Located near the weekend farmer’s market, the Ybor City Museum (1818 E. 9th Avenue, www.ybormuseum.org) is a good value if you have a half hour to kill and want to learn more about Ybor. With a focus on the multiple ethnic backgrounds of it’s first residents and the cigar culture that built the town, the museum offers several displays and a video room to share the history of the city with you.

When you walk in, you’re surrounded by information walls talking about the cigar rolling process. From there, you take a turn to see several sections of inset wall displays, each dedicated to a different faction of residents from Ybor’s early days. Everyone knows the Cuban influence here, but what about the German? or Italian? or Jewish influences? Walking around Ybor today, you can still see several of these original buildings. The short film played for museum attendees is a little dry, but all around very educational.

The really interesting parts are near the end of the museum. Sectioned off is a cigar-rollers station with the original tools on display. It amazes me that anyone could work so efficiently with what I’d consider to be incapable tools (by today’s standards, anyway). In this display, you also get a good look at the reader’s chair. In the video tour, the explain the importance of the reader and the democratic process used to elect these highly respected actors/anchorman.

If you like the atmosphere of Ybor and are looking for a special place to hold your next wedding, reunion or other event, you’ll want to inquire about using their outdoor facility. It’s a beautiful outdoor garden, infusing classic cigar styling and brick architecture with a beautiful fountain and lush greenscapes.

Here’s a few pictures of the museum:

Related posts:

1. The Master at Work: The Cigar Craftsman of Ybor City
2. A look at the manual bottling process is at Cigar City Brewing
3. Spirit of Cigar City Radio
4. Fiesta Day/Free Spanish Food in Ybor City tomorrow
5. Cigar City Brewing Picture Post
6. Waiting Room Art Show at the Ybor City Social Club
7. “The Agreeable Husband” at the HCC Ybor Campus
8. HYNCA Neighborhood Yard Sale, April 4, 2009
9. Ybor Film Festival Scheduled to start April 1st
10. Rough Rider’s Saint Patricks Day Parade in Ybor

From “Tampa.World-Guides.com“:

As the center of commercial activity along the West Coast of Florida, downtown Tampa is one of the city’s most important districts. Aside from its business aspects, Tampa’s downtown district is also bustling with popular visitor attractions such as the Florida Aquarium and the Gasparilla Pirate Fest. The Port of Tampa is situated here and is a busy hub for cruise ships, freighters and sail boats following routes to the Caribbean and Mexico. Important centers such as the University of Tampa and the Tampa Convention Center are also based in downtown Tampa.

Downtown Tampa is bounded by the Hillsborough River to the west, Channelside to the east, Interstate 275 to the north, Davis Islands and Harbour Island to the south. The total area for the area is 521 acres. Historical Fort Brooke was located at the southern end of downtown Tampa, near the mouth of the Hillsborough River.

Some more information about the Downtown Area:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Tampa

Some pictures I took today on my photo tour:

Related posts:

1. Downtown Tampa, done in Legos
2. City of Tampa Rolls Out New Recycling Program
3. Freeway closures all around Tampa this weekend
4. Question and Answer with Kathy Karalekas of HART
5. Relay for Life this Weekend in the Bay Area
6. City of Tampa brick-wall painting
7. CA Supreme court upholds PROP8, Tampa Rally to Protest Tonight
8. Ride HART? Transportation Task Force wants your feedback
9. The Wizard of Oz on the Big Screen With The Florida Orchestra
10. 1st Annual Beat Cancer with a Paddle event