YBOR CITY MUSEUM STATE PARK

By  Mike Miller April 28, 2025

Ybor City Museum State Park, located in Tampa’s historic Ybor City, is a tribute to the area’s cigar-making legacy and multicultural roots.

Housed in the 1923 Ferlita Bakery building, the museum showcases exhibits on the cigar industry, immigrant communities, and social clubs that shaped this National Historic Landmark District.

The site includes a restored cigar worker’s casita and a lush Mediterranean garden, offering visitors an immersive glimpse into Tampa’s past.

Ybor City Museum

Founded in 1886 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor, Ybor City became the “Cigar Capital of the World” by the early 20th century.

The museum chronicles the influx of Cuban, Spanish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants who fueled the cigar industry, producing millions of hand-rolled cigars annually.

Ybor City’s factories, like those of Sanchez y Haya, thrived, with 500 factories employing thousands by 1929.

Social clubs, such as Centro Asturiano and El Círculo Cubano, provided healthcare, recreation, and cultural pride, fostering a tight-knit community.

The museum highlights figures like labor leader Jose de la Cruz Malle and the lector tradition, where workers paid readers to narrate news and novels during shifts.

Economic decline followed automation and the 1960s embargo on Cuban tobacco, but Ybor’s cultural legacy endures. 

Located at 1818 E 9th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605, the museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 9 am – 4 pm, with the garden accessible during operating hours.

Guided tours of the casita, lasting 15–20 minutes, are included in admission fees; call 813-247-6323 to confirm tour availability.

Visitors should wear comfortable shoes for the cobblestone streets and allocate 1–2 hours to explore. Street parking is limited, so consider nearby lots or the TECO Line Streetcar.

Check the museum’s website https://www.ybormuseum.org/ for events like the annual Cigar Heritage Festival. The museum is ADA-accessible, with restrooms and a gift shop. 

• The Ferlita Bakery once produced 5,000 loaves of Cuban bread daily, its oven still intact.  

• The casita, a typical worker’s home, measures just 600 square feet, housing entire families.  

• Ybor City’s mutual aid societies pioneered early healthcare systems, influencing modern HMOs.  

• The museum’s garden hosts heirloom plants like Cuban oregano, reflecting immigrant gardens.  

• Notably, Ybor City was a hub for Cuban independence, with Jose Martí rallying cigar workers for revolution in the 1890s. 

YBOR CITY MUSEUM STATE PARK