Tripadvisor Names J.C. Newman as the Top Museum in Tampa

 

Tripadvisor now lists J.C. Newman Cigar Co.’s historic El Reloj cigar factory as the top museum in Tampa, Florida. Based on visitor reviews, Tripadvisor ranks El Reloj ahead of 33 other museums in Tampa and presented it with a “Travelers Choice” award for 2023. When El Reloj was built in 1910, it was recognized as the largest and finest cigar factory in the world. Today, El Reloj is the last large cigar factory still operating in the United States.

“In celebration of our company’s 125th anniversary in 2020, we restored El Reloj and opened the factory to the public for the first time,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman. “Last year, more than 15,000 visitors explored our cigar museum, took a guided factory tour, participated in a cigar-rolling class, or attended a private event.”

Because J.C. Newman is a four-generation family business, many of its Tripadvisor reviews note that guided tours of El Reloj are both informative and personal:

A century ago, Tampa became internationally known the fine cigar capital and “Cigar City.”  Tampa’s 150 cigar factories rolled more than 500 million cigars by hand each year, more than anywhere else in the world. Today, J.C. Newman keep’s Tampa’s historic cigar making tradition alive by rolling 60,000 cigars per day at its historic El Reloj cigar factory. With its cigar museum, guided tours, cigar-rolling classes, factory store, and private events, El Reloj has become the premier destination for cigar tourism.