The Tampa area is a fantastic place to live and play. Come and take advantage of all the fun and educational Tampa has to offer. The historic electric streetcar and the in-town trolleys are a fun and easy way to navigate the downtown/convention center core. Stroll along park-like Bayshore Boulevard, the world's longest continuous sidewalk, for a great panoramic view of downtown Tampa. Shop the wonderful stores at Hyde Park Village and when you get hungry, you'll have plenty of choices to dine along South Howard Avenue, known as SOHO. Later you can see some of the world's best entertainers at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Other must-see venues include the Salvador Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, cross the magnificent Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Sarasota's John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, or beat the heat with high-speed thrills and water-soaked fun at Adventure Island. In the evening, take a relaxing and romantic dinner and dancing cruise on Tampa Bay aboard the Yacht StarShip. Or scoot over to Ybor City, the nightlife capital of Florida's West Coast, where thousands converge on the lively Latin Quarter in search of a good time and go club hopping on Seventh Avenue.
Busch Gardens is guaranteed to delight everyone in the family from seniors to grandkids. There are thrill rides and cool rides, animal attractions, play areas for children. The park is divided into nine different areas fashioned after locations in Africa. Morocco, at the park entrance, features shops, eateries and three theaters presenting great live shows. Nairobi has the Great Ape Domain, a three-acre habitat of Lowland Gorillas and chimpanzees. Serengeti Plain has the largest collection of the park's animals where more than 800 animals roam in a natural habitat setting. Egypt has Montu, the Southeast's longest and tallest inverted roller coaster. Timbuktu offers roller coasters and other midway rides. Congo is host to Kumba, the Southeast's fastest steel rollercoaster. Stanleyville features the Stanley Falls Log Flume and the Tanganyika Tidal Wave, plus the Bird Gardens and Land of the Dragons, an adventure play area for children.
Spring Training. Tampa is spring training for baseball fans. The Tampa metro area is within a 2-1/2-hour drive of 14 team stadiums with the other two camps about 3-1/2 hours away. Tampa is the epicenter of the Grapefruit League. Alejandro de Quesada, author of the book "Baseball in Tampa Bay," says organized preseason baseball in the area is as old as spring training itself, dating back as far as 1913 and 1914. The old St. Louis Browns set up camp in neighboring Pinellas County, the Chicago Cubs were in Tampa proper and other early camps in the area included the Boston Braves, who worked out in St. Petersburg, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, who set played in Clearwater from 1923-32 and 1936-40.
J.B. Starkey's Flatwoods Adventures offer eco-tours on safari buggies with trained guides who will introduce you to the Starkey family history and show you the workings of a genuine Florida cattle ranch. You'll learn about how the land sustained earlier inhabitants such as Native Americans and about the wide variety of animals that call the ranch their home.
Fabian's Fun Port is sized just right for smaller hands and kid-size courage with a mini wave pool, plus bubbly springs and jumping jets for spraying and playing. Paradise Lagoon is so tropical, you may find yourself happily lost in every moment of action-packed adventure where you can jump off a cliff (a 20-foot platform) or swing on a vine (a sturdy cable) in this 9,000-sq.-ft. cool pool with slides and waterfalls. Rambling Bayou gives you a break from the excitement and still keeps you cool on this calm, half-mile tube trip through a colorful rain forest featuring lush landscapes, tropical waterfalls even rain and fog. Splash Attack empties a 1000-gallon wooden bucket every seven minutes to get you really wet and the 500-ft. twisting open flumes and closed tubes are gushing with swirling water. Plus a huge tree house with more than 50 water play toys like jets, levers, and rope pulls, plus twisting slides, bridges, cargo nets and web crawls add to the fun. Spike Zone has white-sand volleyball courts that would impress the pros. Play or watch the action from under funbrellas on the grass-covered seating area.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for these annual festivals: the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in January, The Florida State Fair in February, the Florida Strawberry Festival in March, the Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival in May, and the Ruskin Seafood Fest in November. Visit Tampa now and discover how historic Old Florida blends well with the modern, upscale style of some of the most beautiful, master-planned communities for families and retirees. Yes, climate, dining and shopping, cultural attractions, educational and business opportunities, and the beautiful beaches help make Tampa home to a wonderful lifestyle. Tampa is a lot more than beautiful sunsets! Make it your home, too.
Busch Gardens is guaranteed to delight everyone in the family from seniors to grandkids. There are thrill rides and cool rides, animal attractions, play areas for children. The park is divided into nine different areas fashioned after locations in Africa. Morocco, at the park entrance, features shops, eateries and three theaters presenting great live shows. Nairobi has the Great Ape Domain, a three-acre habitat of Lowland Gorillas and chimpanzees. Serengeti Plain has the largest collection of the park's animals where more than 800 animals roam in a natural habitat setting. Egypt has Montu, the Southeast's longest and tallest inverted roller coaster. Timbuktu offers roller coasters and other midway rides. Congo is host to Kumba, the Southeast's fastest steel rollercoaster. Stanleyville features the Stanley Falls Log Flume and the Tanganyika Tidal Wave, plus the Bird Gardens and Land of the Dragons, an adventure play area for children.
Spring Training. Tampa is spring training for baseball fans. The Tampa metro area is within a 2-1/2-hour drive of 14 team stadiums with the other two camps about 3-1/2 hours away. Tampa is the epicenter of the Grapefruit League. Alejandro de Quesada, author of the book "Baseball in Tampa Bay," says organized preseason baseball in the area is as old as spring training itself, dating back as far as 1913 and 1914. The old St. Louis Browns set up camp in neighboring Pinellas County, the Chicago Cubs were in Tampa proper and other early camps in the area included the Boston Braves, who worked out in St. Petersburg, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, who set played in Clearwater from 1923-32 and 1936-40.
J.B. Starkey's Flatwoods Adventures offer eco-tours on safari buggies with trained guides who will introduce you to the Starkey family history and show you the workings of a genuine Florida cattle ranch. You'll learn about how the land sustained earlier inhabitants such as Native Americans and about the wide variety of animals that call the ranch their home.
Fabian's Fun Port is sized just right for smaller hands and kid-size courage with a mini wave pool, plus bubbly springs and jumping jets for spraying and playing. Paradise Lagoon is so tropical, you may find yourself happily lost in every moment of action-packed adventure where you can jump off a cliff (a 20-foot platform) or swing on a vine (a sturdy cable) in this 9,000-sq.-ft. cool pool with slides and waterfalls. Rambling Bayou gives you a break from the excitement and still keeps you cool on this calm, half-mile tube trip through a colorful rain forest featuring lush landscapes, tropical waterfalls even rain and fog. Splash Attack empties a 1000-gallon wooden bucket every seven minutes to get you really wet and the 500-ft. twisting open flumes and closed tubes are gushing with swirling water. Plus a huge tree house with more than 50 water play toys like jets, levers, and rope pulls, plus twisting slides, bridges, cargo nets and web crawls add to the fun. Spike Zone has white-sand volleyball courts that would impress the pros. Play or watch the action from under funbrellas on the grass-covered seating area.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for these annual festivals: the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in January, The Florida State Fair in February, the Florida Strawberry Festival in March, the Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival in May, and the Ruskin Seafood Fest in November. Visit Tampa now and discover how historic Old Florida blends well with the modern, upscale style of some of the most beautiful, master-planned communities for families and retirees. Yes, climate, dining and shopping, cultural attractions, educational and business opportunities, and the beautiful beaches help make Tampa home to a wonderful lifestyle. Tampa is a lot more than beautiful sunsets! Make it your home, too.
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