About Tampa
Ponce de Leon began his search in 1521 for the fountain of youth just south of today’s Tampa. He didn’t find it, but you can’t blame him for choosing an area that so many choose today when they want to relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life.
In and around Tampa, there is something for everyone, from the spas, resorts and beaches for living the ultimate laid-back life to the Gulf for daredevil sports and trendy or well-worn night spots where the music is edgy or loud — or both.

The Ybor City neighborhood just south of downtown has a good story. Now a National Historic Landmark District, it was founded in 1885 by a Cuban exile, Don Vicente Martinez Ybor, who built cigar factories plus a village for his workers. Today Ybor City is an entertainment district with more than 60 restaurants, bars and nightclubs set against the backdrop of old cigar factories, wrought-iron balconies and brick-paved sidewalks.
Tampa Bay is sprawling, 400 square miles, accommodating more than 200 species of fish and making for a rich fishing ground. Areas around the bay and nearby Hillsborough Bay are home to thousands of nesting birds. Tour operators offer guided itineraries to see birds and other wildlife in the wetlands or in the rivers. For the less-venturesome, the Florida Aquarium provides close-up access to thousands of aquatic animals, from sharks and otters to penguins.

The Tampa area also entertains with festivals, most notably the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which includes a dramatic “pirate” invasion, parades and the whole nine yards. Another thing: Locals are mad crazy over their sports teams, and the city occasionally hosts a Super Bowl. Tourism was born with construction of the Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891. Now occupied by a museum and the University of Tampa, it catered to wealthy northerners who were attracted in large part by the weather. The city boasts an annual average temperature of 72 F and claims to have never officially recorded a temperature of 100 F or higher. It also reports an average of 361 days a year with at least some sunshine.

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• Go camping alongside the Hillsborough River. Paddle a canoe down the river.

• Order a Cuban sandwich, made with Cuban bread and filled with Cuban-style ham and pork, Genoa salami, Emanthaler cheese, dill pickle and yellow mustard. The sandwich is warmed and flattened in a sandwich press to make it hot and crisp.

• Be a zookeeper’s apprentice for part of a day at Big Cat Rescue, the world's largest exotic cat sanctuary. Or, visit another of the area’s nonprofit animal sanctuaries or animal hospitals for a hands-on learning experience.

• Participate in a tandem skydive. Or, if you want to go solo, sign on for skills training.

• Toss back a few at the Four Green Fields, America’s only thatched-roof Irish pub. It also offers Irish music and entertainment.

• Try jet skiing or parasailing. Or, take lessons for monohull or catamaran sailing.

• Make the rounds of the newest trendy night spots at Channelside or on International Plaza’s Bay Street. Or, head to Ybor’s Seventh Avenue for the weekend street-party atmosphere.

• Test your skills at stand-up comedy on an open-mike night at the Tampa Improv Comedy Theater and Restaurant.

• Dive with the sharks at the Florida Aquarium’s Shark Bay exhibit. Participants must be certified scuba divers age 15 or older. Advance reservations are required.

• Run in Tampa’s annual Bank of America Marathon or the half-marathon. Alternatively, in the same weekend, you can choose the Bank of America Gasparilla Distance Classic, either 5k or 15k.

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• Have dinner in the world’s largest Spanish eatery, the Columbia Restaurant, which has 17 dining rooms and seats 1,700 diners.

• Go sportfishing in Tampa Bay, targeting mangrove snapper, small grouper, tarpon and a long list of other possibilities.

• Join a ghost tour in nearby St. Petersburg. Hear stories of conquistadors, hidden treasure, bootleggers, murder, mayhem and ghosts.

• Book the Swim With the Fishes adventure at the Florida Aquarium’s Coral Reefs Exhibit. You’ll have a scuba experience but need not be a certified scuba diver. Children age 6 and up can participate; advance reservations are required. Also, take one of the behind-the-scenes tours at the aquarium.

• Shop for antiques or arts and crafts at the Big Top Flea Market in Thonotosassa.

• Take up binoculars for some bird-watching around Tampa Bay, an area with 35,000 to 45,000 nesting pairs annually, at more than 20 sites.

• Cycle the 12-mile trail between Weedon Island and Picnic Island. The route includes the former Gandy Bridge, converted for recreational use and now called the Friendship Trail Bridge.

• Eat guava, a locally grown tropical fruit. Sample the delicacies — guava jelly, guava paste, guava turnovers and pickled guavas — then buy a favorite to take home.

• Take swing dance lessons and dance the night away at the Centro Asturiano in Ybor City.

• Join a day cruise aboard the SS American Victory, one of several hundred Victory class ships built as support vessels to the Allied war effort during World War II and later used to move men and goods during the Korean and Vietnam wars as well as for numerous peacetime uses.

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• Jog along Bayshore Boulevard which borders Tampa Bay, and enjoy the panoramic view and park-like setting.

• Get into the mood for fun at the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Nearly 700 “pirates” arrive in Tampa Bay aboard a fully rigged pirate ship; they “invade” then turn the invasion into a parade.

• Take the kids to Lowry Park Zoo, described as a top zoo for children.

• Eat your way through the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City in March. Or, aim for the Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival in May or the Ruskin Seafood Festival in November.

• Take a boat trip to watch dolphins at play. Also, see the gentle endangered Florida manatee at the TECO Viewing Center.

• Work on your golf game at any of dozens of courses.

• Look for the New York Yankees during spring training at Legends Field.

• Bet at the races, in this case, greyhound racing at the Tampa Greyhound Track. Dine in the clubhouse. Or, take your chances at the gaming tables at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

• Make Tampa your embarkation point for a cruise, but while in port, explore the shopping, dining and other opportunities at Channelside, Tampa’s downtown entertainment center.

• Book an adult hand drumming class Tuesday evening at the Museum of Science & Industry. The drumming is a stress-reducer.

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For more information, consult the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.visittampabay.com

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