Videos

Tampa Red, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb, and Ray Charles are just a few of the notable musicians to play in Tampa during Central Avenue’s heyday. Join us as we dive into the work of legendary Black musicians that lifted spirits and defined Central Avenue’s cultural legacy.

In the past, ships filled with everything from bananas to bags of cement had to be loaded and unloaded by hand. It could take scores of men several days to fill or empty one ship.

Cheryl Rodriguez, Ph.D., professor at the University of South Florida, shares the history of Tampa's Central Avenue and the Scrub.