Tampa is more than just a vacation spot in Florida in which to lie in the sun and get a tan. It is a city that also has some excellent sports avenues in which to enjoy as well.

Tampa is a great place for family vacations of all kinds and offers many options for family fun.  Tampa Bay is situated on Florida’s largest inlet, and is just across the inlet from St. Petersburg.

Tampa has a lot of shipping history with its strategic position, its humble beginnings was as a Seminole War fort. Later, because of its quick access to the Gulf of Mexico and its deep port, it brought the art of cigar making to town. It was also used heavily during the Spanish-American War as it was the perfect location to prepare and to ship supplies. 

Tampa Bay is perfectly located on Florida's West Coast, and there are miles of sparkling waterways and sandy-beached shorelines. Its central location provides easy access to the nearby Gulf beaches and all of its surrounding areas.

Tampa's waterfront consists of both Hillsborough Bay and Tampa Bay, as
well as the beautiful Hillsborough and Alafia rivers and also includes several area lakes.

From the distinct Latin roots of Tampa's historic Ybor, pronounced E-bore, and the thrills and excitement of Busch Gardens, to the cultured museums, visitors to Tampa have a large array of genuine exciting attractions and communities to delve into.  

Even though Tampa is more business orientated than sister cities St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as far as what to wear, it is decidedly a causal atmosphere throughout town. There are few restaurants around town that require you to wear a jacket and tie, and most nightspots and clubs are certainly casual attire.

For a great location for a Florida vacation choice, Tampa is perfect as your primary destination. You can easily access other Florida hotspots for day-trips and planned excursions. Clearwater and St. Petersburg are a hop, skip, and a jump away of only 23 miles to the west. Sarasota is about an hour away being 61 miles southwest, and Orlando is only 82 miles to the east of Tampa.

As far as sports in Tampa, there is definitely no shortage for the avid sports fan as teams in three major professional sports leagues, the NFL, the NHL, and Major League Baseball are represented in Tampa.

Two of the major teams, the Buccaneers of the NFL, and the and the Lighting of the National Hockey League play their games within the city of Tampa itself, while Major League Baseballs Tampa Bay Rays play their games just across the bay in St. Petersburg. All of the teams are considered to represent the whole Tampa Bay metropolitan area.

In the National Football League, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the area's first major sports franchise in 1976. The Buccaneers brought the area its first major sports championship at the end of the 2002 season when they won Super Bowl XXXVII by defeating the Oakland Raiders 48-21 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.

The National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and
they currently play their games in the St. Pete Times Forum. Even though it is named the St. Pete Times Forum, it is within the Tampa Bay city limits. The Lightning won their first Stanley Cup championship at the end of the 2003-2004 NHL season by securing the Stanley Cup with a seven-game series win over the Calgary Flames.

The Tampa Bay Rays began play in 1998, and were the American League Champions in 2008, appearing in their first World Series. However, they went on to lose the World Series in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Tampa Bay Area also hosts a number of Major League Baseball teams for spring training, and they also have several minor league baseball teams as well.

Playing in the Florida Grapefruit League for Major League baseballs spring training are:

The Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball play their home spring training games at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg.

The New York Yankees of Major League Baseball play their home spring training games at Legends Field in Tampa.

The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball play their home spring training games at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater.

The Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball play their home spring training games at Knology Park in Dunedin.

For those who enjoy NCAA football, The University of South Florida (USF) has had an unprecedented growth in the school's football program. USF began football play as
a 1-AA independent in 1997, moved to 1-A in 2001, then moved on to Conference USA in 2003. As of 2005, USF competes in the Big East conference and is eligible for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

USF's rapid advancement to the Big East Conference and the associated gains in recruiting have been helped greatly by its facilities. USF recently opened a $18 million athletic facility on campus, and the football team plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium, the home field of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

USF, which was passed up for bowls in 2001 and 2002, was extended an invitation to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 31, 2005 against N.C. State from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The bowl game was only the 100th football game in school history, a feat unmatched in NCAA Division 1-A history. In 2006, USF was invited to the PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama and defeated East Carolina University for the first bowl victory in program history. In 2007 they played in the Brut Sun Bowl but lost the game 56-21 to the University of Oregon.

In September of 2007, USF was nationally ranked for the first time in the young program's history. The AP poll listed USF at #23, while the USA Today coaches poll had USF at #24. This is an NCAA record, as USF achieved its first Top 25 ranking faster than any other Division I-A school in the modern era. In October of 2007, after the rankings were released, they were ranked #2, #3, and #2 respectively, the highest ranking the school's football program has ever been. In 2008, USF made it as high as #10 in the national rankings.

The ACC championship game is also held every year in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium, the home field of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NCAA football Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium is held in Tampa each January. The Bowl is organized by the Tampa Sports Authority and since the 1996 game has contracts with the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference. The 2008 Outback Bowl featured Iowa of the Big Ten winning 31-10 against South Carolina of the SEC.

In addition, if golf is your game, there are plenty of beautiful golf courses in the Tampa area for you to choose from and hit the little white ball around.

If you enjoy attending professional golf tournaments, The PODS Championship is played at the Copperhead golf course at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor Florida.

Tampa is a great vacation spot for the whole family.