In 1999, a 91-room Hilton Garden Inn opened for business in the heart of Ybor City, just minutes from downtown Tampa. The hotel is four stories and complies with the historic guidelines of the Latin Quarter. Complete with a unique "Ybor City Yellow" color and a silver- metal roof, the building's architecture consists of decorative brick, wrought iron fencing and lush landscaping. Another new place to stay in the historic district is the Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn, 16-suite luxury B&B-style inn housed in the long-vacant A.A. Gonzalez Clinic and Hospital.
The newest development in Ybor City is Centro Ybor, an upscale entertainment anchored by the historic Centro Espanol social club. The $45 million, two-level, 210,000-square-foot, development includes restaurants, retail outlets, a 20-screen Muvico Movie Theater, Improv Comedy Club and Steven Spielberg brainchild Game Works. Mezzanotte, Adobe Gila's Margarita Bar, Big Mouth Burgers, Barley Hoppers, Big City Tavern, DISH, Starbucks Coffee Company, include Camelot Music, GBX Fashion Shoes, Pacific Sunwear, Bods.Bodynits, American Eagle, Metropolitan Deluxe, Afterthoughts, Outfitters, Victoria's Secret and Eyetems eyewear are just a few of the shops drawing visitors to Centro Ybor. The Museum and Visitor Center at Centro Ybor and The Ferdie Pacheco Gallery round out the list of tenants.
But Tampa's past wasn't all about cigars. In 1898, during the Cuban Revolution, the U.S. army stationed thousands of men in Tampa, including Teddy Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders," as Ybor City became the staging area for the U.S. military effort. Because Tampa was the city nearest Cuba with both rail and port facilities, it was chosen as the point of embarkation for the war.
