A state-run museum that tells Ybor's immigrant story in clearly written exhibits: the founding of the cigar industry in 1885, the arrival of Spanish, Cuban, Italian, and Jewish workers, the role of the lectores (readers) who entertained cigar rollers with novels and newspapers, the strikes that broke the industry, and the long decline before the neighbourhood's 1990s revival.
In the garden behind the main building stand three restored shotgun-style casitas — the small wooden cottages where cigar workers and their families lived. Each is furnished as it would have been a century ago. A combined ticket includes a guided tour of the cottages.