Rough Rider Park

In the heart of historic Ybor City — Tampa's Cuban exile neighborhood and the Rough Riders' home base in 1898 — a park, monument, and time capsule stand as a lasting tribute to the men of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.

Rough Rider Memorial Park, Ybor City, Tampa, Florida

When the Rough Riders arrived in Tampa in the spring of 1898, Ybor City was already one of the most politically charged neighborhoods in America. Home to thousands of Cuban exiles who had fled Spanish colonial rule, Ybor's cigar workers and community leaders had long supported Cuban independence — bankrolling revolutionary movements and hosting Cuban patriot José Martí himself.

The arrival of the Rough Riders — heading to fight for Cuba's freedom — was met with enormous enthusiasm. The men drilled in the surrounding areas, drank in Ybor's saloons, and marched through its streets on their way to Port Tampa, cheered on by a community that had waited years for this moment.

The monument at Rough Rider Park honors the men of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment who trained and departed from Tampa in 1898. It stands as a permanent reminder of the extraordinary circumstances that brought cowboys, college athletes, lawmen, and Native Americans together in this neighborhood — and sent them to fight one of America's most celebrated military campaigns.

The park is maintained as a public green space in Ybor City, welcoming visitors who want to connect with the neighborhood's deep ties to the Spanish-American War and the Rough Rider legacy.