Ybor City is a historical neighborhood in Tampa, Florida founded in 1885 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor. Martinez-Ybor was a Spaniard by birth but started his cigar manufacturing company in Cuba. He was looking to relocate his business and moved it to Key West before finally settling on Tampa. At one point in history, Ybor City was the largest Cuban cigar manufacturer in the world. Hence, the nickname “Cigar City”. Martinez-Ybor started not only the Cuban cigar business but also many others including the streetcar line and Tampa’s first brewery originally named Ybor City Brewing Company. The Cuban influence that was brought to Ybor City over a century ago remains to this day. For anyone visiting the Tampa Bay area I highly recommend spending a day in Ybor City.
Read moreThe Blind Tiger Coffee Shop
After we finished our incredible meal at Columbia Restaurant, I was in desperate need of a pick-me-up. We went in search of caffeine and luckily The Blind Tiger was a short walk from the restaurant. They had almond milk (saints be praised) so I ordered a vanilla latte and sat by the window to people watch.Read more
Columbia Restaurant
We were fortunate enough to find ourselves in sunny Florida for Thanksgiving visiting family. As I’m writing this snow is falling on the ground outside in Tennessee which has me wishing I was back on the beach! While we were there we discovered yet another reason to be grateful that Tampa is just a short plane ride away. Columbia Restaurant is the oldest restaurant in the state of Florida and one of many reasons to add a detour through Ybor City to your next trip. If you happen to miss the incredible tile work on the outside of the building the sheer size of this place is remarkable taking up an entire city block. You can’t miss it!Read more