"A woman is an occasional pleasure, but a cigar is a good smoke," according to film and TV comedian Groucho Marx. Marx was hardly ever seen without his cigar and was typical of male smokers of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

By the 1920s, however, cigarette manufacturing was in full swing and the market for hand-rolled cigars began to disappear. Tampa, Florida's Ybor City district was the "Cigar Capital of the World" in the years before World War I with as many as 450 million hand-rolled cigars produced there each year by over 70,000 workers. The district began to experience economic decline in the 1960s, however, and it was not until the 1990s that revitalization began there.

Recently named a National Historic Landmark District, Ybor City's Latin Quarter beckons you to an earlier time. Wrought iron balconies, globe streetlights, brick-lined walkways and the majestic architecture of cigar factories, social clubs and other unique buildings, provide a glimpse into an era rich with culture and history. Today, Ybor City is a shopping, dining, and entertainment district where the ancient art of premium hand-rolled cigar making lives on. And, it also boast a night life as colorful as its Spanish Flamenco dancers.

Centro Ybor, features an exciting mix of retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues situated around a palm-lined plaza that captures the flavor of the Latin Quarter. Anchored by the Muvico Centro Ybor 20 Theater and featuring such names as GameWorks, The Improv and Urban Outfitters, Centro Ybor is a unique and unforgettable experience you'll find nowhere else. Centered on the historically restored Centro Espanol building, Centro Ybor surrounds you with the past while allowing you to participate in the excitement of today. There are still a few places where you can find hand-rolled cigars. King Corona Cigar has a very nice cigar shop with cafe and bar. Smoking is permitted.

Ybor City is home to several hotels and guest houses. The Hilton Garden Inn at 1700 East 9th Avenue is just off Centennial Park and near the Ybor City Museum and other attractions. Call 813-769-YBOR. The Hampton Inn and Suites, at 301 East 7th Avenue is just two blocks from Centro Ybor and the entertainment district. Call 813-247-6700. If you're interested in more authentic continental flavor, consider The Don Vincente de Ybor Historic Inn at 1915 Republica de Cuba. Call 813-241-4545. Or try one of the Bonita Casitas guest cottages decorated in period style furnishings and local art. Call 813-334-1857.

Ethnic food is plentiful and delicious in Ybor City. Cuban, Italian, Greek, Spanish, it's all here. The most famous restaurant is the Columbia, a family establishment that offers outstanding Spanish/Cuban cuisine in a classic setting. Here's where you can see the Flamenco dancers nightly except Sundays. The Don Vincente de Ybor is also an excellent choice for fine cuisine. For more Cuban fare you can't go wrong at La Tropicanna Cafe or La Terrazza Restorante. Also recommended are Acropolis Greek Taverna and Little Sicily Italian Deli.

The Visitor Information Center, operated by the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, is housed in the Cigar Museum and designed as a cigar box. This charming center provides information about accommodations, events, attractions, shopping, dining and entertainment. Surrounded by cigar art, the center offers a historical Ybor City video, a souvenir shop, and brochures for local attractions. Bilingual staff is available to assist. Contact the center at 813.248.3712 ext. 1 or info@ybor.org Spanish-born Vicente Martinez Ybor arrived here in 1886 and established a center for cigar manufacturing. With new railroad connections to Tampa and improved facilities at Port Tampa, it was an ideal location for the development of the cigar industry since Cuban leaf tobacco, the best in the world, could easily be imported; the finished cigars could be easily exported.

Ybor City quickly attracted thousands of immigrant workers: Spaniards, Cubans, Italians, Germans, and Jews to make cigars. Workers lived in boarding houses and casitas (cottages). Social clubs, were established providing cradle-to-grave health care, death benefits, recreational facilities, and a busy yearly calendar of social events. Several of the social club buildings, with their impressive architecture, are still in active use by members.

Ybor City was also home to theaters presenting opera, vaudeville, ethnic comedy and drama. This busy neighborhood also supported verbenas del tabaco (community festivals produced by the cigar companies), labor and political organizations, dozens of newspapers, and a wide array of mercantile, artistic, and occupational venues. For many years the cigar industry was the only large-scale manufacturing activity in Tampa and represented an important financial resource to the region. This continued until the early 1960s, when embargoes against Cuban tobacco, combined with declining cigar consumption, finally made "The Cigar City" a thing of the past.

The Ybor City Museum, a part of the Florida State Parks system, is housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery (Cuban bread ovens can be seen), and traces the district's rich cultural history and cigar making industry. The museum has self-guided exhibits and a video presentation. La Casita, a restored cigar worker's house next to the museum, is open for public viewing. For information about Ybor City Museum call 813-247-6323.

The annual Cigar Heritage Festival is a community event that benefits the Ybor City Museum Society and its efforts to preserve Ybor City's history and multicultural heritage. Held each fall, the festival typically draws more than 10,000 people from the Tampa Bay area and surrounding regions. The vast array of cigars, cigar products and Ybor City related cultural festivities brings cigar connoisseurs and casual cigar smokers and their families for a day of entertainment. There's also a Fiesta Italiana, a Puerto Rican Cultural Parade, and several other annual events. This year the Chamber of Commerce has organizing a Rum Tasting event with major Caribbean rum producers offering samples of their wares.

Your visit to Tampa's Ybor City should begin at www.ybor.org and www.visittampabay.com.