Over the past decade, Ybor City has evolved from a forgotten cigar "city" to a National Historic Landmark District. Today, this lively Latin Quarter attracts visitors with its unique history, distinctive architecture and atmosphere. The wrought-iron balconies, brick streets, globe street lamps, boutiques, coffeehouses and nightclubs are evidence that cultural heritage is as important now as it was at the turn of the century. And the now trendy district even has its own home-brewed beer "Ybor Gold."
Cigars are still hand-rolled today by master "tabaqueros." One of the most famous is Roberto Ramirez, who was born in Cuba, the son of a cigar roller and the grandson of a tobacco farmer. Since coming to the United States, Mr. Ramirez has been invited to the White House to demonstrate his craft, awarded the "finest torpedo" in a crescent contest held in Seattle and currently finds himself rated among the 10 best rollers in the world. Visitors can stop by Gonzalez y Martinez Cigar Factory located on 7th Avenue and 21st Street to watch the work of professional rollers who demonstrate their trade daily.
The Ybor City Museum State Park exhibits tell the story of the immigrants' life and Ybor's cigar making history. The museum complex covers approximately one-half of a city block and includes an ornamental garden and three restored cigar workers' houses called casitas, meaning little houses. The Ferlita Bakery building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, opened as the core of the museum complex in 1980. The cigar worker's house is an excellent example of the "shot-gun" houses in which many cigar makers and their families lived.
Florida's oldest restaurant, the Columbia Restaurant, named after the ballad - "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean," first opened on 7th Avenue in 1905. Patrons used to gather in the small cafe to drink steaming cups of Cuban coffee and discuss the news of the day. Today the Columbia continues to be run by the fourth generation of its founder, Casimiro Hernandez Sr. Tampa's palace of Spanish cuisine is the largest Spanish restaurant in the nation. It occupies an entire city block and encompasses 11 dining rooms with seating for up to 1,660. It's known for its Spanish tile and colorful decor, "super" paella and famous flamenco dancers.
Annual events such as Guavaween, a Latin-style street party celebrating Halloween, and the weekend arts and crafts festivals attract tens of thousands of people to Tampa's Latin Quarter. In February, the Fiesta Day and the Sant' Yago Knight Parade showcase Ybor's ethnic roots.
The best way to see these special places and experience the true essence of Ybor is through several local companies that offer tours. One-hour tours are available Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. from the Ybor City State Museum. The $4 Ybor City Walking Tours include admission to the museum, casitas and gardens and a stroll on 7th Avenue. Customized Historic Tours organizes customized tours by Rosann Garcia, the daughter of a Ybor City cigar roller. Her 90-minute tours, called "El Paseo Y Museos," depart from the Cemtro Ybor Museum and Information center and include: La Segunda, a third-generation, family-owned bakery that produces Cuban bread; the Ybor City State Museum and the Columbia Restaurant. Ybor City Ghost Walk, offers guides that portray different characters from the colorful history of Ybor City.
Since the late 1980s, 180 new businesses have opened in Ybor City, creating 1,500 new jobs and representing $50 million in private investments to the area. Latin cafes with Cuban "cafe con leche" (coffee with milk), chic art galleries, eclectic restaurants, and clubs housed in historic buildings that offer jazz, blues, salsa and reggae are just a few things that make Ybor an exciting destination.
