Why 5 stars? Because this is something I hope to do every year!…read more --- --- --- I wanted to check out this home tour for a long time, but it seemed that every year there would be some kind of random schedule conflict that prevented me from being in two places at once. After missing it several years in a row, I've been able to attend the last two years and absolutely loved it! I fall squarely into the ideal demographic for something like this: I love real estate porn and I used to own a house in Seminole Heights. Even though I don't live there anymore, I have a lot of pride for the neighborhood and still check out the housing market on a daily basis. The way this event works is that everyone meets up at a centralized place to collect their tickets. Last year it was at the high school and this year it was at the library. There, we're given a map of each house to tour and a booklet with write-ups on each stop. This year, all of the stops were west of 275, so the entire tour was easily walkable. We did end up taking the trolley back to the library from the last house, but that's only because it was rolling by right as we were heading in that direction. You also have the option of driving or biking from house-to-house - it's really up to you because you go at your own pace and in any order you'd like to. There were 12 stops for the 2018 event and I believe a similar number in 2017. Both years had a 2-3 standout homes that were truly breathtaking and 2-3 homes that were nice, but probably not home tour worthy. The rest of the homes fit somewhere in the middle. The standouts made the very affordable tickets worth the price of admission, alone. I was having some serious home envy! I really love what Seminole Heights has evolved into and hope to see it continue to grow in the years to come. I'll be looking forward to and buying tickets to this event every year!

Are you a fan of history? The Ybor City Mafia walking tour will provide plenty of insight on the…read moregrowth of Tampa from a little cigar town called Ybor. It highlights the growth, expansion, historical markers and people. Only about an hour and a half, the leisurely stroll past old cigar factories, gambling establishments and bar/restaurants is well worth it. The mafia had a hold on this little town for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. The tour included stops where many mobster "hits" occurred and houses where Ybor Mafiosi lived. Worth the time and money. Our 13-year experienced tour guide, Scott Deitche, related stories from mobster affiliates he actually had the opportunity to interview for his book, Cigar City Mafia.

This excellent walking tour of Ybor City is an outstanding experience that locals, visitors,…read morenewcomers or anyone interested in the colorful, past of this multi-cultural community will enjoy. Manny Leto guided the group through decades of fascinating facts, very descriptive detail and really entertaining information while navigating through the busy streets to point out various landmarks and significant locations. The pace was easy and the total amount of walking was very manageable. Comfortable walking shoes and dressing for whatever weather awaits would be wise. To get the insights of author Scott Deitch presented in such a knowledgable and personable manner is really exceptional. The narrative never dragged and the information was provided in a very conversational manner. You won't feel like you are being lectured to or being read to from a script. This isn't strictly about Ybor's past but some of the shady characters and questionable activities (bootlegging and gambling, for instance) found throughout Tampa. Leto mentioned movies that have highlighted some of Ybor's history, prominent Tampa families who played a role in this community and blended in some basic history that helped to give everything, and everyone, context. Loved it, laughed at parts and learned lots.

I'm so glad we took the time to do this walking tour of Tampa's historic Ybor City. Our guide, Max,…read morewas incredibly engaging, informative, and funny, and a fantastic performer. It helped me build such an appreciation of the history of the space/community we were staying in. The tour went far beyond the story of Ybor being the cigar capital of the world back in its inception. Max brought to life the importance of the social clubs, the people, and the way the entire community and land was built (stemming from the vision an investment of one individual.) Whether passionate about history or not, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ybor City or Tampa.

Our small group had a wonderful tour yesterday with Max from Tampa Bay Tours. He was informative,…read moreentertaining, funny, and always relevant. We were amazed by his breadth of knowledge about Ybor City and the people who made it such an important and fascinating place. Thank you, Max! We're already looking forward to trying his evening Ghost Tour next. -- Sue

Three on a ladies day out found this your with Scott Deitch fascinating. The walk was easy, he was…read morevery clear and concise, did not feel rushed. Will certainly go back again.

From the owner: Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood.read more

I am so disappointed regarding our experience at the Tampa FL location. . My family was vacationing…read morefrom MN and our tour was cancelled due to some sort of building flooding at our meeting spot. They offered to let us hop on another tour and take a rain check. Unfortunately, we were flying out the next morning and requested a refund. It has now been three months and I still have no refund ($200). I have been trying to contact Christine (the owner) for months, text, call, email with no response. I will now be putting in a dispute with my card provider for a refund. I hope everything is going alright over there, and that they turn things around!

My girlfriend and I had an excellent time. Nikki was awesome. My girlfriend was a skeptic but after…read morethe last stop she changed her mind.

