Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a great place to raise families. For animal lovers. For conventioneers. Even if you aren't in any of these categories, Tampa could be for you. The city by the bay has many charms, even if you don't live near the convention center, amusement park, aquarium or aquarium. Busch Gardens and Florida Aquarium are great places to spend a day.

This city has a lot of history. Here, for example, Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders made a stop to Cuba on their way to Cuba in the Spanish-American War. There are also a few museums to choose from, such as the Museum of Science & Industry.

Then there's the sport - this is where you'll find the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. This is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball club, as well as the spring training base for many other major league teams.

After you've had enough of Tampa, you can drive 25 miles south to St. Petersburg to enjoy sophisticated dining and Clearwater to see the beautiful sugar sand beaches.

Best Time to Visit

From September to December is the best time to visit Tampa. To lure you in, the hotels that are vacant offer fire-sale rates for the four most popular months of the year. The area attractions are busiest although the months between January to April are cooler, they are more expensive. May through August, the weather can be uncomfortable and must be avoided.

Pro Tip

When You First Arrive, Stock up on Cheap Food and Supplies at Walmart! Grab some full-size sunscreen, food and snacks for your room, and any gear you need.

Airport

Tampa International Airport is an international airport six miles (9.7 km) west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States.

Top Things to Do in Tampa

Order a Cuban sandwich at the Columbia Restaurant
If you believe in food & wine, you don’t have to travel very far to get Florida’s best sandwich because it calls Ybor City home. In his new listing of “The Best Sandwich in Every State,” order a Cuban sandwich at Columbia is top of the heap in the Sunshine State and your favorite drink to match your snack. Later, walk through the shopping promenade and buy your desired products.

Ride SheiKra at Busch Gardens
Climb 200 feet to the edge of a 90-degree drop that inches you mercilessly over the edge—and stops. Then surrender to speed as you dive straight down into a 70 mph roller coaster whirlwind with an Immelmann loop, a second dive into an underground tunnel and a splashdown finale that drenches SheiKra fans waiting to catch their own piece of the fun.

Catch a band at Skipper’s Smokehouse
Skipper's is a beloved, unpretentious open-air venue for blues, folk, reggae and gator-swamp rockabilly, beneath beautiful live oaks. It's 9 miles directly north of downtown, on a side street off N Nebraska Ave. As evening approaches, the crowd settles in and you go into a time of amazing music with food and drinks.

Go for a jog along Bayshore Boulevard
This is one of Tampa's best attractions. Running 4.5 miles from Gandy Boulevard to downtown Tampa, the sidewalk that runs along Bayshore Boulevard is the longest continuous sidewalk in the US. It is also south Tampa's unofficial gym, where at all hours of the day you can find people walking, jogging, biking, and rollerblading down the nearly flat pavement. With water and skyline views on one side and some of Tampa's most expensive real estate on the other, the scenery can't be beaten. It's also the location of the city's most anticipated annual celebration, the Gasparilla Pirate Parade and Festival in late January.

Go shopping in Hyde Park Village
Hyde Park Village is an outdoor lifestyle center offering a unique shopping, dining and entertainment experience. With a mix of national, regional and local retailers, the Village features a variety of shops and restaurants including an upscale cinema, full service salon, 24/7 cupcake ATM and more.

Recommended Hotels

Tampa is known as a Waterfront City with popular vacation spots, beaches, museums and numerous fun-filled activities. You can find a home away from home with a huge collection hotels and other places to stay. They include Sailport Waterfront Suites, Hotel Haya, Tampa Marriott Water Street, Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa/Ybor City/Downtown, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay to name a few.

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