The best things to do in Ybor City are touring a working cigar factory, eating at the Columbia Restaurant and La Segunda Central Bakery, learning the neighborhood’s immigrant history at the Ybor City Museum State Park, and spending an evening on East 7th Avenue, Tampa’s busiest nightlife strip. Ride the free TECO Line Streetcar in from downtown, and plan a half day for the history and a night for the bars.
Ybor City is Tampa’s historic Latin quarter, a National Historic Landmark District of brick streets, wrought-iron balconies and grand old social clubs, about two miles northeast of downtown. It is also the busiest stretch of nightlife in the region. This guide covers the history, the cigars, the Cuban sandwich, the sights and how to get there. For the bigger picture, see the Tampa Bay travel guide and the Ybor City area page.
Ybor City at a glance
- Where: Northeast of downtown Tampa, Hillsborough County. The main street is East 7th Avenue (La Séptima).
- Founded: 1886, by cigar manufacturer Vicente Martinez Ybor.
- Known for: Cigars, Cuban bread and Cuban sandwiches, historic mutual-aid clubs, free-roaming chickens and late-night bars.
- Getting there: The fare-free TECO Line Streetcar runs every 15 minutes between Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown.
- Best time: Daytime Wednesday through Saturday for museums and tours; Friday and Saturday nights for nightlife; Saturday mornings for the market.
What is the history of Ybor City?
Ybor City was founded in 1886 when Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar business to Tampa, and within a few decades it became one of the largest cigar-making centers in the world, earning Tampa the nickname “Cigar City.” Thousands of immigrants from Cuba, Spain and Italy, along with smaller numbers of German and Eastern European Jewish families, came to work in the factories, roll cigars and open businesses.
Each community built its own mutual-aid society, offering health care, social halls and theaters to members. Several of those buildings still stand, including the Cuban Club (Círculo Cubano), the Centro Español and the Italian Club (L’Unione Italiana), and they host events and tours today. Cigar production declined after the Great Depression and the arrival of machine-made cigars, but the architecture survived, and the neighborhood was designated a National Historic Landmark District.
A small park on 8th Avenue honors José Martí, the Cuban independence leader who spoke to cigar workers in Ybor in the 1890s while raising support for the fight against Spanish rule. The land is owned by the Republic of Cuba.
Ybor City Museum State Park
The Ybor City Museum State Park is the best first stop for history. It occupies the former Ferlita Bakery, whose original brick ovens are still inside, and next door is a restored casita, the type of small shotgun house cigar workers rented in the early 1900s. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, and admission is $4, with children 5 and under free. Check current hours on the Florida State Parks museum page, and ask about group and walking tours at the front desk.
Where can you see cigars being made in Ybor City?
You can see cigars made at the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. El Reloj factory, the last traditional cigar factory still operating in Tampa, and at small rolling shops along 7th Avenue.
J.C. Newman Cigar Co. (El Reloj)
J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has been making cigars in its brick El Reloj (“the clock”) factory at 2701 North 16th Street for more than a century. Visiting the building is free, and the company offers a 60-minute guided factory tour on select days and a hands-on hand-rolling class where you keep the cigars you make. Tours are open to all ages. Book ahead through the J.C. Newman tours page, since times vary.
King Corona Cigars
King Corona Cigars at 1523 East 7th Avenue is a cigar shop, cafe and bar in one, and a classic place to sit at a sidewalk table with a Cuban coffee or a cocktail and a cigar. It is a good spot to people-watch on La Séptima in the afternoon before the night crowd arrives.
Where is the best Cuban sandwich in Ybor City?
The two essential stops for a Cuban sandwich in Ybor City are the Columbia Restaurant and La Segunda Central Bakery. The Tampa-style Cuban, which locals will tell you is the original, layers ham, roast pork, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread, then presses it. The salami is the Tampa signature, a nod to the Italian families who worked alongside Cubans and Spaniards in the cigar factories.
Columbia Restaurant
The Columbia Restaurant on East 7th Avenue opened in 1905 and is Florida’s oldest restaurant. It now fills an entire city block, with 15 dining rooms and seating for about 1,700 guests, and it is still run by the founding family. Order the Cuban sandwich at lunch or the classic “1905” salad tossed tableside, and pair dinner with sangria mixed at the table. Flamenco dinner shows run Tuesday through Saturday nights; reserve ahead for those.
La Segunda Central Bakery
La Segunda Central Bakery at 2512 North 15th Street has been baking Cuban bread since 1915, and it supplies a large share of the loaves used in Cuban sandwiches across Tampa. The bread is still partly made by hand and is baked with a strip of palmetto frond pressed into the top, which leaves its signature seam. Stop in the morning for warm bread, a Cuban sandwich, guava turnovers and cafe con leche.
