TampaTampa Bay Long Weekend

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  • Destination: Tampa, FL
    Description: Four nights in Tampa to relax, hit the beach, and see the sites.

  • Day 1 (10 schedule items)
    • Flight arrives Tampa mid-day

    • A Tampa, FL Save this

      • Tampa

        Tampa is situated on the north shore of Tampa Bay in West Central Florida. It was founded as a Native-American fishing village; the Spanish came during the mid-1500s looking for the fountain of youth and gold. Today Tampa is a thriving city, with one of the most diverse and integrated populations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city also is a popular tourist destination, given its year-round good weather.

        Home to Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa has long been a family-travel favorite. For history buffs, there’s Ybor City, Tampa’s Latin Quarter, which is a designated National Historic Landmark District. The area was once a center for cigar manufacturing prior to the embargo on Cuban tobacco. It now boasts art galleries, shops and restaurants, including Columbia Restaurant, the oldest in Florida and one of the world’s largest Spanish restaurants.

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    • Pick up rental car at airport

    • B Renaissance Vinoy Resort - Saint Petersburg, United States -, St. P... Save this

      • Renaissance Vinoy Resort - Saint Petersburg, United States -

        The Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club is located in Florida���s West Coast with the combination of a private marina. The property is 15 and a half miles away from Tampa, and five and a half miles away from Gulfport.The hotel amenities include 18-hole golf course, two heated pools, a 12-court tennis complex, and bar. The restaurants present innovative cuisine that highlights Mediterranean flavors and new American cooking.The room amenities includes high-speed Internet access, and whirlpool spa. All guest rooms have amenities, like complimentary coffee, and daily newspaper.
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    • C Salvador Dali Museum - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Salvador Dali Museum - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        Housing the largest collection of Salvador Dali works in the world, the museum offers a regularly changing exhibit of the legendary surrealist artist's melting-watch canvases and a wide variety of his sculpture and fiber objects that are, at the very least, intriguing. One memorable creation toasts the cocktail party; it is a vest covered with full glasses of creme de menthe. Daily tours seek to explain this complex man and his equally complex art. In the museum store you can select a memento of your surreal experience. Do check the website or call for timings.
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    • D Haslam's Book Store, Tampa Save this

      • Haslam's Book Store

        This 30,000 square foot book store with more than 300,000 new, used and rare books. This is a good place to visit on one of the city's rare rainy days or on an afternoon when you would just like to relax with a good book. In business since 1933, this popular family-run business has an excellent reputation for variety, volume and service. With a diverse selection and mind-boggling numbers of books to choose from, you will be kept reading into the next millennium!
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    • E North Straub Park, Tampa Save this

      • North Straub Park

        The North Straub Park is located by the Tampa Bay in Downtown St. Petersburg. The park is venue to several interesting events like extreme sports, skateboarding competitions, concerts, etc. It also has a playing area for kids complete with play pens, swings and slides. The park has a jogging track for those wanting to stay fit.
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    • Ybor City: Tampa’s Cuban Cultural Community - TravelMuse Save this
    • F Columbia Restaurant (The) - Florida Dining - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Columbia Restaurant (The) - Florida Dining - TravelMuse

        This restaurant is owned and operated by the same Tampa family that founded it two generations ago. Beautifully hand-painted tiles and intricate fretwork decorate the exterior of the restaurant, while the interior boasts a two-story atrium. Warm lighting and a sense of history combine to create an elegant and relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy authentic Spanish cuisine, such as paella, black beans and rice or traditional Spanish yellow rice and chicken. Share a pitcher of sangria while flamenco dancers provide entertainment. Call ahead to verify nights and times for the show.
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    • G Downtown Ybor City - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Downtown Ybor City - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        Tampa's Ybor City, began its intriguing history when cigar makers settled here after a disastrous fire that drove the industry north from Key West. Today it is a National Historic Landmark District lined with old buildings and historic sites. Today's Ybor is a lively and popular shopping, dining and entertainment district featuring everything from museums to flamenco dancing and of course, plenty of cigars. The area really comes alive when the sun sets with a bevy of nightlife options. Do not miss the annual Halloween Parade, known as the Mama Guava Stumble or Guava-ween!
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  • Day 2 (5 schedule items)
    • Busch Gardens Tampa - TravelMuse Save this
    • H Busch Gardens - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Busch Gardens - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        At Busch Gardens, animals roam free and you are the outsider. You can see the park by monorail, cable car or train. Roller coasters, wild animals, entertaining shows, rides, food, shopping, sightseeing, bird shows, exotic flowers, train rides, Serengeti adventures, river rapids...the list goes merrily on. Wear comfy walking shoes and spend the day at this 300-acre park. You can even taste the Anheuser Busch brew that started it all. Busch Gardens is open year-round with varying schedules. Call or see Web site for details.
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    • I Old Hyde Park Village - Florida Shopping - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Old Hyde Park Village - Florida Shopping - TravelMuse

