Travel Guides > Tampa, FL

Tampa Bay Travel

Dubbed by the New York Times as "a prototypical example of the Sun Belt's explosive growth", Tampa is the most populous and affluent metropolitan area in Florida, according to state statistics.

Combined with neighboring St. Petersburg, this area of Florida's West Coast offers a unique blending of vibrant city life and beautiful pristine pieces of nature, like white sandy beaches and beautiful rivers and lakes.

The downtown area of Tampa is alive with museums, sporting venues, shopping districts, and excellent eateries. The new Forum arena is home to Tampa's NHL franchise, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The recently-completed Garrison Seaport provides a new port for the many cruise ships that sail from Tampa.

The Florida Aquarium, conveniently located in the center of town, is an expansive two-story structure that focuses on the eco-system of Florida but contains 10,000 species of plants and animals from all over the world. There's a separate play area for your little ones that they're sure to love.

The Henry B. Plant Museum, also downtown, is housed in the magnificent turn-of-the-century Tampa Bay Hotel, built in 1891. Guests to this unique museum can view opulent artifacts of the Gilded Age, learn about Florida's early tourist industry, and enjoy exhibits that educate visitors on the history of Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Museum of Art, while not huge, houses an impressive permanent collection of 4,500 pieces that include two focus areas: Greek and Roman antiquities and modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photography and decorative arts.

Be sure to make a trip to Ybor City, located to the south, which once held the distinction of being the Cigar Capital of the World. This is a National Historic Landmark District and the local museum, which outlines the history of the neighborhood, is worth your time.

If you leave the downtown area and travel to North Tampa, you'll find the area's number one attraction, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. This combination theme park/animal safari may be smaller than Orlando's mega-parks, but the rides are cool, the animals are fun to watch, and the park is clean and family-oriented.

When you've had enough sightseeing and park-hopping, it's time to hit the beaches. Nearby St. Petersburg, just 20 miles to the south, offers a wide selection of beaches from which to choose.

Fort de Soto Beach, at the south tip of the peninsula where St. Pete is situated, is often ranked as one of the top beaches in the U.S. and is particularly family-friendly, offering seven miles of beach on five islands, skating and biking trails, and even an old Spanish-American War fort for the kids to enjoy.

St. Petersburg is also home to Great Explorations, a cool interactive children's museum, a Planetarium, and the Sunken Gardens, a 100-year-old botanical garden that boasts 50,000 varieties of tropical flowers and plants, a butterfly conservatory, picturesque waterfalls, and lots of pink flamingos.