What else is there to do in Ybor City during the day?
Beyond history and food, daytime in Ybor is for photography, art, shopping and a weekly market.
- Florida Museum of Photographic Arts: FMoPA moved from downtown to Ybor City in 2023 and shows rotating photography exhibitions on East 7th Avenue.
- Ybor City Saturday Market: Held every Saturday in Centennial Park at 8th Avenue and 19th Street, from 9am to 3pm (9am to 1pm May through September), with local produce, crafts, food and live music. Admission and parking are free. See the Ybor City Saturday Market listing.
- Walking tours: The Tampa Bay History Center leads periodic Ybor City walking tours, and local operators such as Tampa Bay Tours run guided outings from the historic district.
- The chickens: Ybor’s free-roaming chickens and roosters are a protected part of the neighborhood. You will see them strutting down 7th Avenue and napping under parked cars. Do not feed or chase them.
What is Ybor City nightlife like?
Ybor City nightlife is the loudest and latest in Tampa Bay, centered on East 7th Avenue between roughly 14th and 20th streets, where bars, clubs, live music rooms and late-night food stands line the street. On Friday and Saturday nights the sidewalks fill and the street can feel like one long pedestrian zone.
A few tips for a night out:
- Start early with dinner. Eat at the Columbia or another 7th Avenue restaurant, then move on to the bars after 9pm, when the street gets busy.
- Use the streetcar or rideshare. The TECO Line Streetcar runs until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, linking Ybor to downtown and Water Street hotels.
- Expect a younger crowd late. After midnight, 7th Avenue skews toward college-age clubgoers. For a quieter evening, stick to cigar bars, wine and cocktail bars and live music earlier in the night.
- Try a brewery nearby. Coppertail Brewing Co., in a converted warehouse at 2601 East 2nd Avenue on Ybor’s southern edge, has a large taproom and is an easy start or end to the night.
What events happen in Ybor City?
Ybor City’s biggest annual event is the Krewe of the Knights of Sant’Yago Illuminated Knight Parade, a nighttime parade of lighted floats down 7th Avenue held in February during Gasparilla season. The 2026 parade was February 14; the 2027 date had not been announced as of November 2026. The main Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Parade of Pirates on Bayshore Boulevard is Saturday, January 30, 2027, and Ybor hotels and bars are packed that weekend.
How do you get to Ybor City and where do you park?
The easiest way to get to Ybor City from downtown or Water Street is the fare-free TECO Line Streetcar, which runs every 15 minutes, from 7am to 11pm Monday through Thursday, 7am to 2am on Friday, 9am to 2am on Saturday and 8:30am to 11pm on Sunday. Its northern terminus, Centennial Park Station, is at 20th Street and 8th Avenue, a block from 7th Avenue.
If you drive, park in one of the city-run garages on the edges of the district rather than circling for street spots, especially on weekend nights. Lock valuables out of sight, as in any nightlife district.
Where should you stay in Ybor City?
Hotel Haya at 1412 East 7th Avenue is the neighborhood’s boutique hotel, with 178 rooms, a lap pool, the Latin-inspired restaurant Flor Fina and a Cuban-style cafe. For more choices, including Water Street hotels a streetcar ride away, see the best hotels in Tampa guide. If you are deciding whether to base in Tampa at all, read Tampa vs. St. Petersburg, and browse the Tampa area page for more local businesses.
FAQ
Is Ybor City worth visiting?
Yes. Ybor City is one of the most distinctive historic neighborhoods in Florida, with cigar factories, immigrant social clubs, Florida’s oldest restaurant and the original Tampa Cuban sandwich. Plan a half day for history and food, and come back at night if you want to see the nightlife.
Is Ybor City safe?
Ybor City is busy and generally comfortable during the day and early evening. Late on weekend nights, crowds and drinking pick up, so use normal big-city precautions: stay on lit, busy streets, use rideshare or the streetcar, and keep valuables out of sight in parked cars.
Why are there chickens in Ybor City?
The chickens are descendants of birds kept by early residents, and they now roam the neighborhood freely as a beloved local mascot. Locals treat them as a protected part of the neighborhood, so do not feed, chase or try to catch them.
How much does the Ybor City Museum cost?
Admission to the Ybor City Museum State Park is $4 per person, and children 5 and under are free. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Can you tour a cigar factory in Ybor City?
Yes. J.C. Newman Cigar Co. offers 60-minute guided tours of its El Reloj factory at 2701 North 16th Street on select days, plus hand-rolling classes. Visiting the building is free; book tours in advance through the company’s website.