photo by jazzchic

The Tampa/St. Petersburg area is an ideal base for a visit to Florida. Gorgeous beaches? Check. Easy access to theme parks? Check. Sunshine aplenty? Check. If you travel with a to-do list, it will be a long one here, likely including Busch Gardens, Dinosaur World, the Florida Aquarium and Lowrey Park Zoo. Busch Gardens offers a mixed bag of family-friendly activities; you can plummet several stories on a roller coaster, or meet the Budweiser Clydesdales. Put your to-do list down for at least a day to check out the dozens of exquisite beaches within the Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area. A few miles south of Tampa are the sandy white beaches of St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Just about any water-based activity is available here, including scuba diving, sailing, fishing, snorkeling, sail boarding, jet skiing and kayaking.

Tampa is also one of the fastest-growing cruise ports. Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, the Holland America Line and Royal Caribbean International all operate out of the Port of Tampa. At night, Tampa comes alive. The party begins and ends in Ybor City, an amalgam of New Orleans during Mardi Gras and Pamplona during the running of the bulls. On weekends, the streets of Ybor City’s entertainment district are closed and thousands of revelers enjoy the street party. Known for its large Cuban immigrant population, Ybor City offers a wide range of cigar shops where you can purchase cigars made by Cuban-trained craftsmen without breaking any laws.