The area was developed by businessman Vicente Martinez Ybor beginning in 1886, and was for a time the world's leading supplier of cigars.

Tours of the gardens and the "casitas" (small homes of cigar company workers) are provided by a ranger.

Exhibits, period photos and a video cover the founding of Ybor City and the cigar making industry.

[5] The Latino Barrio Commission, a city of Tampa-sanctioned committee of neighborhood community and business leaders, architects, and local residents, is charged with "preserving the historic fabric of the District and maintaining its architectural integrity.

In 1974, an area centered on Ybor City's 7th Avenue business district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.