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“Just to bake a few, Tampa has a Busch Gardens, Zoo, aquarium, Amalie arena, many museums, the river walk, and events out the wazoo!” in 4 reviews
“The Tampa Streetcar is Free and runs from Ybor City to the many hotels along the Riverwalk.” in 4 reviews
“My favorite freebie here is the Riverwalk.” in 3 reviews
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25 reviews
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- Oct 23, 2023
The City of Tampa and adjacent areas including Ybor City have so much to offer. Great for all ages, you can easily spend a weekend exploring just downtown and surrounding areas. The Aquarium, The Tampa Museum, Historic Tampa Theatre (tours or catch a movie) ride the Tampa Streetcar, eat and stroll along Sparkman Wharf and watch Cruise ships come and go. Kudos to the City for the gorgeous River Walk running from the Tampa Aquarium north to Armature Works. Take a leisurely stroll or walk the entire length in about an hour, the City has done this right. Safe enough for all ages and well lighted at night. So many places to stop along the way for restaurants (Ulele, Columbia), bars, the Wharf, the Straz Performing Arts Center, and so much more. The Tampa Streetcar is Free and runs from Ybor City to the many hotels along the Riverwalk. We enjoy parking at the Convention Center and taking the Pirate Taxi along the river to Armature Works, you can hop on and off the water taxi at many stops.
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Feb 20, 2022
Whether you call it Tampa or Tampa Bay is irrelevant. I honestly do not know which one is right. I lived here for awhile. It is a nice place to be. The weather is awesome. It has beautiful beaches and contrary to what you may think. It does occasional get cold her, usually around February. There is a saying that there are two seasons here summer and February 6th. I have loved watching this city grow. It is home to the University of South Florida, Go Bulls. This city is less than an hour away from Orlando.
The city is home to the NHLs Tampa Bay Lightning, the NFLs Tampa Bay Bucs, and MLBs Tampa Bay Rays (actually play in St Petersburg). It attractions include Ybor CIty (Its entertainment District), Davis Island (where I used to live), Busch Gardens, numerous beaches, McDill Air Force Base, the Tampa Zoo, Adventure Island and the Zooquarium.
There are official beaches and there are some waterfront locations that you can just pull off on to and make an impromptu private beach. This city is pretty clean and spread out.
You have to cross one of three bridges to get to St Petersburg or Clearwater from Tampa. Those bridges can get packed at times. The city has an extensive ride share network and a nice airport. I like Tampa. It is hard to separate if from neighboring Clearwater, St Petersburg and Largo though. But why would you even want to. They are all nice cities and mesh well together, Tampa, I feel has the better night life and entertainment though. This gem on the west coast of Florida is definitely worth a vacation.Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 4Oh no 0 - Frank M.Tampa Bay, FL03Jun 14, 2023
I was born here in Tampa and have lived all my life, I hate to say it was a better city years ago. The City of Tampa government has become to big and is run by wealthy elites who care little about the hard working middle class. One of the worst departments is zoning who care only about money and favors for who they know. The "Good ol boy" mentality is strong here as they all cover each other's back when poor decisions have been made. The wealthy areas of Tampa always seem to benefit when it come to area improvements. If you plan on moving to Tampa do you're self a favor and buy in the county. The mayor's of the past did a much better job like Dick Greco and Nick Nucio , Sad to say those days have past.
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Ginger L.Tampa Bay, FL30906933037Aug 13, 2021
5 stars does not equal equal perfect for me. Nothing is perfect.
Tampa is 5 stars because it doesn't settle. It continues growing, reimagining, and offering new opportunities. Tampa doesn't lose its history, it doesn't try to be New York, Miami, or LA. It beats to the rhythm of its bay.
Tampa is also home to a lot of 5 star people and yeah, that definitely boosts its cool factor.
Happy 813 day, Tampa Bay.Helpful 14Thanks 0Love this 14Oh no 0 - Feb 13, 2019
Zero Stars, if I could! :-( WHY? Because with the new sales tax rate which became effective January 1, 2019, Hillsborough County now has the highest sales tax rate in all of Florida at 8.5%.
AND, for those of you who are not aware: New York City' sales tax rate is 8.8%. Which, in both Hillsborough County and NYC since it is impossible to pay .8 or .5 of a penny, it is rounded up to NINE PERCENT in both places.
