If you are wondering why the Ybor City State Museum is located in the city of Tampa, it is because Ybor City is not a city; it is an historic neighborhood located in Tampa that was originally settled by Spanish, Cuban, Italian, and Siciliam immigrants. The cigar industry played an important part in the economic vitality of the neighborhood in its heyday. The Ybor City State Museum is small, but well represents the history of Ybor City. I have visited the museum several times and enjoyed it each time. The museum consists of three parts: the museum building itself that is located in a converted bakery and that contains the actual exhibits, a “casita” that is a restored cigar worker’s “shotgun” style house from the turn of the 20th century, and a connecting garden
with Florida vegetation. When I visited I enjoyed seeing the regular exhibits that include photographs, artifacts and other informtation about the cigar industry, the social clubs, and the demographics and
lifestyle of the people who settled in Ybor City. However, the museum has some exhibits that are not regular, but change a couple of times a year, and I particularly enjoyed the exhibit that emphasized the women and children of the area by displaying fine handiwork such as embroidery and crocheting as well as children’s toys.
If you are familiar with Ybor City, you know that Cuban bread is important and the good thing about the museum being in a converted bakery is that you can actually look in and experience the ovens that traditionally baked the bread. I recommend that you contact the museum ...
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