Tampa City Guide

Tampa is a major city located on the west coast of the Florida peninsula. Tampa was first settled by the Spanish explorers in the early 16th century though it was settled by various other indigenous communities during the subsequent years.

In 1824, the US Army established a frontier post called Fort Brook in the area, which is now the locale of Tampa’s Convention Center. However, it was the Cuban immigrant community that was led by Vicente Martinez Ybor that made Tampa famous by making it a center of the cigar industry in the 1880s.

Today Tampa is a bustling; port city which is dotted with tall skyscrapers and vibrant neighborhoods. Tampa is a part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area. Most visitors to Tampa are holiday makers who book a vacation to Tampa to bask in the warm Florida sunshine while they savor its many attractions like the Busch Gardens amusement park.

Business visitors to Tampa often choose to stay at the wide range of hotel properties that are located in the downtown area of Tampa, just east of the Airport. Many of the hotels located here offer stunning views of the Bay

Most visitors to Tampa choose to stay in the various Tampa hotels that are located within its resort areas of St Petersburg and Clearwater, across Tampa Bay from the city. These two resorts are equipped with many beachfront hotels which are popular with families who book a vacation to Tampa.

Yet another locale for family vacations in Tampa is the hotel district which is situated within the area around the Busch Garden theme park in north Tampa. Most of the hotels located here are family-friendly hotel properties which welcome children of all ages.

No matter where or what type of hotel you choose for your visit to Tampa, Fare Buzz can assure you of best hotel rates so that you can free up more funds for leisure activities for your stay in Tampa.

Ybor City is which is located in downtown Tampa is the city’s ancient Latin Quarter that has now been declared a National Historic Landmark District. This district that has been restored to its original grandeur provides an insight into the late 1880’s when this area was referred to as the ‘cigar capital’ of the world. The old cigar factories now house various trendy shops, restaurants, clubs and art galleries and are a major tourist draw. Visitors additionally can also take in demonstrations of hand-rolled cigar making along with flamenco dancing performances which aim to educate as well as entertain.

Busch Gardens is a huge zoo themed amusement park which is Tampa’s major attraction. This park which predates Disneyworld offers much excitement and many thrills for its visitors. The Busch Gardens are set up as a game park in Africa and offer eight different areas, all of which feature thousands of animals living in recreated natural habitats. Aside from its animal attractions the park also offers numerous rides, shops restaurants and performance areas for live entertainment acts. Busch Gardens is generally considered a must-do attraction for any vacation to Tampa with children.

The Museum of Science and Industry is another family centric attraction in Tampa that offers nearly five hundred interactive exhibits, which aim to educate and entertain children and adults. The museum also hosts an IMAX theater and is surrounded by a verdant nature reserve that features many walking trails.

The Tampa Museum of Art occupies a huge building that is situated along Gasparilla Plaza. The permanent collection at this museum consists of Greek and Roman antiquities as well as a collection of 20th Century and contemporary art. Aside from its permanent collection, the museum also hosts ever-changing temporary exhibits.

The Henry B. Plant Museum located in the heart of downtown Tampa is fashioned on the famed Alhambra Palace in Spain and it is an exponent of the Moorish school of design that sports 13 minarets. The museum was built in 1891 by the Railroad tycoon as the 511 room Tampa Bay Hotel. Today the museum is a landmark attraction in Tampa and features an opulent collection of art and furnishings from Europe and the Orient.

The Florida Aquarium is a prominent family friendly attraction in Tampa and features more than 5000 inhabitants of the sea. The aquarium offers dive shows, interactive touch tanks and animal encounters, audio tours which enthrall and delight adults and kids alike.

Tampa is blessed with an amenable climate that renders it a popular year round destination. The tropical climate in Tampa is characterized by warm, wet weather during the summer months and cooler, drier conditions during the winter months of November to February. Temperatures in winter rarely fall below 65F (18°C) and this balmy weather attracts hordes of vacationers as well migratory birds who choose to escape the cold winters of the north by spending time in the sunny climes of Tampa.

Tampa is served by its Tampa International Airport that is located six miles away from the city’s central business district. Several international and domestic carriers serve Tampa and equip with convenient air transport links that make getting to Tampa a breeze. To further ensure that you travel economically, Fare Buzz offers a plethora of cheap air ticket deals. You may want to explore them before booknig air flights.

Tampa is not equipped with an extensive public transport system and in fact the best way for visitors to get around Tampa is to rent a car. Fare Buzz, in addition to its plethora of flight and hotel deals and vacation packages also offers affordable car rentals for Tampa. So when you are making your vacation package booking with Fare Buzz, do make sure that you include your car rental request with your booking.

If you don’t want to hire a car and drive you can choose to use the limited public transport options that Tampa has to offer like express and local bus services, coaches and minibuses and the TECO line street car system which operates within Tampa’s historic district and connects the downtown area with Channelside and Ybor City.

Tampa is a year round vacation destination and offers shops, malls, and specialty stores in virtually all its neighborhoods.

The city is equipped with many major malls like the open air Hyde Park Village which, located in one of the city’s oldest and affluent neighborhoods. Hyde Park village offers an eclectic collection of specialty shops, which range from high-end, designer boutiques to one-of-a kind local shops full of unique trinkets and fun treasures.

Yet another popular shopping locale in Tampa is the upscale International Plaza, which is located in downtown Tampa and features anchor tenants like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom as well as scores of specialty stores like Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Betsy Johnson, Cole Haan, J. Crew, and Jessica McClintock.

The historic district of Ybor city offers a wide array of vintage clothing stores, art galleries, coffee houses, cafes, bistros and nightclubs and is yet another popular shopping destination in Tampa. A vacation to Tampa not only offers much fun in the sun but also offers a plethora of shopping expeditions for the enthusiastic shopper.

Tampa is known for its many excellent Cuban restaurants like La Teresita Restaurant, Septima Café and Carmine’s Seventh Avenue though the city’s dining scene is quite diverse and features other cuisines as well.

The city’s most popular dining district, South Howard Avenue is located within close proximity to Hyde Park Village and is populated with an abundance of dining delights ranging from steak houses and tapas bars to restaurants that serve Thai and French cuisines.

Sports Bars, Irish Bars, live music bars, dive bars, beach bars and dance clubs, Tampa has them all and more as the city with its many attractions is a favored spring break vacation spot.

Some of the most popular clubs and bars in Tampa currently include establishments like the upscale Hyde Park Café, Czar, the Scottish themed Dunedin Brewery, the western Dallas Bull, Irish pubs like the Dubliner and Four Green Fields and clubs like Jackson’s Bistro, Floyd’s and Shepherd’s which are popular hangout spots for spring break vacationers.