History · Tampa · United States
8 historic sites to see in Tampa
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Tampa · Photo: TampAGS , for AGS Media, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Ybor City Historic District, Henry B. Plant Museum and Columbia Restaurant. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 13–16 hours across 4 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 13–16 hours
- Areas
- Ybor City, University of Tampa and Downtown
Plan a trip to Tampa
Compare flights, places to stay and rental cars, then book with the provider you choose.
Historic sites in Tampa
Neighbourhood · Ybor City
1.Ybor City Historic District
Cigar rollers work in shop windows, the Columbia Restaurant fills a whole block, and the protected Ybor chickens wander the pavements.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Free
- Food
- After dark
Museum · University of Tampa
2.Henry B. Plant Museum
One wing is a museum of the hotel's Gilded Age furnishings and its role as headquarters during the Spanish–American War.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Historic site · Ybor City
3.Columbia Restaurant
Order the 1905 Salad tossed at the table and the Spanish bean soup, and see a flamenco show in the evening.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- History
- Couples
- After dark
Museum · Ybor City
4.Ybor City Museum State Park
Restored casitas — small cigar workers' cottages — and a garden stand beside it.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Ybor City
5.J.C. Newman Cigar Company (El Reloj)
Guided tours walk past century-old machines and hand-rollers, with a museum on the family-owned company's history.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Architecture · Downtown
6.Tampa Theatre
It is run by a non-profit and still screens independent and classic films, often with a pre-show on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ.
- Time needed
- 2 hours with a film
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Couples
Gallery · Downtown
7.Tampa Museum of Art
Its façade turns into an LED light display at night, visible across the river.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Channel District
8.Tampa Bay History Center
It sits on the Riverwalk next to the Florida Aquarium.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Ybor City | Ybor City Historic District, Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City Museum State Park and J.C. Newman Cigar Company (El Reloj) | Half a day + 1.5–2 hours + 1 hour + 1.5 hours |
| University of Tampa | Henry B. Plant Museum | 1–1.5 hours |
| Downtown | Tampa Theatre and Tampa Museum of Art | 2 hours with a film + 1.5 hours |
| Channel District | Tampa Bay History Center | 1.5–2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 1 free, 4 low cost, 3 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Ybor City Historic District; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Ybor City): Ybor City Historic District, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Ybor City): Columbia Restaurant → Ybor City Museum State Park → J.C. Newman Cigar Company (El Reloj), at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (University of Tampa and Downtown): Henry B. Plant Museum → Tampa Theatre, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Downtown and Channel District): Tampa Museum of Art → Tampa Bay History Center, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- September: highs of 32°C (90°F), about 13 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still hot and stormy, with the highest hurricane risk of the year; buy flexible bookings.
- August: highs of 33°C (91°F), about 17 rainy days, quiet crowds. The wettest, most humid stretch and the start of peak hurricane risk; hotel prices are at their lowest.
- May: highs of 31°C (88°F), about 4 rainy days, moderate crowds. Hot and still fairly dry before the rainy season; good beach weather with fewer crowds than March.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown and the Riverwalk — Office towers and hotels along the Hillsborough River, with museums on the waterfront
- Channel District and Water Street — New towers, the cruise terminals and the Florida Aquarium on Garrison Channel
- Ybor City — Brick cigar factories, wrought-iron balconies and the city's busiest bar street
More of Tampa
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Tampa?
Ybor City Historic District. Tampa's cigar district grew from 1886 into the city's immigrant centre, and 7th Avenue still has the brick factories, social clubs and balconied storefronts of that era.
+Which of these are free in Tampa?
Ybor City Historic District.