Are you ready - hop on board & let's head
on over to Tampa. To get here from the Gulf of Mexico you will need to sail under
the Skyway Bridge, pass the St. Pete Pier &
keep heading East past Picnic Island (that's where
Jeff & I got
married) and come on into the docks at the Port of Tampa (do not confuse with Port
Tampa). This will bring you into the Downtown/Garrison Channel area and it is here
where we disembark and begin our tour. First - let's check out our WONDERFUL weather.
[Garrison Channel][Downtown][University of Tampa]
[Tampa Heights ][Harbour
Island][Davis Islands][Bayshore]
[Old Hyde Park][South
Tampa][Port Tampa][Ybor City]
[MacDill Air Force Base][And everything else north of Kennedy]
Garrison Channel - In
the Channel you will find ships carrying bananas, oil, passengers, you name it!
There are a lot of new things down in the Channel area, and more coming. There is
the new Florida Aquarium (which
is beautiful at night), which follows a drop of water through Florida to the Gulf.
It is interesting. There are shops (more coming), cruise ship terminals, art
galleries and the Ice Palace. This is where the Tampa Bay Lightning play and also
concerts and events
are held here. Not far down the road is the Tampa Convention Center. There are
several bars in the area which are lots of fun before an event and a new hotel is being
built in the area.
 Back to the top
 Downtown - The Tampa skyline, to me, is beautiful. It
isn't too cluttered and Tampa is the cleanest city I have ever been too. When you
come from any direction you see our little skyline and you are just awestruck because you
know that this must be a beautiful little city. There isn't the clutter and
competition for your eyes that you have in Atlanta, San Francisco or New York. When
you drive downtown at night it is pretty, clean and uncluttered. Tampa has several
parks downtown. My favorite one is the NationsBank park which is hidden away along
the Hillsborough
River.  Driving down Ashley you have no idea that it even exists. But walk
back there and what a surprise, a wonderful place to read a book and just relax. We
have many events downtown, click
here to learn more about what is happening right now in Tampa!
 University of Tampa - I can't begin to describe to you the
magnificence of seeing lighted minarettes in a city. It is haunting and romantic.
Plant Park is a beautiful grassy park full of oak trees and Spanish moss.
There used to be events here (until they built the ugly treeless park across the river)
and they were so great and cool. You could lay on the grass and listen to bands,
come up on your boat and just kick back. I love it there. Sculling teams from
Universities & Colleges all over the country have decorated the side walls of the
river with their schools emblems. It is a fun place and a romantic point in your
trip to Tampa. UT used to be the Plant
Hotel. Henry B. Plant (1819-1899) brought rail service to Tampa (& most of
west & central Florida). He built beautiful Hotel full of wonderful
plantings, which were not native, but the kind that northern visitors would expect to see
in a Florida resort.
 Tampa Heights - just a little north of
downtown is the oldest residential area of Tampa, when the people moved out of the city to
get away from Yellow Fever they thought moving up would keep them safe, so they moved to
Tampa Heights. In March of the year they have a tour of homes which grows every year
and there you can come in and see the restoration going on in the area and view the
beautiful old homes. If you saw the movie "Cop & ½" with Burt
Reynolds, it was filmed all over Tampa and the school & home of the little boy in the
movie was in Tampa Heights. This is also the home of the newest high school in
Tampa, which is a Performing Arts school.
 Harbour Island - let's head on back down the
river out to the bay. Here we come to Harbour Islands to our east. This was
the old Seddon Island which was nothing when I came out here, but in the 80s they built an
upscale shopping area, multi-family homes and the Harbour Island Wyndham. When it
was first built they would have fireworks on the Fourth of July and a Christmas Tree
lighting. I used to love to go to a club there on Harbour Island (when I was
single) and sit out side, listening to music and occasionally getting on the little boats
in the river mouth and float around with someone special in the evening. It was so
much fun! Those days are over (at least now). When I married Jeff the shops
and restaurants started closing down (I am sure the loss of my revenue did that) and alas
as of today (3/98) they are no more. I sure hope they come back soon. There
are still offices and homes (million $$ homes, most of which Jeff helped build) and it is
a gated area, so you can't look around.
Davis Islands - this is
a little old fashioned down of its own. Across the Hillsborough River mouth from
Harbour Island is Davis Islands.
