Tampa Travel

Tampa, FL: The Surreal LifeRevel in Tampa Bay's almost surreal lifestyle with its lively Latin bars, hand-rolled cigars, spring-training stars, and 20 miles of powdery coast.Chill-out spots: The Gulf sands of Tampa Bay span more than 20 miles along the coast, so take a ride along Gulf Boulevard through 12 coastal towns. Or wander across a field of seashells at Caladesi Island State Park, a three mile stretch of sand almost completely devoid of development. The rarely crowded 65-acre Sand Key Park in Clearwater is another haven for water-lovers and is rated one of the top 14 coastal parks in the nation.History lesson: The entire district of Ybor City is a national historic landmark, yet with the feel of Puerto Rico or Cuba. Lined with cobblestone streets and former cigar-rolling factories, it's filled with bustling mom-and-pop shops and dress makers, and at night, it's the place in town to party, with pulsing nightclubs that stay open into the wee hours.Where the locals go: Step into the surreal life at the Salvador Dali Museum, located on Third Street. This is one of the world's largest collections of the Spanish painter's works, and it includes 95 oil paintings that stretch across Dali's four main periods. You'll also be surprised to discover that Dali was also a photographer.Place we love, even if it's touristy: Twice daily, you can see these underwater "creatures" perform in the underwater show "Weeki Wachee Mermaids" at the underwater theatre, which is actually a natural spring, complete with fish and turtles. The mermaids and mermen dance, sing, and even eat beneath the sea--all for your entertainment.Get out of dodge: Take to the Hillsborough River on canoe--surrounded by cypress trees, oyster beds, and sea grass meadows, it's home to indigenous birds like majestic green herons, cattle egrets, white ibis, snowy plover, and laughing gulls.Local flavor: Pick up a bag of hot, boiled peanuts on the side of the highway, along with those famous Florida oranges. We also love the Dungeness crab, conch fritters, and jumbo shrimp at the Fourth Street Shrimp Shop and at restaurants across town.Best bang for your buck: Watch your hometown heroes warm up their knuckleballs during baseball spring training. See the Yankees practice at Tampa's Legends Field, which is kind of like a mini Yankees stadium. Also training in the nearby area are the Detroit Tigers (Lakeland), Devil Rays (St. Petersburg), Phillies (Clearwater), and Pirates (Bradenton).