The Wandering Disciple

Despite having one of the newest teams in baseball, the Tampa Bay area has a deep history of baseball dating back to 1913 when the Cubs moved their spring training operations to Tampa. Over the years, the region has hosted almost twenty teams and have welcomed ton of hall of famers to play ball in the Sunshine State. In addition to professional baseball, the year-round good weather of Tampa makes the region a great spot to host amateur baseball tournaments throughout the year. (Photo: July 11, 2013)

A walk around Ybor City feels more like a stroll through Havana rather then Florida.  The Cuban influence in this part of the city is around every corner thanks to the immigrant cigar manufactures who came to the city in the late 1800's.  Today, you can learn more about this Cuban heritage at the Ybor City Museum State Park in the heart of Ybor City.  (Photo: July 11, 2013)

Cigar boxes like these are a reminder of Tampa's rich history of cigar making.  The Ybor City section of Tampa was one of the biggest producers of cigars in the US, earning it the nickname Cigar City. Today remnants of the cigar industry can be seen throughout the area. (Photo:  July 11, 2013)

Roosters roam freely on the streets of Ybor City. The history of the wild chickens date back to the last century and the regions Cuban immigrants. Today the roosters are a icon of the region's Cuban heritage. (Photo: July 11, 2013)

Cigar factories like the one depicted here at the Y’bor City Museum were once the heart of the thriving Cuban district in Tampa. Close proximity to the shipping lanes combined with a rail line were decisive factors in Vicente Martinez Ybor moving his cigar business from Key West to Tampa. With the factory came, the workers and eventually a Cuban culture that still thrives in Y’bor City to this day. (Photo: July 11, 2013)

Tampa, Florida:  Today's traveling adventure takes us to about an hour and a half north to Tampa and look inside some of the lesser know attractions in the city.  We decided to pay a visit to the Ybor City Museum State Park and the Henry Plant Museum during our trip. As we got ready to leave, the effects of the Staycation is starting to take a toll on the body.  The constant travelling is really starting to wear us down, evident by the snooze button being hit on the alarm clock and the fact we left about an hour later then we had planned. No matter how many times we drive to Tampa, I still refuse to take the direct route.  But rather take I-275 over the Sunshine Skyway with panoramic view around Tampa Bay.  Today was an unusual day across the Skyway as the haze was diminished enough that you could see both the St Petersburg and Tampa skylines from the bridge.  Usually Tampa's skyline is lost in the haze. We arrived our first attraction, the Ybor C...

A traditional Casita like the one here at Ybor City Museum State Park were the housing for Cuban immigrants who worked in the cigar factories that filled the area.  (Photo: July 11, 2013)