The Tampabay Community Design Center (TCDC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the rich design and architectural heritage of the Tampa Bay region while fostering a forward-thinking approach to design. It champions historic preservation and sustainability and promotes innovative design solutions for the future.
TCDC also loves Tampa’s haunted history, along with its haunted historic buildings. The organization will be hosting a Ybor City Ghost Walk on Tuesday, October 20, from 5:30-7 p.m.
“Ybor City Ghost Walk will be offered to 25 brave souls, leaving from the Centro Espanol steps at 1526 Seventh Ave.,” said Linda Saul-Sena of TCDC. “We hope guests will join this actor-led tour as you get off the beaten path and deep into the soul of Ybor City. Eleven ghosts tell their stories and reveal their secrets.”
A true ‘melting pot’ of immigration, what began as an area populated largely by alligators and snakes grew to become home to tens of thousands of people within the span of just 40 years. Along with the cigar workers who came from Cuba and Europe to make a new life in the New World, ‘Cigar City’ hosted more than its share of villains, conspirators, buccaneers, bandits and gangsters.
They arrived from all over the globe, and some have never left, despite slipping the bounds of their worldly forms. Tampa’s famous ‘Latin District’ has no lack of strange and creepy happenings. It is home to some of the most haunted buildings in America.
“Our Ghost Walk will entertain you with stories of the characters and legends that make Ybor City such a fascinating place to explore,” Saul-Sena said. “Eventbrite tickets are $25, which allow you to embark on a spicy journey for all your senses. Smell the aromas of the cigars and taste the coffee, especially the cafe con leche. Be touched by our ghosts and travel with them to a different time, when Tampa was the cigar capital of the world.”
The team at TCDC hopes the community will come out to explore darkened side streets and hear chilling but true tales of long-dead citizens, now ghosts who hang in the shadows here … all the time.
“From Charlie Wall to Paulina Pederosa, you’ll never hear these names again with out a shudder,” Saul-Sena said. “Meet us at 1526 Seventh Ave. at 5:15 on Tuesday, October 20, if you dare. We’ll slip into the darkened alleys (huddled together) promptly at 5:30 p.m. Julia Gorzka Freeman and I will be your guides on this actor-guided tour. The cost is $25, with a limit of 25 guests.”
If you would like to be one of the 25 guests to take the Ghost Walk with TCDC, you can purchase your ticket at www.eventbrite.com/e/2002296646169. Due to true stories of murder and mayhem, this tour is not recommended for children or the faint at heart.
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