Park Summary for Print - Ybor City Museum State Park

The Unique Yellow Brick Façade of the Ferlita Bakery.

Welcome to Ybor City Museum State Park

Don Vicente Martinez Ybor came to the frontier near Tampa and built a city that became the "Cigar Capital of the World." From the opening of the first cigar factory in 1886 until the 1930s, Ybor City flourished. This urban park is dedicated to the preservation of Ybor City's unique cultural heritage. The museum, housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery, traces the rich cultural history of Ybor City and the cigar making industry. The museum has self-guided exhibits, with written and audio information, and a video presentation. La Casita, a restored cigar worker's house, is open for viewing 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Guided tours are available Monday through Saturday. The ornamental garden can be rented for events after regular park hours. Located at the corner of 9th Avenue and 19th Street in Tampa.

Contact the Florida Park Service Information Center for general inquiries.
For Information about Ybor City Museum State Park, please call 813-247-6323.

Hours of Operation

The Ybor City Museum State Park is open daily from 9am - 5pm. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day

Driving Directions

From I-4 - Take exit 1 and turn South onto 21st Street (it's one-way) turn right onto Palm Avenue, then take the second left onto 19th Street and the very next right which is 9th Avenue. The museum is the second building on the right, a large building with a yellow brick front. From I-275 - Take it North or South to I-4 and follow the above directions. Parking - Parking is available on the street at the parking meters (quarters only) or at one of the metered lots located off of 8th Avenue or one of the Parking Garages. One Parking Garage is located on 9th Avenue between 13th Street and Nick Nuccio Parkway, 6 blocks west of the Museum. Another Parking Garage is located at 15th Street and 5th Avenue and is 6 blocks diagonally from the Museum. Two Hour Free Parking is available on 7th Avenue during the day but it fills up fast.

Park Fees

Admission Fees - $3.00 for everyone 6 and older, children under 5 Free. Patio/Garden available for rental, call for fees.

Activities at Ybor City Museum State Park

	Facilities ADA accessible restroom facilities are located in the park.
	Gardens Museum Gardens are available for rent for special occasions. Rental Fee - $800.00 + tax. Please contact (813) 247-1434, for additional information.
	Guided Tours Guided tours of a Casita, a cigar worker’s house from the turn of the 20th century, is available on the hour from 11am – 3pm Monday through Saturday.
	Interpretive Programs The Museum is housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery and interpret's the rich cultural history of Ybor City and the cigar making industry.

Special Events for Ybor City Museum State Park

JUST READ, FLORIDA!

Date: September 13, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Description: Viva El Lector! Readings and Writings of Ybor City
The museum will host a book signing by Lucy Tobias, author of 50 Great Walks in Florida. In the spirit of this interesting and fun book, the museum will offer a Saturday morning walk of the historic district. Other activities include: 'El Lector' reading to a cigar roller, 'La Casita' tours, and the exhibit: Sicilians in Tampa: Unfolding the Journey. Garden activities include: café con leche, Florida history displays and a book sale.
Fees: Admission to the park is free with a library book, library card or book donation. Admission for the walking tour is $6.00 per person.
Contact: Call the park at (813) 987-6870

Ybor City Museum State Park Ranger Programs

MUSEUM
Open year-round with the exception of major holida Explore the history and founding of Ybor City at the Museum, housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery. Learn about Tampa's cigar industry once known as "the cigar capital of the world" as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the early founders. The Ferlita Bakery, established in 1923, was a major source of the community's daily bread. NO PETS.
Call (813) 247-6323 for more details.
LA CASITA TOURS
Year-round with the exception of major holidays. Docents lead guided tours through La Casita, a cigar maker's house. The house is an excellent example of the "shot-gun" houses in which many cigar makers lived and reflects the family life in the early part of the 20th century. NO PETS.
Call (813) 247-6323 for more details.
CIGAR ROLLER
Fri., Sat. and Sun. 9:30 AM - 1 PM A cigar roller works every weekend at the Museum, except for major holidays. NO PETS.
Call (813) 247-6323 for more details.
WALKING TOURS OF YBOR CITY
Saturdays 10:30 AM Fee: $6/person, which includes the cost of admission to the museum. Walking tours of Ybor City, weather permitting, start at the Ybor City Museum every Saturday. Only one tour is offered each Saturday; limited to 20 people. NO PETS.
Call (813) 247-6323 for more details.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ybor City Museum State Park

