CRUISE & STAY Sh a 42 mokin’ hot
Tampa’s cigar-making district offers cruise passengers a Hispanic history lesson, writes Alice Barnes-Brown
s my sunshine-coloured streetcar rattles into Tampa’s Ybor City,
once the ‘cigar capital of the world’, I immediately sense the Latin character of this National Historic Landmark District. Roosters strut along the cobbles – descendants of fighting cocks brought from Cuba – while residents sit at white plastic tables, concentrating intently on games of dominoes. My guide to this unique neighbourhood, which is a 10-minute streetcar ride from Tampa’s cruise port, is Tampa Bay Tours’ Max Herman – easily marked out by his Cuban hat – who I meet by the statue of cigar magnate Vicente Ybor. The
33Roosters strut along the cobbles while residents concentrate on games of dominoes
TOP: Roosters in Ybor City BELOW: Columbia Restaurant
90-minute Ybor City Walking Tour costs $25 per person. Max explains: “Ybor City came together at a perfect time, after the first cigar factory was built in 1886 and during a major immigration wave. People from Italy, Spain, Germany, Romania and Cuba all moved here – but they started missing home, so they built these social clubs, where they would sing songs with friends and eat food from home.” In the Cuban Club, I admire a beautiful auditorium with hand-carved pillars and statues surrounding the stage, while outside the Italian Club, my mouth waters at the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and Parmesan-laden pizza slices in the Italian restaurants that have built up around the community’s hub. Ybor City’s population grew
from 700 people in 1885 to 1,500 by 1895, and was even home to Cuban revolutionary José Martí during this time, who Max tells us started the Cuban Revolution from these humble social clubs. “This was the cradle of Cuban independence from Spain, long before Miami
10 SEPTEMBER 2026
existed,” he says. “He smuggled messages of war in cigar papers.” Farther along Ybor City’s main
street is Columbia Restaurant, which was founded in 1903 and is said to be the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. With Moorish-style fountains and blue azulejo tiles, it transports clients to an Andalusian village. Warm bread and butter immediately satisfy my hunger, while my black bean soup is smoky, thick and punchy with just-fried garlic. This fusion comfort food is a fitting end to my time in Ybor City, and for clients heading on a Caribbean cruise, Tampa provides a taste of Latin culture before they set sail. TW
BOOK IT
Ocean Florida combines a four-night stay at the Westin Tampa Bay and an eight-night Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas (Interior cabin) from £2,459. Includes $100 onboard credit and flights from Heathrow on April 21, 2027.
ocean-florida.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Visit Tampa Bay
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