"Why should I care?" You may ask. Well, if the average earnings of Hillsborough County residents and shoppers were on the same level as New York City workers, I wouldn't be writing this review. BUT IT'S NOT!
The added Hillsborough County increase is, supposedly, going towards "schools and roads". For those ignoramoses who voted "Yes" to increase the tax--NEWS FLASH---THERE ALREADY ARE TAXES FOR THESE TWO PURPOSES! And the roads? Patching up Himes Avenue b/t Hillsborough Ave and I-275 is a joke.
So, let's see a miracle: Wages to rival NYC' s to keep up with our equally-increasing taxes. Oops! Sorry, I was day dreaming again.Helpful 7Thanks 0Love this 4Oh no 2 - May 10, 2017
City of Tampa is vibrant city. Especially for Yelpiest people. There are many Yelper in City of Tampa. I am one of them that Yelping this city now. Live it, love it, enjoy it.
The city has many good mayors in the past including the current one. They have make good use of tax money include city park, city festival, city walk. The newest park is the waterworks park which attracts a lot of visitors. The city also have a lot of festival held here including the Shakespeare, food truck rally, movie night. Not to mention, the Curtis Hixon park just completed the riverfest that draw thousands of visitors.
The city project includes world class river walk project that bind along the Hillsborough River with leisure walk that tie all the parks together. The city of Tampa have their area from downtown Tampa extended to the New Tampa area. This wide area of living has many good pocket to choose.
Food is vibrant. The Seminole Heights, Hype Park, Palma Ceia, Historic YBOR, Gandy and Soho are good pocket for food. The city really has a lot to offer. It depends on the people who live there that create the dynamics effect for the good of the community.Helpful 10Thanks 2Love this 10Oh no 0 - 100331102Jan 7, 2019
On a Tuesday in April of 1978, I was born here, in Women's Hospital, right near the stadium. Yep, I am one of those rare 'native' types. I spent the first 19 years of my life living here, and honestly, it was THE BEST. I LOVED living here. We had it all, great food, culture, and so much to do! You could stay busy for months just exploring the Tampa Bay Area (As one other reviewer pointed out, the area is called The Tampa Bay Area, NOT "Tampa Bay", which is a body of water). Then I joined the military and lived elsewhere for twelve long years.
During those years away, I spoke highly of my hometown. Nowhere else that I lived compared to it. California desert, coastal Mississippi, Coastal Virginia, Europe, it was all fine and dandy, but I missed the friendly way strangers were always up for a chat, and the huge variety of activity and wonderful food, especially Cuban food. So, of course, when I separated the service, I came home in 2009. Little did I know how much the place had changed, and not for the better.
The roads were all the same. Exactly the same. Except there were, in some places (zip code 33615), FOUR times the residents. The city and county had done nothing to plan for this surge on the roads. A trip from TNC to Tampa Palms now takes over an hour, instead of twenty minutes. Everywhere I turn, I'm caught in huge snarls of traffic, endless traffic lights, especially West of the Veterans. Getting across Sheldon Road can take upwards of four light cycles, at five minutes each, thanks to the many subdivisions on the West side and only the same few roads in and out. Improvements to 275 have done little to help traffic woes heading to Downtown. If I want to go to the Straz, or enjoy Downtown nightlife, I have to plan an hour just to get there, if it's between the hours of 4 and 8PM. There is still no quick way to go east-west on the North side of town. Public transport is pathetic.
Tampa still has all the things that make it wonderful, even more so now, with fabulous foodie restaurants, craft beer, nightlife and beaches just a few miles away. But actually GETTING to them is frustrating. It breaks my heart that the county failed us in this way. I hope that very soon some of these issues can be addressed, and they take Tampa to all new levels of awesome- with the ease of travel from yesteryear, combined with the many wonderful places there are to visit now.Helpful 4Thanks 0Love this 2Oh no 0 - Sep 11, 2018
What better way to celebrate my centennial review than by talking about Tampa ?
I was born in the Bahamas, lived in Belize, then in St. Thomas , US. Virgin Islands as a kid. I moved to Tampa in the late 1990's on the north side near USF. While my hometown may be in play, I have lived the most time overall in Tampa, so I consider that my hometown for all intents and purposes.
