Tampa celebrates 138th birthday: Closer look at J.C. Newman Cigar Company & Museum

Celebrating Tampa's birthday

What's the top museum in Tampa? According to Trip Advisor, it's the J.C. Newman Cigar Company and Museum in Ybor City.�Lloyd Sowers reports.

YBOR CITY, Fla. - What's the top museum in Tampa? According to Trip Advisor, it's the J.C. Newman Cigar Company and Museum in Ybor City. 

It's the nation's only remaining traditional cigar factory. 

At J.C. Newman, you can see skilled cigar workers rolling fine cigars, watch vintage machines turning out less expensive cigars, and you can even try your hand and learn to roll a cigar. 

Fourth-generation cigar maker Drew Newman and his family spent millions restoring their factory, building exhibits, and welcoming visitors. 

They opened to the public five years ago. They found that Tampa's unique cigar history sells.  

"We went from having zero visitors five years ago, to 20,000 visitors last year," says Newman. 

On this day, he leads a tour across the street to the skeleton of a building called the Sanchez & Haya building. 

It's Newman's next target for historic restoration. The work is already underway.  It was Tampa's first concrete building, built by cigar company owner Ignacio Haya, who "smoked" his friend Vincente Ybor in a race to make Tampa's first cigar. 

"Even though the neighborhood has Mr. Ybor's name, it was Mr. Haya who built the first cigar factory and rolled the first cigar almost 140 years ago," says Newman.

The backstory:

Vincente Ybor and Ignacio Haya moved their cigar businesses from Key West to Tampa in 1886. 

Ybor purchased 40 acres which would become Ybor City. 

Tampa's population exploded as workers came from Spain, Cuba, Sicily, Germany, and other counties to roll cigars. 

Tampa became known as The Cigar City and The Cigar Capital of the World. 

Most of their tobacco was grown in Cuba. That ended in 1959 with the Castro Revolution. Most cigar tobacco now comes from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica,  and other countries. 

What's next:

Newman plans to open the restored Haya & Sanchez building in late 2026 as a food and entertainment venue. He plans three sections in the 2 story building. 

• Elaine’s Restaurant (Drew's grandmother)
• Stanford’s Cigar Club (Drew's grandfather)
• The Inn at El Reloj

The Newman family has already completed Cigar Workers Park next door. 

There are also plans to bring a 100-year-old tobacco barn from North Florida to show visitors the agricultural aspects of tobacco.