Ybor City, Tampa

Ybor City is a lovely place to come for lunch or dinner. Afterwards you can walk to the Ybor City Visitor Center and read about some of the history of the area. Being here is like being in an entirely different state so it adds a lot of variety to your vacation day. The architecture feels like New Orleans! They even sell beads and carnival-style masks! This is because it was settled around the same time as New Orleans, by a similar mix of immigrants. Cuban cigar factory owners came here, as did Sicilians, Italians, Germans, Romanians, and Spanish.

Dip inside the attractive Ybor City Visitor Center and you can read about the history. If you have a little girl, she will love buying some beads or an ornate fan there. Another good place to take in some of the history of the area is the Ybor City State Museum.
Tampa Bay Brewing Company is a fun place ot eat. Zydeco Brew Werks has some great live music, including Gloria West and the Gents, a swing band like Postmodern Jukebox, that plays there once a month.
After 9pm on Friday and Saturday night this area gets pretty wild with a party crowd.

Directions

Ybor City is located around 7th/8th Ave and 17th St in Tampa. There are plenty of parking lots, and parking fees are reasonable.
Tampa Bay Brewing Company, 1600 E. 18th Ave, Tampa FL 33605.
Ybor City Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center, 1600 E. 8th Ave, Tampa FL, call (813) 241-8838. Open M-S 10-5, Sn 12-5.
Ybor City State Museum, 1818 E. 9th Ave, Tampa FL, call (813) 247-1434. Open Wed-Sun 9-5. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $4 per person aged 6 and up.

Click on map for interactive view