Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Association
400 N. Tampa St. #1010
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 223-2752
(813) 229-6616 (fax)
Population
280015
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
27.97° /-82.45°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 80
LOW: 67
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For years, Tampa was known as a port on the Gulf Coast that was more of a home base for going somewhere else than an active tourist destination. No more. A short drive to some of the country's best beaches, Tampa now boasts of a state-of-the-art aquarium, the best African American art museum in the state, and the largest science museum in the Southeast. Tampa is also a major sports center offering pro football and hockey, tennis, golf, fishing, and greyhound racing.
Adults at Kid’s Prices!
Adults pay what kids do at Busch Gardens Tampa
WorldsOfDiscovery.com
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At the Florida Aquarium, you can embark on a journey through Florida's wetlands, marshes, bays and beaches, all under one roof and in air conditioned comfort. The aquarium has over five thousand of the state's aquatic animals and plants. Most impressive is the half-million gallon Coral Reefs Gallery, which is filled with sharks, rays, and barracuda. One has the sensation of looking at the ocean floor through a thick glass window. Tampa's downtown waterfront is a thriving center for the arts. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is the largest performing arts complex south of the Kennedy Center. Its four theaters feature the best of Broadway, comedy, pop music, dance, opera and plays. Next door is the Tampa Museum of Art, featuring constantly changing exhibits to entice the eye, from classical antiquities to contemporary art, from old masters to the avant-garde. The Tampa Theatre--circa 1926--the Tampa Bay History Center, and the Henry B. Plant Museum add to the cultural scene. Other worthwhile Tampa Bay cultural offerings include the Tampa Museum of African-American Art, one of the top African-American museums in the country, featuring the works of numerous Harlem Renaissance artists, and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, with world-class exhibitions and an outstanding permanent collection including pre-Columbian, African, and contemporary art. The Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science center in the state and in the Southeast. Try one of the hundreds of interactive exhibits. Visitors can step into a Gulf Hurricane and, literally, get blown away. Or create and control electric currents and attempt to understand the mysteries of magnetism. Better yet, explore yourself in "The Amazing You: An Exhibition on the Human Body." The museum also has an IMAX theater. Then there are other Tampa attractions that are time-tested favorites. For example, experience the adventure of Africa at Busch Gardens, home to 3,400 animals. Ranked among the nation's top zoos, the gardens feature eight African-theme sections, including Stanleyville and Timbuktu. In the Serengeti Plain, vast herds of African animals roam free and can be viewed from the Trans-Veldt Railway. Have you always dreamed of feeding a herd of giraffe? Consider joining a Serengeti Safari to get up close and personal with the animals. Busch Gardens is also famous for its rides. Try Kumba, a very large steel roller coaster, or ride Montu, an inverted roller coaster. Adjacent to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island provides fun in the sun and thrills on the water. The Aruba Tuba sends you spinning through open and closed tubes while winding about the Calypso Coaster. The Spike Zone is a 12-court volleyball complex decked out for competition. Lowry Park Zoo features tigers and other Asian animals, a primate exhibit, and the Florida Wildlife Center. In the zoo's Manatee and Aquatic Center, underwater viewing windows put you face to face with the large and graceful "sea-cows." The center is also designed to treat sick or injured Manatees. Be sure to see the Barnett free flight aviary. It's a lush setting in which hundreds of birds engage in all their normal activities, unrestricted by cages. Outdoor enthusiasts will be amazed that just a few minutes from downtown, Canoe Escape offers canoe trips down the Hillsborough River through a 16,000 acre wilderness park. Canoeists are likely to see birds, turtles, alligators and other Florida wildlife in their natural habitat. Tampa has much to offer sports enthusiasts. It's a prime location for tennis, golf, fishing, and boating. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team plays here, and both the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees bring their spring training teams to Tampa. Visitors can enjoy a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game, and then sample some of the horse racing, greyhound racing, or jai-alai that the city offers.
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