Northeast of downtown, the city's historic Latin takes its present name from Don Vicente Martinez Ybor ("Ee-bore,") a Spanish cigar maker who arrived here in 1886 via Cuba and Key West. Soon his and other Tampa factories were producing more than 300,000 hand-rolled stogies a day.
It may not be the cigar capital of the world anymore, but Ybor is the happening part of Tampa, a cross between New Orleans's Bourbon Street, Washington's Georgetown, and New York's SoHo. By day, you can stroll past the art galleries, boutiques, and trendy new restaurants and cafes that line 7th Avenue East. At night, when good food and loud music dominate the scene, streets will be bustling until 4am, mostly with kids in their early 20s. Unique shops offer a wide assortment of goodies, from silk boxer shorts to unique tattoos. Dozens of outstanding nightclubs and dance clubs have waiting lines out the door. Live-music offerings run the gamut from jazz and blues to indie rock.
The area was becoming even more active with the planned opening of Centro Ybor, a dining-shopping-entertainment complex at 7th Avenue and 19th Street, in 2000.
Cigar smokers will enjoy a stroll through the Ybor City State Museum, 1818 9th Ave., between 18th and 19th streets (tel. 813/247-6323), housed in the former Ferlita Bakery (1896 to 1973). You can take a self-guided tour around the museum to see a collection of cigar labels, cigar memorabilia, and works by local artisans. Admission is $2 per person, including a 30-minute guided tour of La Casita, a renovated cigar worker's cottage adjacent to the museum; it's furnished as it was at the turn of the century. The museum is open daily from 9am to noon and 1 to 5pm (La Casita, from 10am to noon and 1 to 2:30pm).
Check with the museum about walking tours of the historic district. Ybor City Ghost Walks (tel. 813/242-9255) will take you to the spookier parts of the area at night. Call for reservations, schedules, and prices.
Another interesting stop here is the Ybor City Brewing Company, 2205 N. 20th St., facing Palm Avenue (tel. 813/242-9222). Housed in a 100-year-old, three-story former cigar factory, this microbrewery produces Ybor Gold and other brews, none with preservatives. Admission of $2 per person includes a tour of the brewery and taste of the end result. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 3pm.
