neighborhood. Their influence remains visible today in the architecture, food, and community gatherings that define the district.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 AM to 4 PM, with guided tours available between 11 AM and 3 PM. The garden is freely accessible and offers shaded paths for exploring the grounds.

The casita in the garden shows how cigar workers lived with their families in small, simple rooms. This restored cottage gives visitors a direct sense of how workers and their families actually lived day to day.

Location: Florida

Website: https://ybormuseum.org/visit-the-museum

GPS coordinates: 27.96110,-82.43810

Latest update: December 10, 2025 16:28