This holiday break, take a visit to the Ybor City Museum State Park located at 1818 9th Ave. in Tampa (Ybor City). Whether you are interested in looking for something to do or want to learn more about the history of the area, the Ybor City Museum is a great place to visit.
The Ybor City Museum consists of the museum building, the garden and grounds and three casitas. You will learn all about the unique and colorful history of the founding of Ybor City, the rise of the cigar industry and the immigrants (Cubans, Italians, Jews, Spaniards and Germans) who settled the area and lived in Ybor City.
Admission to the Ybor City Museum is just $4 and free for children five years old and younger. The price of admission gets you access to the museum building, the grounds and a docent led tour of the casita.
The museum is housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery building. In it, you can see the old baking oven and a replica of a cigar rolling room. You will learn fascinating facts about the people who lived in the area, the rise of the cigar industry and the businesses that sprung up to support the industry and its workers.
The casita has been restored and furnished to look as it would have when cigar workers lived there. At the height of the cigar industry, there were approximately 150 casitas located in the area. The volunteer docents do an excellent job of describing how the area looked and changed during the period of time from 1885-1930.
Bryant Martinez, a resident of Riverview, has visited the museum several times. Martinez said, “The Ybor City Museum is a great place to learn about the history of Ybor City. It has a rich and colorful history.”
After your visit, take a walk around the historic area and see some of the 84 buildings that are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and the 956 buildings that were deemed to have historical significance by the National Park Service.
The Ybor City Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.ybormuseum.org.
