Florida Vacations - Tampa

Tampa Florida

85 miles south west of Orlando, 254 miles north west of Miami

Holiday makers traveling to the Tampa Bay region may well be destined for the magnificent beaches located 20 miles to the west on the Gulf of Mexico. Yet Tampa, a city of over 300 000, has its own attractions to offer, not least of which is the famous Busch Gardens entertainment park.

The first European settlement of any note in the area dates from the late 1700's and Fort Brooke was constructed in 1824 as an outpost during the Seminole Indian Wars.  By the end of those wars in the 1840's, a small civilian population had created "Tampa Town".

Cuban cigar makers relocated from Key West and Tampa became "Cigar Capital of America".  One of the first cigar barons was a Senor Ybor and the historic district of today is called Ybor City in recognition of the role of the cigar industry in Tampa's history.

Henry B. Plant opened the area to visitors by constructing a railroad into town and by building the famous Tampa Bay Hotel to accommodate them. The 1920s saw a boom period that gave the city its charming, Victorian-style suburb of Hyde Park.

The city skyline of today results from developments during the 1980's and 1990's when skyscrapers, convention centers, civic amenities and sports stadiums became part of the local scenery. The Tampa CBD area is located on the north shore of Hillsborough Bay.

Tampa is the fourth of the Florida cities to have a seaport servicing the cruise ship industry that operate the Caribbean, Bahamas and Latin America routes.  The Garrison Seaport Center is a major home port for many of the cruise ships.

Tampa accommodation consists of brand name inns and motels along the motorways leading to the city and a downtown area offering a range of branded hotels and inns. Options for vacation rentals and bed and breakfast stop-overs are available throughout the area.

Getting There & Getting Around

Tampa International Airport is the major air gateway to this area. (The St. Petersburg Clearwater Airport has limited service) Most major airlines serve Tampa International, including Air Canada,  AirTran, America West, American, British Airways, Continental and Delta as well as several of the economy carriers.  

Amtrak operates a service to and from the Tampa Amtrak Station.

The free Uptown-Downtown Connector Trolley carries passengers around the city areas and there is also scheduled bus services between downtown Tampa and the suburbs. 

  Tampa vacation highlights :: getting the most from your Tampa vacation