Spring Training Trip - Day 47

No game today so we planned a trip to Camping World to get new coach batteries for the RV and a few other things we needed.  Camping World is a little east of Tampa in a large travel complex at the intersection of I-75 and I-4, major Florida north-south & east-west freeways.  The complex includes Camping World, A Lazy Days RV dealership and RV Park, a Cracker Barrel Restaurant and a large Flying J Travel Plaza/Truck Stop.  The place is very busy and lots of RVs and large trucks are coming and going all the time.  It is about a 30-45 minute drive from our RV Park, so we got a fairly early start and had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel next to Camping World.

After getting what we needed at Camping World, we decided to do a little sightseeing in Tampa, visiting Ybor City, a National Historic District in Tampa.  The city was founded by a Spaniard, Vicente Martinez-Ybor, a successful cigar maker who moved his cigar manufacturing business from Cuba to Key West and subsequently to the Tampa Bay area.  He purchased 40 acres of Palmetto and scrub pine flats northeast of the then tiny town of Tampa, built a company town and used imported Cuban tobacco and skilled cigar makers to establish Tampa as the center of the hand-rolled cigar industry in the United States.  He attracted Spanish, Cuban, Italian, and Jewish immigrants to the area by offering fairly high wages, low cost opportunities for owning houses (Casitas), and generally good working conditions.  Making cigars by hand required not only a high skill level but also a lot of labor intensity and a large workforce to produce the high volume of quality cigars that were in demand at the time.

The various ethnic groups that came to Ybor City stayed mostly together as separate communities and their lives centered around social clubs that provided health care, community services, and a wide range of other mutual aid and social activities.  The Jewish community became the merchant class and established many businesses that provided goods and services to the city.

As the hand-rolled cigar industry declined, the cigar factories that been established closed. Many city residents then moved away and the area began to decay.  In the 1970’s, community efforts were instrumental in preserving the heritage of Ybor City as the “Cigar Capital of the World”.  A National Historic District has been established and many of the old buildings and social clubs have been saved.  Redevelopment efforts have also turned the “Centro Ybor” area along 7^th St. in town into a social and entertainment district that includes clubs, restaurants, stores, and other attractions.  A trolley line also connects Ybor City with downtown Tampa along the Bay waterfront.

We visited the visitors center and a small but excellent Ybor City Museum State Park in the center of town.  The exhibits are very good and gave a good overview of the history and cultural heritage of the area.  As part of the museum visit we also toured one of the restored Casitas on the grounds. We then had a late dinner/lunch at Carmines a local favorite that was very good.  After lunch while walking around town, we discovered the Columbia Restaurant, established in 1905 and billed as the oldest Spanish restaurant in the U.S.  It looked familiar and we found out they have restaurants in several other locations, including one in St. Augustine, FL where we ate on our Florida trip in 2009.  We are going to try and go back there for dinner if we have time.  We also want to visit the downtown Tampa waterfront area and may combine a return visit with a trolley ride and dinner at the Columbia.

After fighting the rush hour traffic through Tampa on the way home we were tired and went to bed early.  Judy is taking her medicine and is starting to feel a little better. Tomorrow is a “work around the RV” day.  I am going to change out the coach batteries and wash the RV, Judy is doing laundry and some interior cleaning. 

Day 47 Pictures