Gay ybor city


Nestled in the heart of Tampa Bay lies the historic neighborhood of Ybor City. Sometimes called GaYbor City due to its proximity to the area’s gay bars on 7th Avenue, this Floridian locale offers much more than just nightlife to queer travelers.

Ybor City is rooted in a rich culture and is known as being where Tampa Bay’s historical roots lie. Founded in by Vicente Martinez Ybor, the city quickly became known as the “cigar capital of the world” due to the immense number of cigar factories that were in operation. Now, even though most of the factories are gone, the community still honors its history and is filled with shops, restaurants and art galleries that honor the Cuban, Italian and Spanish heritage that helped shape it.

The following is our queer guide to Ybor City.

Stay

Hotel Haya

Named after Ignacio Haya, who is said to have rolled the first cigar in Tampa, Hotel Haya is located directly on 7th Avenue and is the perfect spot to become fully immersed in Ybor culture. The hotel is deeply rooted in the community’s Cuban heritage,

Tampa Gay Neighborhood Guide 

Tampa, Florida, and the entire Bay Area possess seen an influx of unused residents in the last limited years. People from all over the country flock to the area to experience the adj beaches, warm weather, art scene, and more.

As one of the most gay-friendly cities in Florida, it’s become a haven for people within the community to thrive and make a noun. Its prime location in Central Florida gives you easy access to other major cities enjoy Maimi, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Before committing to the proceed, it’s best to know what living there means for the LGBTQ+ community. 

How Accepting Is Tampa of the LGBTQ Community?  

Tampa Bay has a rich LGBTQ+ history, dating back to the Stonewall riots in , which woke the world up to the many injustices facing gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals. Now, the passionate individuals within the community in Tampa have made a considerable difference in their attitude towards the community. 

The capital hosted its first Pride Parade in but then had to deal with several laws that ban

LGBTQ clothing store proud to be in Ybor

YBOR CITY, Fla. — Ybor City has often been referred to as Gaybor because of all the LGBTQ-owned businesses. Unfortunately, many of those businesses have closed over the years. However, there is one clothing store that’s leading the comeback.

Bulge Apparel recently won Watermark’s Wave Award for Tampa Bay’s Favorite Hidden Gem.

Tucked away on 13th Street, across from trolley terminate number four, owner PJ Salas said his clothing store may be small, but the impact it’s making is huge.

“Ybor lost a lot of its businesses during COVID, it used to be known as Gaybor and we were about 15 businesses strong. Now there is only three of us, so there is a growth opportunity; we’re filling a void,” said Salas.

Salas wanted to provide a detect where up-and-coming designers had a place to showcase their talents.

“Ninety percent of my merchandise is from small businesses, LGBTQ, minority-owned, women-owned, Black-owned,” said Salas.

Designer Michael Murray is ecstatic to observe his shorts on their shelves.

“It was a great way to compliment everything I was

Gay Tampa: The Complete LGBTQ+ Explore Guide. When it comes to gay travel destinations in the US, Tampa proudly showed itself to be a welcoming and inclusive safe haven for gay travellers wanting to visit the “Sunshine State”.

I spent 4 nights in Tampa during December experiencing as much of the destination as possible, from its culinary delights (including one of the best steaks I have had in a while), to its main attractions and of course it’s vibrant and super friendly gay nightlife.

Something about Tampa really made me beam with happiness and contentment during my stop by , so please allow me to share my gay guide to Tampa in partnership with Attend Tampa Bay to help you plan your next trip there.

Is Tampa Gay Friendly?

It would be naïve of me not to mention that Florida as a state has its challenges when it comes to LGBTQ+ people and travel, some of which may deter people from travelling to Florida at all.

However, it’s equally naïve to not appreciate that there can be destinations, cities and people within these states striv