TAMPA (US)
Tampa is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is well known for its history and roots in Italy and Cuba and it is consider as the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich. The city’s borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County. With a population of 384,959 according to the 2020 census,Tampa is the third-most populated city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami and is the 52nd most populated city in the United States. The Greater Tampa Bay area has over 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas. Downtown is alive with urban parks, including the gorgeous Tampa Riverwalk, hip bars and innovative restaurants, shopping, and amazing restorations of turn-of-the-century buildings. Tampa is known for being a great city for all ages and tastes, offering places to stay that fit any budget and catering to everyone, including families, outdoor adventure seekers, and foodies and wine connoisseurs.
TAMPA’s History
The shores of Tampa Bay have been inhabited for thousands of years. A variant of the Weeden Island culture developed in the area by about 2000 years ago, with archeological evidence suggesting that these residents relied on the sea for most of their resources, as a vast majority of inhabited sites have been found on or near the shoreline and there is little evidence of farming. At the time of European contact in the early 16th century, several chiefdoms of the Safety Harbor culture dominated the area.
Early Spanish explorers interacted most extensively with the Tocobaga, whose principal town was at the northern end of Old Tampa Bay near today’s Safety Harbor in Pinellas County. While there is a substantial historical record of the Tocobaga (and the Calusa, who lived to the south), there is less surviving documentation describing the Pohoy, who lived near the mouth of the Hillsborough River near today’s downtown Tampa. However, evidence suggests that the language and culture of the Pohoy and other lesser-known groups around the bay were very similar to that of the Tocobaga.
Expeditions led by Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernando de Soto landed near Tampa, but neither conquistador stayed long. There is no natural gold or silver in Florida, and the native inhabitants repulsed Spanish attempts to establish a permanent settlement or convert them to Catholicism. The fighting resulted in a few deaths, but the many more deaths were caused by infectious diseases brought from Europe, which devastated the population of Native Americans across Florida and the entire Western Hemisphere. The indigenous cultures of the Tampa Bay area had collapsed by around 1600, leaving the west coast of Spanish Florida largely depopulated and ignored for more than 200 years.
In the mid-18th century, events in the American colonies and the early United States drove the Seminole people into northern Florida, but they did not move into central Florida until after the United States gained control of Florida in 182.1
Before the American period, the Tampa Bay area had a handful of residents: Cuban and Native American fishermen who established small seasonal camps called “ranchos” on the shores of Tampa Bay. The largest was at the mouth of Spanishtown Creek in today’s Hyde Park neighborhood along Bayshore Boulevard.
MY OPINION:
For most travelers a visit to Florida might simply mean Orlando and Miami. However, this state is not only these two famous cities. There are so many other places worth visiting and one of them is the city of Tampa. A city with Latin American culture and countless choices of places one could visit. If I were to say 3 days it would be short, at least I recommend that it is not less. And as an icing on the cake during your visit to this city, I recommend that you do what I did. Find one of the islands in Tampa Bay and book your stay there. They are certainly more beautiful and more romantic for you and your partner, than a stay in the city of Tampa itself.
MUST SEE – Downtown Tampa
Take a ride on an old-fashioned streetcar that clangs its arrival at every stop. Hop aboard a cruise that will send you gliding through the great waterways of Florida. Sip on cocktails while enjoying aerial views of the city on a rooftop bar. This is downtown Tampa, and there are always exciting things to do when you open your mind to new experiences!
From bars and bistros to museums and movie theaters, downtown Tampa is brimming with opportunity. Not only will you enjoy all of the traditional “tourist stuff” like dining and shopping, but there are also unique attractions that you can only find in the Tampa area. For example, did you know that they have a preserved WWII cargo ship just sitting in the docks? Downtown Tampa doesn’t have a cool or catchy name. It’s just known as downtown Tampa. That’s the only thing that will disappoint you about the area, however, so grab your fanny pack and get ready to have the time of your life.
PLACES TO VISIT:
1. Busch Gardens
Offering everything from roller coasters to live tiger habitats, Busch Gardens Tampa is one of the coolest things to do in the entire state of Florida. It’s partly a zoo and partly an amusement park, and you can lose entire weekends to its ziplines, bumper cars, bird gardens, water slides and elephant enclosures. Do you like old-fashioned rides and games? Test your adrenaline on Cobra’s Curse, Falcon’s Fury or the Gwazi Gliders. Do you like getting up close and personal with wildlife? Walk the Tiger Trail or climb to the treetop observation decks of the Orangutan Outpost.
Busch Gardens Tampa has other activities as well. There are food stalls, gift shops, movie theaters, play parks and concert stages. There are haunted houses for Halloween and light shows for Christmas. No matter when you’re visiting or who you’re traveling with, you’ll never lack for fun things to see and do! Another great feature of the Busch Gardens Tampa is that it’s located right across the street from Adventure Island, one of the biggest water parks in Tampa.
2. Clearwater Beach
Tampa is located on the Gulf of Mexico, so you can enjoy natural beaches here. Some are them are lively places where you can always find bonfires and volleyball games; others are quiet retreats where you can cuddle with a lover or watch the sunset over the water. If you’re willing to travel a little outside of Tampa, however, the best beach is definitely Clearwater Beach. It’s about 30 kilometers west of Tampa Bay, and it offers just about everything that you could want from a beach. For adrenaline junkies, there’s swimming, surfing, jetskiing, parasailing and paddleboarding. For culture lovers, there are shops, cafes, restaurants, boardwalks and all kinds of street performers and musicians. With white sands, blue waves and pink cocktails, it’s a tropical paradise just a short distance from Tampa.
3. International Plaza and Bay Street
Offering more than a million square feet of retail space, the International Plaza and Bay Street is one of the top things to do in Tampa when your money is burning a hole in your pocket. It’s home to literally hundreds of stores and restaurants, so you can fill your shopping bags with a wide variety of clothes, shoes, snacks, toys, souvenirs and travel accessories. Last but not least, the International Plaza and Bay Street is a completely enclosed shopping center, so you never have to worry about bad weather ruining your shop-til-you-drop adventures. Rain or shine, day or night, you can stroll the corridors of this Tampa shopping center and indulge in some top tier retail therapy. The International Plaza and Bay Street might not be the biggest mall in Florida, but it’s the biggest in Tampa, and it can provide what you need in terms of both luxuries and essentials.
4. Ybor City
Ybor City isn’t actually a city. It’s a sprawling neighborhood in Tampa that’s known for its vibrant local culture and rich, colorful history. Once you’ve joined a block party, however, you might feel a little like you’ve stepped outside of the greater Tampa area. Originally hailed as the “cigar capital of the world,” Ybor City is filled with the remnants of the old cigar mills that put it on the map. But they’ve been transformed into the kinds of quirky attractions that make Florida such an amazing vacation destination. You can find shops, boutiques, nightclubs, microbreweries and food trucks around every corner. Ybor City is also famous for its thriving Latin American communities. Whether you’re looking to eat exotic dishes or dance the night away at a salsa club, you can find the best of Latin America right in the heart of Tampa. It has such a different vibe than Tampa that it’ll make you feel like you’re experiencing a second vacation within the first one.
#travellingisaknowledge
https://lnkd.in/ddN9ZN4M
TAMPA, the Cuban sandwich! A delightful journey through Tampa’s rich history. Your personal touch adds charm, advocating for Tampa beyond the typical tourist spots. The island stay recommendation is a gem, resonating with those seeking a romantic escape. An engaging read!