Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Exciting Things To See And Do In Tampa, Florida

By Jony Mozen


Florida State Fair is an annual salute to the State's best in the agriculture and equestrian industry including an abundance of shows, music, rides, food and shopping for 12 consecutive days. There is always plenty to do on the Florida State Fairgrounds with plenty of free entertainment included with admission. Cracker Country is a rural Florida living history museum located on the Florida State Fairgrounds. Come experience rural Florida at its finest. It was founded with the purpose of preserving Florida's rural heritage. The museum recreates 1890s rural Florida. Its collection of 13 original buildings, dating back from 1870-1912 was relocated from across the state of Florida beginning in 1978. Today, the historically furnished buildings recreate the lifestyles of the past, and costumed interpreters portray daily living as Florida pioneers and share the stories of early Floridians' experiences.

Busch Gardens is guaranteed to delight everyone in the family from seniors to grandkids. There are thrill rides and cool rides, animal attractions, play areas for children. The park is divided into nine different areas fashioned after locations in Africa. Morocco, at the park entrance, features shops, eateries and three theaters presenting great live shows. Nairobi has the Great Ape Domain, a three-acre habitat of Lowland Gorillas and chimpanzees. Serengeti Plain has the largest collection of the park's animals where more than 800 animals roam in a natural habitat setting. Egypt has Montu, the Southeast's longest and tallest inverted roller coaster. Timbuktu offers roller coasters and other midway rides. Congo is host to Kumba, the Southeast's fastest steel rollercoaster. Stanleyville features the Stanley Falls Log Flume and the Tanganyika Tidal Wave, plus the Bird Gardens and Land of the Dragons, an adventure play area for children.

Adventure Island is a 25-acre waterpark with loads of twisting and turning slides and water attractions. The Water Moccasin is a 6-story-high twisting, high-speed, extra-wide water slide. Tampa Typhoon has a 76-foot near free-fall drop. Splash Attack is a 12-level tree house with more than 50 slides, water jets and rope climbs. Visitors young and old will entertained for hours. Paradise Lagoon is a giant swimming pool for the whole family with waterfalls, jumping platforms, cannonball slides, and translucent water tubes. Riptide is a four-lane mat slide with a 55-foot drop inside your own enclosed tube. Aruba Tuba is a twisted slide ride that is fast, wet, and a whole lot of fun. Calypso Coaster flume ride will get you soaked then spill you into the calm Rambling Bayou River. Caribbean Corkscrew swirls you through 230-feet of intertwined translucent tubes giving you the tumbling of your life. The last blast is a wet, whirling ride through the 47-foot decelerator lane. Everglides is a floating toboggan ride that speeds down a 72-foot watery incline then skims you across the pool's surface while you hydroplane up to 20 yards before coming to a stop. Gulf Scream propels you down a massive 210-foot body slide at speeds exceeding 25 miles per hour till you make one big splash in the pool below.

Here's a guide to their stadiums: George M. Steinbrenner Field is located in north Tampa and is the winter home of the New York Yankees. The facility's name was changed from Legends Field in 2008 to honor Steinbrenner, the team's longtime owner. According to its website, the field's dimensions are identical to the old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, with 11,000 seats and 12 luxury suites. Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater has been the winter home of the Philadelphia Phillies since 1948. Bright House has a 360-degree main concourse that opens out to the playing field, with a popular tiki-hut pavilion in left field. Florida Auto Exchange Stadium means Spring to the Toronto Blue Jays, who have spent the winter in Dunedin ever since the expansion team came into existence in 1977. Located in a residential area, it seats just 5,500 people. The U.S. and Canadian flags fly side by side in the outfield, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada" are both played before each game. McKechnie Field is an hour's drive south from Tampa to Bradenton, where the Pittsburgh Pirates make their home during the off-season. The Pirates have been at McKechnie since 1969. The field, with its Spanish Mission-style architecture, was built in 1922, making it one of the oldest in the league. The field has a capacity of 6,562.

Ed Smith Stadium is a 20-minute drive south of Bradenton to Sarasota where fans can find the Baltimore Orioles. Its many columns and archways and a new high-definition video board in center field mark the retooled venue. Charlotte Sports Park. While the Rays play regular season games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, they train at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, about a two-hour drive south down Interstate 75. The stadium features a 360-degree concourse, two outfield berms, a tiki bar and children's play area. The stadium's capacity is about 6,000 seats with room for another 1,500 visitors in the general admission areas.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for these annual festivals: the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in January, The Florida State Fair in February, the Florida Strawberry Festival in March, the Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival in May, and the Ruskin Seafood Fest in November. Visit Tampa now and discover how historic Old Florida blends well with the modern, upscale style of some of the most beautiful, master-planned communities for families and retirees. Yes, climate, dining and shopping, cultural attractions, educational and business opportunities, and the beautiful beaches help make Tampa home to a wonderful lifestyle. Tampa is a lot more than beautiful sunsets! Make it your home, too.




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