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.
Our August - and august - arts roundup has the Countdown Improv Festival in Ybor, "Sacred Pilgrimage: Gaudí and Galban” at The Portico in downtown Tampa, "In a New Light" at the Tampa Museum of Art, and more.
The Tampa Arts Alliance plans to transform 5,000 square feet of donated ground-floor office space in a prime downtown location into an arts center. The arts nonprofit is working to raise $1.2 million for design and buildout and open the center next March.
Two fixtures of Ybor City history -- the 1910 Sanchez y Haya building and the statue of Queen Isabella of Spain commissioned by Vicente Martinez-Ybor in the late 19th century -- are returning to their former glory.
In 39 years of business, Tampa fine dining institution Mise en Place has been a pioneer business on Platt Street and then Kennedy Boulevard. Now, the iconic restaurant joins Darryl Shaw's Ybor revitalization with a move to Casa Gomez.
Tampa community radio station WMNF 88.5 FM has a one-day, on-air fundraising drive Saturday, July 19th, following the loss of a combined $230,000 in state and federal funding.
A photo gallery of construction at Gasworx, the 50-acre mixed-use district between Ybor City and downtown Tampa.
Archives Awareness Week, the annual deep dive into Tampa history, returns July 13th through 19th with a slew of events around town.
Our July arts roundup has the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts' 2025 International Photography Competition exhibition, Powerstories Theatre's "Witch Hunt," St. Pete's Second Saturday ArtWalk, and more.
Tampa Bay Sun FC's history-making season as Tampa Bay's first professional women's sports team culminates with a USL Super League championship and a boat parade.
The Tampa International Fringe Fest returns to Ybor City. Plus, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" at Stageworks Theatre, “VISIBLE: SEEN and HEARD" at Studios @ 5663, and much more.
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