Missing the sun these days? If you\u2019re look\u00ading to escape our cold New Eng\u00adland winters, Florida\u2019s west coast offers a chance to enjoy warmer climates, and Tampa is a great hub for your visit. Located on the Hillsborough River, Tam\u00adpa provides historical, cultural, and recreational opportunities for everyone.<\/p>\n
Tampa was originally settled by indigenous peoples, before Spanish ex\u00adplorers and American mi\u00adl\u00aditary troops arrived and set up outposts. Once Flo\u00adrida entered the Uni\u00adted States, development grew, and Tampa quickly emer\u00adged as a tourist destination and major mining and shipping hub in the 19th century.<\/p>\n
Today, Tampa is home to the University of Southern Florida, a thriving business community, and plen\u00adty of palmettos.<\/p>\n
Downtown Tampa is ring\u00aded by the 2.6-mile River\u00adwalk, linking major points of interest with a paved, expansive footpath that opened in 2020. The River\u00adwalk lets visitors get up close to the river and provides easy access to some of the city\u2019s top destinations, including the Tam\u00adpa Bay History Center, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, and the Tampa Theater, a 100-year-old atmospheric mo\u00advie palace.<\/p>\n
The Riverwalk is well-lit, safe, and frequently tra\u00adveled, making it easy to move between destinations.<\/p>\n
Another way to get around is Tampa\u2019s heritage streetcar system. The adorable yellow street\u00adcars are free and shuttle passengers between downtown and the city\u2019s historic district, hitting several destinations along the way, including Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
Service runs every 15 minutes, and runs late hours for visitors enjoying the city\u2019s nightlife.<\/p>\n
Speaking of nightlife, some of the best is found in Ybor City. By day, this historic neighborhood proudly tells the story of how Tam\u00adpa became known as the Cigar City; Cuban, Span\u00adish, and Italian immigrants flocked to the city in the late 19th century, producing half a billion cigars per year and shaping a unique culture and cuisine.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t leave Florida without enjoying a Cuba\u00adno sandwich and some strong Cuban coffee. Keep an eye out for the neighborhood\u2019s famous residents \u2014 free roaming chic\u00adkens descen\u00added from livestock of the city\u2019s original immigrant farmers that are now protected by city statute.<\/p>\n
Be sure to stop by the Florida Aquarium for a look at the creatures that call Florida home. The 250,000 square foot aquarium provides an immersive look at diverse local fauna through interactive exhi\u00adbits. The coral reef habitat features magnificent sea turtles, lurking sand tiger sharks, and thousands of brilliant fish. A stingray touch tank and tidal pool lets visitors have a hands-on encoun\u00adter with curious creatures.<\/p>\n
A highlight is the Wet\u00adlands Trail, enclosed in an 80-foot glass biodome. Con\u00adservation takes a center stage as visitors get up close and personal with native ducks, otters, alligators, fish, and more.<\/p>\n
Tampa is a vibrant city with hidden gems waiting to be discovered. If your travels take you to Flori\u00adda\u2019s west coast, be sure to see what this riverside city has to offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Missing the sun these days? If you\u2019re look\u00ading to escape our cold New Eng\u00adland winters, Florida\u2019s west coast…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82443,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[11036,45766,40305,45773,4374,6184,28,1351,24267,45764,45774,45776,45772,8650,45767,45770,8627,45768,45765,135,25708,862,137,16037,136,45771,45762,45763,45769,45775,35402,10364],"class_list":["post-82442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-amalie-arena","tag-american-military-troops","tag-cigar-city","tag-cubano-sandwich","tag-cuban-coffee","tag-downtown-tampa","tag-florida","tag-florida-aquarium","tag-florida-museum-of-photographic-arts","tag-floridas-west-coast","tag-free-roaming-chickens","tag-glass-biodome","tag-heritage-streetcar-system","tag-hillsborough-river","tag-mining","tag-palmettos","tag-riverwalk","tag-shipping","tag-spanish-explorers","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-history-center","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-museum-of-art","tag-tampa-news","tag-tampa-theater","tag-tewksbury","tag-town-crier","tag-university-of-southern-florida","tag-wetlands-trail","tag-wilmington","tag-ybor-city"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}