Category: Tampa, FL

This page focuses on Ybor City and old historic Tampa just northeast of downtown. It was founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly from Cuba, Spain, and Italy. For the next 50 years, workers in Ybor City’s cigar factories rolled hundreds of millions of cigars annually, until the depression. This area is now designated as a National Historic Landmark District.

Tampa, FL: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books:

    • Cigar City Mafia by Scott M. Deitche tells the tale of bootleggers, gambling, ringleaders, arsonists, narcotics dealers and gang murders―a variety of characters who flourished in the era known as Prohibition. Tampa, Florida was where they battled for supremacy of the criminal underworld.
    •  The Immigrant World of Ybor City by Gary R. Morimino & George E. Pozzetta  is a compelling attempt to assess the relationships over the last century among class, culture and community in the forging of the Italian experience in Ybor City.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than the east coast.
    • Fly: My favorite airlines to Tampa are Southwest, Delta & American.

Tampa, FL: Getting Around & Accommodations

Getting Around:

    • Lyft, Uber or taxis to and from the airport.
    • Lyft, Uber or taxis to get around the city. No need to rent a car and pay for expensive parking.

Accommodations – generally historic in some way:

Tampa, FL: Eating & Drinking

Most of the restaurants listed here are old school or historic in some way. I have also added some excellent, farm to table choices. Enjoy!

Tampa has some lovely distilleries and breweries, as well! See THINGS TO DO for the ones who offer tours!

Tampa, FL: Things to Do

Museums

Sights

Tours