Things to do in Tampa, FL

Tampa's extensive Latin culture springs from the cigar factories that were located in Ybor City and West Tampa at the end of the 1800's to the early  20th century. When Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar factory from Key West to Tampa, it increased the population of the sleepy town by many thousands in just a few years. At its height, Tampa was considered the "Cigar Capital of the World". Most of the cigar factories are long gone, but a couple still exist. There are still quite a few small cigar shops in Ybor City where you can watch a tabaquero hand-roll a custom cigar.

It might have taken a little while (or decades), but all three of our major sports teams have experienced success in recent years. The National Football League Buccaneers play in Raymond James Stadium. The National Hockey League Lightning play in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa. Finally, the Rays baseball team plays in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. If you aren't quite a professional sportsperson, there are still plenty of opportunities to get active in Tampa. In a place with 300 days of sunshine per year, golf is very popular, including courses visited every year by the PGA and Champions Tours. Of...  

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Tampa's extensive Latin culture springs from the cigar factories that were located in Ybor City and West Tampa at the end of the 1800's to the early  20th century. When Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar factory from Key West to Tampa, it increased the population of the sleepy town by many thousands in just a few years. At its height, Tampa was considered the "Cigar Capital of the World". Most of the cigar factories are long gone, but a couple still exist. There are still quite a few small cigar shops in Ybor City where you can watch a tabaquero hand-roll a custom cigar.

It might have taken a little while (or decades), but all three of our major sports teams have experienced success in recent years. The National Football League Buccaneers play in Raymond James Stadium. The National Hockey League Lightning play in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa. Finally, the Rays baseball team plays in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. If you aren't quite a professional sportsperson, there are still plenty of opportunities to get active in Tampa. In a place with 300 days of sunshine per year, golf is very popular, including courses visited every year by the PGA and Champions Tours. Of course, any water sport you can possibly be interested in can be found either in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, or the freshwater lakes and rivers.

Tampa’s weather, being a subtropical climate, is sunny for roughly 300 days out of the year. Spring, fall, and most of winter will feature some of the best weather in the country, comparatively speaking, with highs in the 60’s and 70’s most days. It’s the summer, however, for which Tampa is famous. The heat and humidity, along with being surrounded by water, give rise to strong thunderstorms most afternoons. In fact, the Tampa Bay area is known as the lightning capital of North America, with the average resident being within half a mile of a lightning strike 10 to 15 times per year. If a storm is rolling in, seek shelter. There is a reason we named our hockey and arena football teams the Lightning and Storm, respectively.

Life revolves around water here in Tampa Bay because the water literally revolves around us. There are the beaches, which are consistently ranked as some of the best in the nation. There is the fishing, both in the Gulf and in the various lakes and rivers around the area. And then there are the opportunities to jump on one of the fantastic cruise ships that leave from the Port of Tampa, the second-busiest port in Florida. Trips of various lengths depart every week for Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts beyond.

For most people, the year in Tampa starts with Gasparilla, our riff on Mardi Gras with a pirate twist. There are many events that surround Gasparilla, including the original parade, a parade for children, and a night parade. Halloween is celebrated with Guavaween in Ybor City. National entertainment acts routinely visit both the Tampa Bay Times Forum and the Amphitheater. Tampa has also hosted the Super Bowl twice in the past 15 years and will host the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2012. National, historic events are realizing that Tampa provides a great setting for their gatherings.

Situated on Florida's west coast along the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa affords visitors pleasant ocean breezes and astounding views of the Hillsborough River and surrounding bays. The prosperous downtown Tampa district boasts numerous businesses, notable museums, and impressive public spaces, popular among locals and those on vacation in Tampa. Outfitted with wrought iron and brick, the attractive downtown Tampa Ybor City district offers pedestrian shopping, fine dining and clubs with a distinctly Latin twist.

Settled by immigrants from Spain, Cuba and Italy, the city of Tampa has a rich multi-cultural heritage. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Cuban population developed a thriving cigar industry in Ybor City, and even today smoke shops and tobacconists line the streets of this historic Tampa district. The Ybor City State Museum has preserved several historic buildings in the area, and Tampa visitors can tour the old Ferlita Bakery and La Casita, a home once occupied by factory workers, for a glimpse of the neighborhood's history.

Today, as in the past, the city of Tampa maintains a large shipping industry, but its booming economy also relies heavily on tourism, finance, agriculture, health care and...  Read more »

Situated on Florida's west coast along the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa affords visitors pleasant ocean breezes and astounding views of the Hillsborough River and surrounding bays. The prosperous downtown Tampa district boasts numerous businesses, notable museums, and impressive public spaces, popular among locals and those on vacation in Tampa. Outfitted with wrought iron and brick, the attractive downtown Tampa Ybor City district offers pedestrian shopping, fine dining and clubs with a distinctly Latin twist.

Settled by immigrants from Spain, Cuba and Italy, the city of Tampa has a rich multi-cultural heritage. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Cuban population developed a thriving cigar industry in Ybor City, and even today smoke shops and tobacconists line the streets of this historic Tampa district. The Ybor City State Museum has preserved several historic buildings in the area, and Tampa visitors can tour the old Ferlita Bakery and La Casita, a home once occupied by factory workers, for a glimpse of the neighborhood's history.

Today, as in the past, the city of Tampa maintains a large shipping industry, but its booming economy also relies heavily on tourism, finance, agriculture, health care and real estate. The downtown Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and St. Pete Times Forum, the Tampa Bay Lighting's NHL arena, regularly attract large crowds to the city, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers provide one of the most popular reasons for visiting. Tampa family vacations are sure to include Busch Gardens, an Africa-themed zoo and theme park, and with the Tampa Museum of Art and Museum of Science and History added to the mix, there are plenty of interesting things to do in Tampa for tourists of all ages and interests.

As for food and entertainment in Tampa, the city boasts boisterous clubs and irresistible restaurants, from waterfront seafood houses and tapas bars to Italian eateries and breweries. Among the city's classic choices are Bern's Steakhouse in the Tampa SoHo district, and Columbia Restaurant, a beautiful Spanish dining establishment in Ybor City. New restaurants pop up frequently, particularly in the SoHo neighborhood, and Tampa's trendsetters frequent the sleek environ of T. C. Choy's for innovative Asian cuisine, or dig into gourmet omelets at the breakfast counter of Daily Eats.

Exuding energy and passion, Tampa nightclubs are often internationally themed, and always lively. And while visitors will find plenty of easy-going pubs and a handful of sleek cocktail bars, dancing is essential to the Tampa nightlife scene. Popular dance clubs like Club Prana and Empire & Climax in Ybor City are always a hit, but for the liveliest gig of all, schedule your Tampa vacation for the weekend of the Gasparilla Pirate Fest. Tampa festivals don't get much better than Gasparilla, where visitors experience killer shows, a parade, and a giant celebration on the Tampa waterfront. It's here that guests come to appreciate the scenery, nautical heritage and spirit of celebration that mark the city's character.