13 Interesting Facts About Ybor City…You Probably Didn’t Know

Ybor City is constantly evolving and is getting more awesome everyday! Here are a few pieces of history that often get overlooked and frankly are kind of cool 🙂

Any fun facts you know about that we should add?

Let us know! Have an awesome day.

The “Ybor Factory Building”, aka “Ybor Square” was built in 1886 and, at the time, was the largest cigar factory in the world.

You can on step on Cuban soil in Tampa. Parque Amigos de Jose Marti, aka Friends of  Jose Marti Park, is technically owned by the Cuban government.

A steel beam salvaged from the World Trade Center Tower 2 is part of the 9/11 Fallen Heroes Memorial.

The Florida Brewing Company building was built by the founder of Ybor, Vicente Ybor.

The Ritz was once the first theatre of its kind in the United States.

The Columbia is the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States

The Ybor City Museum is located in what used to be the Ferlita Bakery.

The soon to open Tampa Baseball Museum was Hall of Famer Al Lopez’s actual home.  It was picked up and moved to it’s current location.

The Cuban Club had a bowling alley several years ago.

Carne Chophouse was once the Centro Espanol social club.

Centro Asturiano de Tampa has the world’s longest marble onyx bar.

There are tunnels under Ybor City.  What were they for?  People like to speculate that they were used my the mafia, but no one really knows…or do they???

In 2004, President George W. Bush stopped in at La Tropicana Cafe.