Located just one hour’s drive from Orlando’s famed theme parks, Tampa Bay is a community steeped in year-round sunshine and kissed by breezes from the nearby Gulf of Mexico. The city of Tampa itself combines the best of a Florida holiday in a single destination. Choose from fun family adventures, wildlife encounters, professional sports, Cuban culture, pulsing nightlife, fantastic food and drink, and sugar sand beaches – all just one non-stop flight from London Gatwick aboard British Airways or Norwegian Air or from Amsterdam with new seasonal service aboard Delta Air Lines. Start the fun with Tampa’s ZooQuarium ticket!
Family Fun
Meet manatees face-to-face at ZooTampa at Lowry Park, home to one of the world’s few hospitals specializing in their care. You can also see eye-to-eye with a giraffe or take the plunge on Roaring Springs, a family ride sure to make a big splash! At The Florida Aquarium, discover Florida’s intricate ecosystem from freshwater springs – including a mangrove forest – to the Gulf of Mexico. Come finger to fin at three interactive touch pools and go dolphin-spotting on the bay.
Outdoor Adventures
Start the fun with Tampa’s ZooQuarium by visiting the Florida Aquarium right on the Riverwalk! Just a few miles from downtown’s glittering towers, you can take a walk on the wild side of Tampa Bay. Slip silently through ancient cypress forests along the Hillsborough River on a guided paddling tour. Rent a Paddleboard or E-boat on the downtown waterfront and spend the afternoon watching for dolphins and manatees in the sparkling urban waters. Running through the heart of downtown, the Tampa Riverwalk links hotels, restaurants, parks, and museums like gems on a string. It’s the perfect spot for a morning run, afternoon bike ride or hand-in-hand sunset stroll.
Professional Sports
With four professional sports teams, there’s always a game on the schedule in Tampa Bay. Roar with the hometown crowd for every touchdown when the Buccaneers play American football at Raymond James Stadium. Cheer as the puck streaks into the opponents’ net when the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team takes to the ice at Amalie Arena. Take the ballgame indoors when the Tampa Bay Rays play baseball at the climate-controlled Tropicana Field, and wave the green-and-yellow for the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the pitch at Al Lang Field.
Cuban Culture
The vintage TECO Historic Streetcar fleet will carry you into the past with a trip to Ybor City, the neighborhood once known as the Cigar Capital of the World. Cuban masters still roll cigars by hand as they have since 1885. The community built by generations of Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Caribbean immigrants remains Tampa Bay’s cultural heart. Listen as locals solve the world’s problem in Spanish while sipping a café con leche outside their favorite cigar shop. Savor authentic Spanish paella and Cuban arroz con pollo during a Flamenco performance at the family-owned Columbia Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Florida. This is a small drive from the center of Tampa, so start the fun with Tampa’s ZooQuarium and then enjoy a nice stroll thru history!
Food and Drink
Mix and match the fantastic flavors of Tampa Bay at three food halls offering an endless variety of dining options. At the north end of the Tampa Riverwalk, the Armature Works complex features a dozen restaurant at Heights Public Market where you can bite into Tampa Bay history with a traditional Cuban sandwich while you watch boats bobbing on the river. At the south end of the Tampa Riverwalk, Sparkman Wharf features a relaxed, food-truck feel with open-air dining and Tampa Bay’s top chefs serving small bites from kitchens in waterfront shipping containers. The Fermented Reality Biergarten offers an unbelievable blend of beers from Tampa Bay’s two dozen breweries – a perfect sampling of Florida’s hub for craft brewing.
With so much to offer, Tampa Bay tempts tourists to stay and play.
Start the fun with Tampa’s ZooQuarium Ticket, and enjoy a holiday in an eclectic destination!