The Cigar City

YBOR CITY

Tampa Bay's historical and cultural roots lie in Ybor City. Many of the buildings echo the charming brick exteriors of converted cigar factories, in homage to the area's celebrated history as the Cigar Capital of the World.

Local Flavors

Pictured: La Segunda Central Bakery

The oldest restaurant in Florida, Columbia Restaurant is a must, both for its cultural significance and for its incredible food. Get a test of Sicily at Casa Santo Stefano, or a coffee in a Cuban-inspired bistro at Café Quiquiriqui. For nearly 100 years, La Segunda Central Bakery has used the same hand-baked process and traditional recipes to ensure a taste and texture that can’t be duplicated.

CLIMB ABOARD

Pictured: TECO Line Streetcar crossing 7th Ave by Jose Marti Park

Hop on the TECO Line Streetcar and enjoy a free ride into historic Ybor City just over a mile from Downtown. Take your time browsing the local cigar shops like Tabanero Cigars, Sweetheart Cigars and J.C. Newman Cigar Co.—including the new on-site museum—to find the perfect accompaniment to your evening stroll through these treasured streets.

WHY ARE THERE CHICKENS IN YBOR CITY?

Ybor City’s free roaming chickens are more than a spectacle, they represent the history and culture behind the city, and the resilience of the people who built it. Roaming the streets of Ybor City for over a century, these chickens have stood the test of time, bringing smiles to the faces of residents and visitors alike.

Tampa Bay Sun FC

Bigger than just soccer, the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club is making history as Tampa Bay's first professional women's sports team. As a proud member of the USL Super League, they’re poised to become a major force on the field, bringing top-tier competition and excitement to the community.

New to Ybor City

Ybor City is growing and evolving, offering a fresh array of new spots to discover and enjoy. Stop by Cheeseology to savor wine from hand-selected vineyards and learn to make the best cheese you’ve ever tasted. Unwind at Sterling Cigar Lounge & Bar, enjoying a unique cigar experience and live music. For a night out, check out 1920 Ybor for a music performance or art show. A few blocks down is Rosenheim Cafe and Restaurant, a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine dream, serving up kabobs, kunafa, and more.

On Tap

Pictured: BarrieHaus Beer Co.

If grain and hops are what your crave, Coppertail Brewing and BarrieHaus Beer Co. have become local craft beer favorites, or try what’s on tap at Bad Monkey Ybor.

Embrace History

Pictured: Tampa Baseball Museum

Get a dose of local sports history at the Tampa Baseball Museum, built in the childhood home of Tampa’s first MLB player, Al López. A second museum next door, the Ybor City Museum features an urban park in the heart of Tampa's National Historic Landmark District. The museum, housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery, traces the rich cultural history of Ybor City and the cigar-making industry. The museum has self-guided exhibits with written and audio information plus a video presentation.

Look at this Photograph

Photography buffs will want to check out the expansive Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. FMoPA is dedicated to exhibiting important photographic art as central to contemporary life and culture. The museum collects, preserves, and exhibits historic and contemporary works by nationally and internationally known photographic artists.

Flight of the Roosters

Wild chickens roam freely throughout Ybor City, protected by organizations such as The Ybor Misfit Microsanctuary and the Ybor City Chicken Society, along with the protection of a decades-old Tampa ordinance declaring the entire city a bird sanctuary. Our feathered neighbors:

Share the same lineage with the same prehistoric ancestors as Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Can recognize and remember up to 100 faces.
Have called Ybor City home for over a century

YBOR CITY

A VISUAL HISTORY

Cigar making is only part of this multifaceted district’s present and future, with independent cigar rollers keeping the tradition alive. The brick streets and iron balconies of 7th Avenue welcome revelers day and night.

IDENTITY CRISIS OF THE CUBAN SANDWICH

We take our responsibility as the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich very seriously. More than 100 years later, the people of Tampa still defend the specific formula that makes our Cuban sandwich unique.

Why Tampa Is Called "Cigar City”

132 years ago the very first cigar was rolled in Tampa's Ybor City -- setting us on the path toward the rich and vibrant city we know and love in 2018. Take a journey into our rich tradition and the reason why we're known as Cigar City.