There is a yacht harbor here (my favorite one is "Petty Cash"), a public
pool, an airport, a beach, yacht club (where in the summer on Thursday nights they have
sail boat races!), a tennis club and more. There are many beautiful homes along the
Hillsborough Bay side. Many old names live on these islands. There is a small
downtown area where you still park at an angle in front of the stores. They have
cleaned up the beach and there is a boat launching area there. It is a nice quiet
place to live, 2 minutes from the city. Tampa General Hospital is also located on
Davis Islands.
 Bayshore - back off Davis
Islands heading west we will hit the Bayshore.
This is a long continuous road (with very few traffic lights). On one side is
Hillsborough Bay bordered by a balustrade and sidewalk (where most times of the day or
night you will find people walking, jogging, roller blading, sleeping (yes, we have
homeless people in Tampa), etc. There is a grassy strip between the sidewalk and the
street. Separating the directional lanes of the street is another grassy median
where there are beautiful plantings and art work (sculptures) which changes constantly.
On the North side of the Bayshore are very expensive beautiful homes. It is
on the Bayshore that we have our Gasparilla parade. Our version of Mardi Gras on the
first Saturday of February. It used to fall on a Monday and the whole town would
close down, but that has given way to people's greed and now Gasparilla lasts about 6
weeks with 3 parades. A night parade in Ybor City and a children's parade downtown.
There is also an Art Show which is held downtown the last weekend of February.
There is a distance classic which is held on the Bayshore. It is just a fun
time! Bayshore is 7 miles long and ends at MacDill
Air Force Base. I love Ballast
Point Park and that area. Have dinner at the Colonnade & enjoy a wonderful
view of Hillsborough Bay.
 Old Hyde Park - when I came to Tampa, Hyde Park was still in
disrepair and just beginning to be renovated. Now it is one of the premiere
places to live in Tampa. Most of the homes here have been renovated and cost a lot
of $$$. But they are beautiful. It is worth a detour off of Bayshore to
explore the homes & streets in this area. Keep walking north on Rome and you
come to the shoppes of Hyde Park. Lots of little upscale shops and cafes.  This is the place
to come to see a movie and have dinner or an after movie snack. There is a small
park here with a fountain where they have jazz concerts during the summer (on Wed nights
if I remember - I may be wrong - don't get around much anymore!), there are also several
art shows that happen in this part of town. I used to live here and I could hear
the music from Harbour Island and from Plant Park (on nights they had concerts), I could
see the skyline downtown. It was a wonderful place to be - and still is.
 South Tampa
- there is a saying in Tampa, that you don't go north of Kennedy Boulevard and you don't
need to. I agree with that. I only go north of the Interstate (about ¼ north
of Kennedy) to go to HomeDepot. I have no other reason to go up there.
Unfortunately I work on the North Side of Kennedy, so I must cross that street or I never
would! South Tampa has everything you need. There are many different economic
levels living together in the same area. We have 2 high schools - Plant &
Robinson. Many churches, restaurants, 2 beaches, parks
and all those areas I mentioned above (except Tampa Heights) and more. I won't tell
you about all these areas but there are several upscale neighborhoods & old money
abounds. Most of the kids at Plant High have trust funds. Some of these areas
are Palma Ceia (home of the golf club!) and the Westshore area (home of my bosses).
I live in the southern most part of the Tampa Peninsula -
 Port
Tampa - This is where I live. It was developed also by Henry B. Plant
(University of Tampa). In 1887 he brought a 9-mile railway from Tampa to Passage
Point (Port Tampa). 1888 port construction was under way, with employment, homes
& a hotel. The hotel is gone now, but Port Tampa and the Port of Tampa are one
of the most important seaports in the United States. 1961 Port Tampa became part of
the city of Tampa. Teddy Roosevelt & the Rough Riders left from Port Tampa in
1898 (where they spent the night in the Johnson -Wolf House pictured here.
Many of the streets in Port Tampa, like those in Hyde Park are still brick and are shaded
by moss draped oaks. Port Tampa has an annual Promenade in December where you can
view the homes in the area, new and old. The photo above is of the Commerce Bank
Building, it is currently being renovated (3/98) and will be our new library, we are all
very excited.
