Perhaps Tampa’s best-known neighborhood, Ybor City chronicles the history of Tampa’s (and arguable Florida’s) immigrant experience and the local journey along the country’s economic roller coaster ride. “Founded in 1886 by Vicente Martinez Ybor, Ybor City became ‘the cigar capital of the world’ by 1900,’’ boasts the City of Tampa’s website. A thriving hub of tobacco manufacturing, it soon became home to a growing working class of immigrants from Spain and Cuba and Italy, as well as from Germany, Eastern Europe and China as entrepreneurs, restauranteurs and shopkeepers arrived to meet a growing community’s needs. That thriving pool of diverse talent created a living environment rich with an abundance of talent and innovation in architecture, dining, entertainment, social and civic organizations, housing and health care. It’s that image of American success and not the ups and downs in between that developers see today in their vision for the future of Ybor City as an attractive hub of live, work, play and stay spaces for creatives, artists, techies, foodies, designers, educators and innovators connecting Tampa’s Downtown, Port Tampa Bay and neighborhoods to the north and east.
Ybor City's Kress Contemporary is Tampa's answer to an artist colony, where photo exhibits capture Florida's hidden swamplands in the ground-floor gallery, while sculptors weave watercolor paper into baskets in third-floor studios.
Walk Bike Tampa's World Car-Free Day returns Saturday, September 20th, with more community partners, more locations, and its largest year yet.
September's Tampa Bay arts scene has the New Tampa Performing Arts Center's annual festival, a St. Pete Warehouse Arts District Association exhibition reflecting on the dismantling of USAID, Powerstories' presentation of "Ada and the Engine," and much more.
A photo gallery from the 2025 Countdown Improv Festival's closing day at The Commodore in Ybor City.
Heard 'Em Say Youth Arts Collective, the nonprofit behind Tampa’s only youth open mic event, uplifts adolescent and teen voices through poetry, storytelling, and the arts.
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts celebrates World Photography Day with a week of events.
Following the elimination of federal and state funding for public broadcasting, Tampa Bay area stations vow to continue community mission in face of uncertain future.
The Studio, a creative space and sanctuary planned in Ybor City, is launching a Kickstarter campaign for a four-weekend pop-up that will hopefully lead to a permanent space.
Breathing new life into a former industrial building on Adamo Drive, Tampa Pickleball Crew is part of a re-energized Ybor City's revitalization.
Breathing new life into a former industrial building on Adamo Drive, Tampa Pickleball Crew is part of a re-energized Ybor City's revitalization
Our Partners
Solutions journalism takes time, trust, and your support.
