
Ybor City was the 'Cigar Capital of the World' — Vicente Martinez-Ybor moved factories from Cuba in 1885 and the district rolled half a billion cigars a year. Today 7th Avenue's brick strip keeps the cigar rollers (Tabanero, JC Newman), the 1905 Columbia Restaurant's Spanish tiled dining rooms, and a protected population of descendant chickens roaming the streets.
Yes — the district is open streets; demos are free, restaurants and shops charge.
8th Ave near Centro Ybor — the 7th Ave strip is a short walk.
Daytime for the shops and Columbia lunch; it turns into a nightlife strip late.