WELCOME TO TAMPA and ST. PETERSBURG
The metro area is attracting more family vacationers with its ample blend of sunshine, beaches and family attractions, including world famous Busch Gardens. Some also believe the metro area will soon rival Miami as the cruise ... More

CULTURAL SITES
St. Petersburg and Tampa have a modest collection of cultural centers and Back heritage museums that are worth visiting, if only for their regional perspective ... More

RESTAURANTS and NIGHTCLUBS
Atwater’s Cafeteria, Lorene’s Fish & Crab House, Apollo South, Grass Root Organic Restaurant, Jerk Hut, Saffron’s Caribbean Restaurant, Big Jim’s Bar-B-Que lead the offerings ... More

BLACK GENESIS - TAMPA
Lemming-like, more cigar manufacturers moved their factories to Tampa. Spanish, Italian, German, Afro-Cuban and Spanish Cuban workers settled here to work in the cigar industry which created a strong Latin community known as Ybor City ... More

BEACHES and PARKS
With some of the nation's best sand and sun, St. Petersburg is an annual favorite of beach lovers. The metro area also sports a number of fine parks for camping and fishing ... More

FAMILY ATTRACTIONS
Though Busch Gardens is the main attraction in these parts, itinerary fillers may include Adventure Island water park, Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science & Industry, Great Explorations Children's Museum ... More

GENERAL ATTRACTIONS
In a wise urban planning decision, Tampa built Channelside dining and entertainment center, next to the CruisePort amd Florida Aquariums. So you can immediately relax before boarding your cruise, but there's ... More

ART and HISTORY MUSEUMS
St. Petersburg has the international distinction of hosting the Salvador Dali Museum. Florida International Museum, Henry Plant Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, and Florida Holocaust Museum also solidify the region's cultural credentials ... More

PLACES OF WORSHIP
St. Paul AME Church, Mount Zion AME Church, Bethel AME Church, Bible Way Church of God in Christ, Beulah Baptist Institutional Church Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ ... More

HISTORIC SITES
Ybor City was once the Cigar Capital of the World. It achieved that unofficial honor with a multicultural collection of Spaniards, Italians, Jews, Germans, African Americans and Cubans who toiled and socialized together ... More

TRIVIA and FAMOUS RESIDENTS
“Tampa” is derived from an Indian word meaning "sticks of fire", which is a non-subtle reference to the lightning so common to the metro area ... More

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RESEARCH CREDITS:
Kalin Thomas
Lenny Dorsey
Lysa Allman-Baldwin
Thomas Dorsey
Sheila Umolu