What an amazing tour around the city of Tampa! There are so many beautiful landmarks and places to…read moreexplore. So well worth doing. Thank you, Michele!

I signed up for a tour with RealTOUR because I'm new to the area and wanted to get an in-depth…read moreoverview. I was blown away!!! The tour operator was so intimately knowledgeable about the various neighborhoods but that was so overshadowed by her passion for what she was showing us, with lengthy and detailed stories with every turn! I hated it to end!!!!

Kimberly was fantastic in assisting us to book our tour since our tickets were older…read more Even though parking was a little problematic, since the Christmas parade was the same in day in Dunedin, we were able to snare a spot that wound up being very convenient to the last stop on the tour! We started at Lucky Lobster and experienced the best Lobster and Shrimp Pizza and also Lobster Bisque. Never had that combination before but it was off the chart good! There were many great stops but our favorite was Harley's Popcorn! So much so that we later ordered a tin of Popcorn to be delivered to family!! And the grand finale was the dessert and coffee at the Bon Appetit Restaurant! Fresh hot coffee and a choice of many desserts. We chose the Coconut Pie which was a the perfect ending to a delicious afternoon and husband chose the Key Lime Pie which he declared was the best ever! Thank you for a great tour. Alex was well informed and we liked how he incorporated some Dunedin history into the tour!!

The tour, food and drinks were amazing. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable of the…read morehistory of the area. I highly recommend this tour and we will definitely be back for another one.

Absolutely exceeded our expectations! Raina was an amazing guide, full of tons of information…read moreabout the bay, history of the ponies and nuances of each pony to better assist each rider. Would highly recommend! This is an experience you'll never forget. Thanks to Raina, Coral, Dori and Snooki.

Great experience. We went in late June. Loved how the horses were taken care of and treated. Loved…read morethat they took a lot of different photos for us to take home (pay extra). Great experience.

We had the pleasure of attending The Original Ybor City Food Tour on Sunday afternoon. It was a…read moresmall group - 3 attendees plus our amazing hostess Kristie. We were excited to learn about the history of Ybor City as well as its blended culture and the amazing food. We were not disappointed. Kristie's knowledge of the city and its history is unsurpassed. This could have been a historical tour instead of a foodie tour. It is that in depth. Now the food. I hope you brought your appetite. We started at Café Quiquiriqui with the local staple - the Cuban sandwich. The pressed Cuban bread was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. The layers of mustard, pickles, cheese, pulled pork, ham and salami were perfect. Then we moved to The Bricks for The Rooster - a rice bowl with shredded chicken, tomato, pickled red onion, roasted red pepper and mixed greens served over rice with a cilantro lime aioli. Delicious! Fresh and crisp with flavors that pop! We then started a big portion of the history tour. We visited José Martí Park (Isla de Cuba) - a park that is actually Cuban soil inside of the United States. Amazing history at this location. From there, we moved to the cigar factory district and visited the museum quality displays inside the lobby of the Scientology building. We made our way to the Ybor City Visitors Center where we watched a brief video on the history the city and picked up a few souvenirs. We then headed past the historic casitas near Centennial Park and the Italian Club. Next was the German influence food stop - Barrio Tacos. What? A taco restaurant? We had a full sized taco called "Das Taco". It is a combo of shredded chicken, chorizo sausage, fried onion crisps, a homemade cabbage/brussels sprout slaw with a delectable horseradish sauce. German influence all over this dish. This taste treat is only available on this tour. You can't order it off their menu. Plus, we had fresh corn chips and their terrific salsa. We finished our tour at Nicahabana Cigars for a cup of Café Con Leche in some of the most comfortable chairs in Tampa and a sweet treat from New York New York Pizza - fresh zeppoles with powdered sugar. All throughout the tour, we got snippets of the local history and local folklore. We laughed and took tons of photos. This was seriously one of the best food/history tours we have ever been on. Bring your walking shoes, stay hydrated and have a blast. There may be other tours in Ybor City but don't waste your time on those. Pick The Original Ybor City Food Tour. You won't be sorry!

Amazing experience. Cindy was so knowledgeable, her love of the city was evident. The food was next…read morelevel. I would highly recommend.

how cool is it to come hang on a real wwii ship! a museum all year round and haunted adventure…read morehalloween time! always going back here! thank you

OMG. This was amazing. I was a little apprehensive when I showed up with a 3 year old after reading…read moresome of the reviews. My little one loved it more than the aquarium. There are some areas that are hot and stuffy but there are also designated air conditioned rooms. His favorite part was going up up and up! I won't lie, I was getting nauseous looking down but outside was nice with the winds. I def recommend checking it out.