Question: Where are you located?
Answer: The Ybor City Museum State Park is located at 1818 East 9th Avenue in Tampa. The Museum is a former bakery building near the intersection of 9th Avenue and 19th Street and has a yellow brick front. From I-4 get off at exit 1 and turn on to 21st Street (it’s one way) heading south, turn right onto Palm Avenue, Take the second left onto 19th Street and the immediate next right onto 9th Avenue, the museum on the right. Coming from North or South of Tampa take I-275 to I-4 and follow the above directions. If you’re travelling on I-75 take it to I-4 and head West to Exit 1 and follow the above directions. 5/12/2003 9:10:53 AM

Question: What are your hours of operation?
Answer: The Museum is open 9am –5pm, seven days a week. The Museum closes only for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

Question: What’s in the Museum?
Answer: The Museum tells the history of Ybor City from its founding in 1886 to the beginning of the decline in the 1930s. The history is focused on the cigar industry that made Tampa known as the Cigar Capital of the World. As the Museum building was formerly a bakery known as the Ferlita Bakery, part of the museum tells the building’s history with exhibits in and around the original ovens. The Museum is set up to be self-guided with exhibits, written and audio taped information and a self-started video.

Question: Can we tour a cigar factory building?
Answer: In the Ybor City area there are no cigar factories that offer a tour of the manufacturing of cigars.

Question: Do you sell bakery goods?
Answer: Although the museum building was a bakery it is not operating any longer. However there is an excellent bakery not far called La Secunda Central Bakery located on the South West corner of 15th Street and 15th Avenue whose history in the community dates back to the "Hey Day” of Ybor City.

Question: Where do we park to visit the Museum?
Answer: Parking is available on the street at the parking meters (quarters only) or at one of the metered lots located off of 8th Avenue or one of the Parking Garages. One Parking Garage is located on 9th Avenue between 13th Street and Nick Nuccio Parkway, 6 blocks West of the Museum. Another Parking Garage is located at 15th Street and 5th Avenue and is 6 blocks diagonally from the Museum. Two Hour Free Parking is available on 7th Avenue during the day but it fills up fast.

Question: Do you have camping available?
Answer: Camping is not available at the Ybor City Museum State Park. This is a .97 acre urban park dedicated to the preservation of Ybor City’s unique cultural heritage.

Question: Is there a walking tour of Ybor City?
Answer: Yes, there is a walking tour of Ybor City provided by the Ybor City Museum Society, our Citizen Support Organization. The tours are held on Saturdays at 10:30 am and the cost is $5.00 per person for everyone 6 and older, which includes Museum admission. The tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours and begins at the Museum. We suggest that participants come early to get signed up because the tour is limited to 20 persons. If you have a group and would like to arrange for a private walking tour, contact the Ybor City Museum Society at 813-247-1434.

Question: Where is the Ybor City Visitor Information Center?
Answer: The Visitor Information Center is located on the South side of 8th Avenue in the Centro Ybor area. It is run by the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce and the address is 1600 8th Avenue Suite B104. To contact the Visitor Information Center call 813-241-8838 or visit their web site at www.ybor.org

Ybor City Museum State Park History

From the opening of the first factory in 1886 until the 1930’s, Ybor City was a flourishing Latin community. The Ybor Cigar Factory was the largest in the world, employing more than 4,000 of the 20,000 workers in Ybor City. Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Jews, Cubans, and Afro-Cubans called Ybor City home, establishing their own newspapers, restaurants, social clubs, mutual aid societies and hospitals. These immigrant medical services are among the earliest known examples of cooperative social medicine in the United States.

In the closing years of the 1800’s, Ybor City became a support center for the Cuban Revolution. When war broke out between the United States and Spain in 1898, the Army stationed thousands of men in Ybor City, including Teddy Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders." On August 12, 1898, Cuba won its independence.

Ybor City’s Latin community flourished for many years, but technology began to eat away at its very core. Competition from machines, popularity of cigarettes and the Depression combined to bring about the decline of the cigar industry in Ybor City. Factories shut down, unemployment soared and families moved away.