Downtown

Downtown Tampa has a variety of different areas, appealing to visitors with a wide range of interests. Downtown Tampa is home to the newly renovated Tampa Museum of Art, the Florida Orchestra, the Tampa Theater, and the beautiful University of Tampa campus. Downtown also houses the Tampa Convention Center, a giant convention hall, perfect for any large gathering, and St. Pete Times Forum, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and host to myriad concerts and events throughout the year. All of these places are within an easy walk of each other, as well as ample parking, various restaurants, bars and hotels.

Also located downtown is the amazing shopping and party area of Channelside. This is where cruise ships from Tampa launch, and the night life in Tampa begins. With ample parking, and a safe environment, Channelside is great for bar hopping. There is a Hooters, with beautiful girls serving the freshest food, as well as sushi restaurants, frozen drink bars, a martini bar and more. In the center of Channelside is Bay Plaza, often a showcase for live music, and Santa’s castle in the winter. The movie theater, Channelside Cinema, is the only IMAX theater in Tampa, and shows all of the hottest films.

Just a couple of blocks from channel side is the Florida Aquarium. With 20,000 aquatic plants and animals, the Florida Aquarium is one of the premier aquariums in the United States. Ranked one of the 5 top kid friendly aquariums by Parents magazine, this aquarium has everything from sea otters to alligators. Among their amazing programs is a close-up look at the penguins, where you can hear all about the penguins as the little tuxedo wearing creatures walk among the audience. There is a shark feeding show, and even an opportunity to board a full size catamaran for a swim with the dolphins.