VISIT TAMPA BAY

Trendy Tampa Bay on Florida’s Gulf Coast offers everything people love about Florida and so much more: roller coasters, Cuban culture, year-round outdoor activities, and waterfront sunsets. Tampa Bay is a hotbed of award-winning restaurants and the hub of Florida’s booming craft beer business, which is among the best in the USA.

Tampa was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World, and those Cuban influences can still be enjoyed in Ybor City where you can enjoy historic walking tours by day and the pulsing beat of Salsa by night. Power up with a Cuban café con leche and wind down with a hand-rolled cigar.

Take time to experience the Tampa Riverwalk, a 2.4-mile walking, biking paradise that links popular downtown attractions like gems on a string. Find hotels, restaurants, museums, wide-open green spaces and the sparkling Hillsborough River. Take a Pirate Water Taxi, jump in a kayak or start your paddleboard adventure from the Tampa Riverwalk.

Whether you like your beer light and bright or dark as night, Tampa Bay has the brew for you. With more than two dozen independent small-batch breweries, Tampa Bay is Florida’s hub for craft beer. Match your suds with amazing food as creative chefs have earned Tampa Bay a spot on every foodie’s must-try list. The Refinery ranks among the Top 10 Eco-Conscious Restaurants in the U.S., whilst James Beard-winning Bern’s Steak House houses the world’s largest private wine collection. Other restaurants that imbue their menus with local flavour are Ulele, Oxford Exchange, and the Columbia, Florida’s oldest restaurant.

With amazing shopping, attractions such as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo with its manatee rehabilitation programme, direct flights from Ireland to Orlando (just an hour away) or from the UK direct, Tampa is Florida’s most diverse holiday destination. Treasure awaits. For more information visit www.visittampabay.com