        Fountains burble and splash. Benches nestle under tree branches. And Europe lives in Tampa at Old Hyde Park Village, one of the state's most handsome shopping malls. A cluster of shops and outdoor cafes in an impossibly pretty shopping complex creates a village atmosphere reminiscent of cobblestoned Mediterranean towns. Beautifully landscaped, the Village is anchored by Jacobson's department store with 75 specialty shops, galleries, theaters and restaurants lining pretty pathways that wind through the village. A number of events take place here each year.
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    • J Henry B. Plant Museum - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Henry B. Plant Museum - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        Walk the corridors of the Tampa Bay Hotel, now a museum and a National Historic Landmark, and experience a stroll through time when exquisite art, elegant furnishings and opulent grandeur conveyed the image of the Gilded Age. Built in 1891, the hotel, with its Moorish architecture and spiraling minarets, was created as a resort for the rich and affluent. Reservations needed for groups of 10 or more. Parking is free in front of the building and in a nearby parking garage.
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    • K Pelagia Trattoria, Tampa Save this

      • Pelagia Trattoria

        This extremely stylish Mediterranean restaurant was voted by Zagat as one of America's top restaurants. If you're looking for a blend of tasty food and a chic atmosphere, make your way down here. Sit amongst aquamarine walls and fabulous light fixtures that add a special touch. Choose from dishes like Octopus preserved with garlic and mint, herb marinated Lamb Chops, Duck Confit with an assortment of vegetables, as well as pizzas. Dry White and Red Full intensity wines in addition to the usual reds and whites are available. Pelagia's Jazz Nights are as popular as the happy hours from 5p-7p.
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  • Day 3 (5 schedule items)
    • Tampa Bay Tours: Canoes, Cats and Crabs - TravelMuse Save this
    • L Big Cat Rescue - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Big Cat Rescue - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        Hand-feed Shere Khan, the 800-pound tiger, or take great photos of your favorite cats with nary a fence to ruin the snapshot. Fall asleep in your cabin listening to the sounds of the big felines. Occupying 40 acres, this non-profit center has the largest collection of exotic cats to be found in the world. More than 140 neglected, abused and unwanted big cats call this sanctuary and rehabilitation center home. All proceeds go directly to enhancing the habitats of these magnificent animals. Call ahead to check tour times.
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    • The Official Fort DeSoto Park Home Page Save this
    • M Bern's Steak House - Florida Dining - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Bern's Steak House - Florida Dining - TravelMuse

        Owner David Laxer carries on the tradition of excellence begun by his father Bern, more than 40 years ago. Beef connoisseurs should make this restaurant first on their list of culinary stops. Known for its large selection of melt-in-your mouth aged beef, it is easy to see why it has won a wall full of awards. The "putting on the ritz" crowd have some 25 types of caviar to ponder and a wine cellar that pushed one half million bottles.
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    • N Tampa Theatre - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, St. Petersburg Save this

      • Tampa Theatre - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        The beautiful Tampa Theatre's Mediterranean-style interior is reminiscent of a grand courtyard filled with antiques, statues and marble tiles. Roman and Greek mythological figures stand guard in the alcoves, and more than a dozen sculptured birds oversee the auditorium. As you sit in the cool darkness, a romantic atmosphere prevails. Clouds drift slowly across a ceiling filled with illuminated stars. A Tampa City landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the theater is open year-round and features quality films, live concerts and special events.
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  • Day 4 (3 schedule items)
    • O Museum of Fine Arts - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Museum of Fine Arts - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        This familiar downtown landmark with classical-columned facade has a permanent collection consisting of classical and contemporary artistry in a variety of media. Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Bellows and O'Keefe are a few of the greats in the rotating collection. Antiques, historical furnishings, crystal, timepieces, photography, and a sculpture garden, all combine to create a collection designed to appeal to a wide range of viewers. Lectures, concerts, guided tours, and even tea in the garden, are available.
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    • P Weedon Island Preserve - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Weedon Island Preserve - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        There's a popular fishing and boating area at St. Petersburg and a boardwalk over the tangled roots of mangroves. This nature lover's recluse is the Weedon Island Preserve. Here, from the top of an observation tower, there's a great view of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg's pretty skyline. While you're looking, you're likely to spot a heron or egret, and glimpse black crabs darting along mangrove branches. There's a fishing pier, picnic tables with charcoal grills, a canoe/kayak trail and historical markers pointing out an Indian mound and an early airport ruin.
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    • Q Pier (The) - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse, Tampa Save this

      • Pier (The) - Florida Attraction - TravelMuse

        Extending a mile out into the silvery waters of Tampa Bay, this five-story upside-down pyramid at the end of the city's famed Pier shimmers in the sun. Here, you will find a variety of stores, restaurants, evening entertainment spots and the city's aquarium plus a hands-on museum. You can sail off on a sightseeing cruise or a pirate adventure. On the ground floor is a replica of the HMS Bounty with galleries and boutiques. Top floors have an aquarium, Hands-On exhibits from the Great Explorations Children's Museum, and an observation area.
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  • Day 5 (1 schedule items)
    • Flight departs Tampa in the morning

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