 MacDill Air Force Base
At the tip of the Tampa peninsula is MacDill Air Force Base. We don't get to go on
base (unless you are military) put once a year (end of March beginning of April) when the
base puts on a fantastic air show! Anywhere you live in Tampa you might catch a
glimpse of the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds practicing on Thursday and Friday and the
performing on Saturday and Sunday. Where we live (Port Tampa) we are the
luckiest of all. With the runway just down the street we are lucky enough to be a
landmark for some of the stunts and the planes fly RIGHT OVER OUR HOUSE and flip and do
cool things. We can see right into the pilots faces. It is exciting.
But more exciting to be on base and catch the "sneak attack" and look at all the
planes on view. You can see what your taxes are doing for you and be proud to be an
American. It can be VERY HOT there - as the tarmac is Black.
You can bring your cooler or buy food and drinks there (sometimes they run out of water).
Just remember to bring your blankets and chairs - there is plenty of room and you
can see easily from any spot. It is a great day of fun!
Ybor City - Ybor wants to be
the next Bourbon Street. I can't tell you if they have achieved that or not, I
haven't been there in 4 years, but my friends go there and enjoy having a place to go to
in this town where there is a concentration of clubs and since Ybor was once a huge
cigar making center (Hava Tampa), now that cigars
are making a come back that industry is growing again. It is Ybor that we have our
night parade in February (Krewe of St. Yago). In March, the St. Patrick's Day Parade. There is a party there every night on
7th Ave. and the surrounding areas. You can also take a walking tour of the area in
the day time and learn about the history of
Ybor City. There are many galleries in the area (& Tampa) and one the events
you can partake in that is a lot of fun is the Gallery
Hop, which takes you all over Ybor & South Tampa and
take a look at some of the great art work there is in Tampa. Soon there will be a
street car which will go from Garrison Channel to Ybor
City (& maybe even Hyde Park) to make getting around easier. They are all just
several miles apart now. Ybor Square is a fun place to go to. There are many
shops and restaurants in the Square. There are parties there on parade nights and
also twice a year is Arts & Crafts Festival. In October we celebrate Guavaween
and the parade is held in Ybor City. It is like a mix between Carnivale and Key West
and Mardi Gras all in one. It is a ton of Fun. Once again, check
this site for events happening this month. If you enjoy the Latino (Italian
& Cuban) atmosphere and just want to have fun - Ybor is the place to go.
 And everything else north of Kennedy - I
saved this space to tell you about the rest of Tampa. More goes on all around and
these area are also part of the City of Tampa. Head on over to the Causeway and you
pass the Tampa International Airport (is that
how you got here?) which is America's Finest Airports - once again. For a great view
of Tampa Bay - eat at CKs at the airport. This is a beautiful area with many fine
dining places and hotels on the water. If you like football then you might want to
head on over to the staduim and take in a  Tampa Bay Buccaneers
game. Also check out the  New York Yankees during spring
training at Legends Field - across from Tampa (Houlihan's) staduim. Speaking of
baseball - across the bay in St. Pete, we have OUR OWn team which will begin their opening
season this year! 1998 - the Tampa Bay Devil Rays -
your go boys! Tampa isn't all about sports - we also have amusement! There is Busch Gardens, Adventure Island
and Lowry Park Zoo. Be sure to stop by each and everyone - they are SO much fun!
Want to go to school in Tampa? We have 2 excellent Universities -- the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa, as well as a wonderful community college
- Hillsborough Community College. Not to mention trade schools. You name it.
We are close to everything. Clearwater & St. Pete
Beach and other great beaches are all within driving distances. There is so much
more here to do in Tampa that I could go ON & ON, but I won't, except to say my favorite radio station is Thunder 105, my favorite newspaper is The Tampa Tribune and my favorite TV station is WFLA-TV Newschannel 8. To find out more
go to any of the links above or click here.
Don't forget to continue on my TOUR OF FLORIDA - more to come!
(These opinions are Karrel's and if they are not yours - too bad - I love it here.
If you disagree, take it to the editor! He cares
what you have to say bad about my home.)
Let's Continue on our Tour of Florida!
E-mail me your Great
Florida Links & Pixs!
[Key West] [Florida Keys][Everglades]
[Miami]
[Naples] [Tampa Bay] [Panama City]
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[Gainesville/Ocala] [Orlando/Kissimmee] [Florida Home Page Links]
[FL Award] [E-mail] [Florida]
Some of these pages are COMING SOON - book mark this
page & come back to visit MORE of FLORIDA - the Sunshine State!!! If you have a
great Florida Home Page - e-mail me with the link for my Florida Home Page Page &
also, apply for the Great Florida Site! Award.
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