The Florida Park That Actually Belongs To The Republic Of Cuba

Where can you go to be in Florida and outside of the U.S. at the same time?

It sounds like a riddle, but there’s actually a pretty straightforward answer. In the historic Ybor City neighborhood in Tampa, there’s a small park that actually belongs to the Republic of Cuba.

TripAdvisor/Donna W

Parque Amigos de Jose Marti (Friends of Jose Marti Park) was the site of fellow revolutionary Paulina Pedroso’s boarding house, where she aided Jose Marti in his fight for the independence of Cuba.

TripAdvisor/FlaHarlock

Flickr/M. C. Bob Leonard

She donated the park to Cuba in his memory in 1956, just a few years before the island’s communist revolution (which did somewhat complicate things).

TripAdvisor/Cagatay O

The park contains soil from every one of the island nation’s provinces and monuments to Jose Julian Marti Perez (Jose Marti) and fellow leader Jose Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales.

TripAdvisor/Cagatay O

If you’re interested in Florida history, Tampa’s Ybor City should be high on your list of places to visit.

TripAdvisor/Cagatay O

This small but significant park is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but if you don’t make it in time, you can still get a good glimpse of the park from outside the gates.

Flickr/BXGD

Did you know about this park? 🙂

TripAdvisor/Donna W

TripAdvisor/FlaHarlock

Flickr/M. C. Bob Leonard

TripAdvisor/Cagatay O

Flickr/BXGD

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