Ybor City Walking Tour App: History Highlights

Cuban cigars, free-roaming chickens, and the immigrants who built a city

This self-guided walking tour of Ybor City uses a smartphone app with GPS to lead you through neighborhoods shaped by Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Jewish immigrants. You control the pace, stop whenever you want, and the tour never expires: listen to it again after you've walked the streets in person. The route covers nine stops: the Cuban Club, the world's largest cigar factory site, Jose Marti Park, the Ritz nightclub, Centro, Centennial Park, the museum and bakery, 7th Street's Jewish immigrant history, and the oldest restaurant in Florida.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ybor City immigrant history

• Start outside Cuban club, learn history
• Walk along old Ybor Square cigar factory
• Stop at Jose Marti Park, hear story
• Stop outside the Ritz club, learn history
• Walk through Centro, see shops and story
• Walk through Centennial Park, learn about chickens
• Stop outside museum, hear house and bakery history
• Stop on 7th street, learn Jewish immigrant history
• End at oldest restaurant, try best Cubano

The experience

The tour starts outside the Cuban Club and moves through Ybor Square, where the largest cigar factory once operated and made Tampa famous. You'll hear how Jose Marti became the Apostle of Cuban Independence at Jose Marti Park, then pass the historic Ritz nightclub before walking through Centro, one of Ybor's most active neighborhoods today. The app uses GPS to know where you are, so narration and music arrive at the right moment: no guessing which building matters or what you're looking at.

Centennial Park explains why chickens legally roam free in Ybor, a detail tied to the immigrant communities who settled here. The tour stops outside the museum to cover the history of the houses and Cuban bakery, then moves to 7th Street, where Jewish immigrants built what was known as "Princes of 7th Avenue." The route ends at the oldest restaurant in Florida, where you can order the Cubano sandwich the tour has been building toward. Because you set the pace, you can linger at any stop, grab a meal or drink, explore a shop, and pick up where you left off.

The audio is professionally produced with narration and music that sets the atmosphere for each neighborhood. Since the tour never expires, you can listen to it again after walking Ybor in person: useful if a detail stuck with you or if you want to catch something you missed the first time. The app works on your own phone, so there's no equipment to carry or return.

What’s included

• The tour on the smartphone app.
• GPS-enabled stops that trigger audio and music as you approach each location.
• nine stops covering Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Jewish immigrant history.
• access to listen to the audio again after your walk.
• the ability to pause, explore, and resume at your own pace.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by WalknTours

Is this one for you?Start the tour outside the Cuban Club in Ybor City using the app on your phone: no car needed, no guide to wait for, and no fixed start time. Because you control when you move and when you stop, the tour works whether you're staying nearby, visiting for an afternoon, or exploring between other plans in Tampa.

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Top questions

What happens at Jose Marti Park on this tour?

Jose Marti Park is one of the nine stops where you'll hear the story of Jose Marti and how he became the Apostle of Cuban Independence: a key figure in the history of the Cuban immigrants who built Ybor City.

Can I take this tour more than once?

Yes. The tour never expires, so you can walk it as many times as you want and listen to the audio again after you've been there in person.

Do I need to stay with a group or follow a set schedule?

No. This is a self-guided tour on your phone. You go at your own pace, stop anytime to eat, drink or explore, and continue whenever you're ready.

What's included in the tour stops?

The tour covers nine stops with audio narration: the Cuban Club, Ybor Square and the cigar factory site, Jose Marti Park, the Ritz nightclub, Centro, Centennial Park, the museum and bakery, 7th Street's Jewish immigrant history, and the oldest restaurant in Florida.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All areas and surfaces along the walking route are wheelchair accessible, and infants or small children can ride in a pram or stroller.

What language is the audio guide in?

The tour audio is in English with professionally produced narration and music.