Venues
All venues are located in Ybor City, a designated National Historic Landmark District, north of downtown Tampa, FL.
Ybor City is readily accessible from Interstates I-275 and I-4. Here is a map of the area for guidance. Driving directions are below.
Cuban Club
circa 1950s
Tampa, FL 33605 (map)
813-248-2954
www.cubanclub.org
El Círculo Cubano, a social club and community organization founded in 1899, has its roots deep in historic Ybor City.
In 1917, the Cuban Club opened the doors of its neoclassic clubhouse at 2010 North Avenida República de Cuba in Ybor City. Since then, the Círculo Cubano has provided a theater, grand ballroom, medical clinic, cantina, gym, and library to its members.
El Pasaje Arcade
Built in 1886-88, El Pasaje was the second brick building erected in Ybor city. The building housed a restaurant, hotel and casino.
El Pasaje was home to the Cherokee Club, a Tampa cultural landmark, which cultivated social interaction among Tampa's business community and Ybor City's cigar manufacturers. Notable visitors have included Teddy Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Jose Marti, and Frederic Remington.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1972.
Marti-Maceo Social Club
Sociedad La Union Martí-Maceo is a mutual aid society founded by Afro-Cuban patriots in Tampa in 1900.
The club originated in 1899, as an integrated organization of both black and white Cubans. Shortly after, however, the group split along racial lines due to the pressures of the segregated South, with black Cubans founding the Marti-Maceo Social Club and white Cubans joining the El Círculo Cubano.
A joint centennial celebration was held in 1999 through to the fall of 2000.
The club is named for Cuban Revolution patriots Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo. Marti was a poet and political essayist who visited Ybor City often in 1890s to raise funds and support for the armies fighting Spain for Cuban independence.
Maceo was a general in the Cuban Liberation Army, known as a brave leader, but for his principles. The two heroes also embodied the dual ancestry of Cuba. Marti was white and descended from immigrants from Spain; Maceo was mulatto, descended from Spanish colonists and African slaves. Marti was killed in battle in 1895, and Maceo died in battle in 1896.
Silver Meteor Gallery
The Silver Meteor Gallery is named for the Amtrak Silver Meteor passenger train, which passes on its tracks within feet of the front door of the gallery.
Hillsborough Community College Patio
of Cuban Club in background
at North 15th Street and Palm Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605 (map)
813-253-7600
The Ybor City Campus of Hillsborough Community College is situated in the heart of Ybor City, Tampa's Historic Latin Quarter. The campus is minutes away from downtown Tampa and easily accessible to all sections of the county via Interstate 4, State Highway 60, and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.
The Ybor City Campus specializes in the program areas of child care, business management, computer programming, office education, fire science, art, drama, music and criminal justice training, in addition to general education offerings.
HCC's fine arts complex, which features studios, classrooms, a gallery, a theatre and an auditorium, is located here.
Driving Directions to Ybor City
From the north:
- Take I-275 South to I-4 East
- Exit I-4 West at Exit 1 - Ybor City (Note: The exit is on the left side)
- Turn right (south) onto North 21st Street
- Turn right (west) onto Palm Avenue
- At the intersection of North Avenida Republic de Cuba (North 14th Street) and Palm Avenue, turn right for the Hillsborough Community College parking lot, or proceed to North 13th Street and Palm Avenue for the City of Tampa parking garage
From the south or west:
- Take I-275 North to I-4 East
- Exit I-4 West at Exit 1 - Ybor City (Note: The exit is on the left side)
- Turn right (south) onto North 21st Street
- Turn right (west) onto Palm Avenue
- At the intersection of North Avenida Republic de Cuba (North 14th Street) and Palm Avenue, turn right for the Hillsborough Community College parking lot, or proceed to North 13th Street and Palm Avenue for the City of Tampa parking garage
From the east:
- Take I-4 West to Exit 1 - Ybor City
- Turn left (south) onto North 21st Street
- Turn right (west) onto Palm Avenue
- At the intersection of Avenida Republic de Cuba (North 14th Street) and Palm Avenue, turn right for the Hillsborough Community College parking lot, or proceed to North 13th Street and Palm Avenue for the City of Tampa parking garage