Tampa's Cigar Heritage Festival

The biggest and best of all the free cigar festivals in the U.S. has to be Tampa's annual Cigar Heritage Festival. The event is held during the month of November in Ybor City, the former cigar capital of the world. The area is rich in cigar history and culture, and Tampa's weather during November is usually close to perfect. The 2006 festival was held on November 18, on a beautiful 70-degree Saturday without a cloud in the sky. The event attracted about five thousand people, including both men and women. The world record for the longest cigar was set, and Cigar Dave was on hand for a live broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show. There were cigar rolling demonstrations, live entertainment, and plenty of cigars and libations available for sale. I can go on and on about how much I enjoyed the festival, but 20 pictures are worth twenty thousand words.