Weather: Tampa is humid, subtropical area. It doesnt really have seasons, but it has 3 tiers of weather
Hot/Humid - June - Sept - 80 - 92 F
Cool - Jan to February 50 - 70 F
Tolerable/pleasant October-December, March to May 75-85 F
This is one of the best things about Tampa since there is no snow to worry about. (The absolute lowest temp Ive experienced here was 30 F overnight and I saw flurries). Yes Summer is basically 4 months and is grueling. Thankfully, almost any building has A/C here.
I should make note of the fact that July -August/Sept are the rainy months. A Typical day will be hot, then have a sever thunderstorm lasting 1-2 hrs with LOTS of lightning that will make Storm and Raiden blush.
Cost of Living: Compared to Miami or Naples, it is generally less. I have lived in Chicago and it is definitely do able here unless you have to live on the water or something.
Transportation: You need a car to live in FL. While there is a HART bus system and small scale TECO electric car, Tampa is a great place but very spread out. Also, many live in Tampa and commute to St Pete /CLW etc so for them 275/bridges can be congested. I think coming back to Tampa is more traffic heavy than the reverse. Though the rush hour is MUCH less than Atlanta's rush hour where you can be waiting 2 hrs to get home. For me north Tampa is an ideal place bc USF/gym/church/dept stores/cousins house are all witihn 5 miles from me. TPA International is a great efficient airport and is a joy to fly into and out of.
Fun stuff: I think Busch Gardens, Ybor, and Cuban Sandwiches are what come to mind the most. Beaches are here, but are more of St Pete,CLW fortes. Tampa has a lot of independent breweries so if youre into that , cool. Ybor is a historic former cigar factory area and there are a lot of cool historic sites/restaurants like Colombia restaurant. Busch Gardens is on the north side ad while it is smaller than Disney/Universal, it has a cool dichotomous nature as a Zoo and Amusement park with lots of cool rides(Montu hint hint).
Diversity: While Tampa has a lot of friendly people, it isnt as diverse as many think. When I first came to Tampa in King High School, I experienced some strange looks from kids there. USF used to be mostly white folks when I attended, but Im proud to say that there is so much more diversity now and I dont feel as out of place.
Overall: Tampa is a great place to live, work, and play that wont break the bank to live in and has great weather 2/3 of the year.Helpful 6Thanks 0Love this 9Oh no 0 - David R.Saint Pete Beach, FL1045634833Jan 7, 2019
I drive in numerous cities while traveling for work, and Tampa is one of the worst, if not the worst, from a bad traffic to population ratio. It's pretty bad when you can make San Diego traffic feel pleasant, and that's what Tampa does. The issue? Every major road in and out of the city is constrained like the arteries of a Philly Cheese Steak competitive eater. It has to be one of the least thoughtful designs ever, and they make it that much worse by spending money to widen the roads in between the bottlenecks, instead of eliminating the bottlenecks.
Coming from the west, you have a four lane bridge that ends in a single lane for anyone heading north (Veterans Expressway), and two lanes for everyone trying to continue east into the city. It pointlessly expands back to four lanes before shrinking to two a few miles later as I275 heads north through 'malfunction junction'.
Coming from the east, you have Interstate 4 shrinking from four lanes to one for those headed north to I275, again through malfunction junction. Headed east? Four lanes drops to two in the same ridiculous junction, up to four again for no reason, before back to two for a half mile to get on that east-west bridge.
Coming from the north, I275 south ranges from three to four lanes, before once again giving you a single lane through malfunction junction if you want to head east, or two lanes to continue south/west.
Tampa has had these choke points for decades and they keep getting worse. At this point Tampa stands no chance of attracting any major employer because of how horrible the transportation options are. Car is basically the only option unless you live near where you work; there is no effective mass transit, just horrible options that those unable to afford auto are forced onto. It seriously takes upwards of 30 minutes to traverse the city during the ever-expanding rush "hour".Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 3Oh no 0 - N O.Atlanta, GA08Oct 29, 2021
I had trouble accessing information in their city of Tampa website. It was confusing and I had a lot of trouble so I left a voice mail. The woman who called me back was antagonistic, talked over my questions, and was just about as belligerent as she could be. All I wanted was a zoning letter and I got bullying back. Thanks a lot, people.
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