Tampa, FloridaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Tampa_During_Gasparilla_Pirate_Fest_2002.jpg
Author: Christopher Hollis
Tampa is a city on the Gulf Coast Bay of Florida. With a population of 344,000 people, Tampa is the third largest city in Florida, and 54th largest in the whole country.
Until its discovery by Spanish conquistadors in 1539, the Tampa area was inhabited by Native American tribes. A permanent American or European settlement came rather late, only in 1824, after the US Army established a frontier outpost here by the name of Fort Brooke. Its site is where the Tampa Convention Center is located today. Tampa prospered rapidly in the 19th century after railroad baron Henry Plant extended his railway line to Tampa and made it a trading hub.
As one of the biggest city in Florida, Tampa has a metropolitan area known as the Tampa Bay Area, which has a population of 2.7 million people, the second biggest metropolitan in Florida.
Tampa experiences a humid subtropical climate. The warmest months are from mid-April to early October, when the average high temperature for August reaching 90°F (32°C). Coldest months are December to February, with averate low temperature for January registering at 52.4°F (11.3°C). August is also the wettest month with total precipitation of 7.6 inches (193 mm) for that month.
Florida Aquarium, TampaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TampaAquariumRedcar.jpg
Author: Infrogmation of New Orleans
Travel to Tampa
The main gateway to Tampa is the Tampa International Airport (TPA), located off Interstate-275 on Tampa Bay. Some budget airlines fly to Saint Petersburg Airport (PIE), some fifteen miles away.
Travel within Tampa
The most convenient way to move about in Tampa is by car. There are car rental companies at the airport.
Places of Interest in Tampa
- Busch Gardens
Garden incorporating a theme park with a major zoo with over 2,700 animals.
- Florida Aquarium
Aquarium with exhibits of sea creatures as well as seabirds, otters and baby alligators.
- Henry B. Plant Museum
Museum in a national historic landmark building showcasing the opulent lifestyle in the Victorian age.
- Lowry Park Zoo
One of the best zoos in the country.
- Museum of Science and Industry
Center with various exhibits and an IMAX cinema.
- Tampa Bay Hotel
Luxurious hotel in the Moorish style built by railway magnate Henry B. Plant.
- Tampa Museum of Art
Museum with a collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities.
- Ybor City
Hispanic neighborhood of Tampa famous for its cigar factories.
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