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Entertainment
While Tampa's business environment takes itself very seriously, its entertainment empire offers a good laugh, great dining, an impressive nightlife and plenty of sports activities tossed in for good measure.
Amusement Parks
Busch Gardens is the undisputed king of the Tampa entertainment scene. More than 3,000 animals dwell on a Serengeti veldt in this African-themed park. Visitors can observe wildlife in natural habitats on over 300 acres, as well as enjoy a number of amusement rides, animal shows and nature exhibits.
The park is home to five terrifying roller coasters, including the Montu and the Kumba, which were ranked among the top five steel roller coasters in the world by Amusement Today magazine. A third, Gwazi, is the Southeast's largest and fastest dueling wooden roller coaster. Busch Gardens' Adventure Island offers 30 acres of water-themed amusements ranging from a bevy of corkscrew slides to a wave pool, waterfalls and a children's play area.
Two attractions devoted to injured animals make for a heartstring-tugging adventure here. In Tampa, Wildlife on East Street harbors a coterie of lions, tigers and other big cats without a home, and you can even sleep among them in three rustic cabins. The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Rocks Beach offers a close-up look at the care and feeding of injured birds.
Other intriguing amusements in the Tampa Bay region include Lowry Park, an "open" zoo where 1,500 animals are separated from visitors by moats or other natural barriers; The Florida Aquarium, which offers a close-up look at 4,300 salt and fresh water dwellers, including an encounter with some toothy sharks and gentle sting rays; Dinosaur World, where you can go eye-to-ankle with 200 massive dinosaurs, including one 40 feet high and a Brachiosaurus that's 80 feet long, all dwelling in a cypress forest. Fantasy of Flight offers a look at 20 historic aircraft and let's you try your hand at a flight simulator.
Museums
Tampa Bay's museums cover a wide range of informative adventures. St. Petersburg's Florida International Museum has welcomed many a notable traveling exhibit in its short history, including the "Treasure of the Czars," "Splendors of Ancient Egypt" and a tribute to former President John F. Kennedy, showcasing the world's largest private collection of Kennedy memorabilia.
Tampa's free-wheeling days of yore are chronicled at the Henry B. Plant Museum in the whimsical Tampa Bay Hotel, once one of the nation's most extravagantly elegant hostelries. The Tampa Bay History Center outlines the geography, history and multicultural influences that have affected Tampa Bay, while the St. Petersburg Museum of History does much the same for that city.
Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry is a playground for budding scientists, offering 450 hands-on activities and a Hurricane Chamber that offers you the dubious thrill of 74 mile-per-hour winds, plus an IMAX theater adventure.
And talk about museums! How many cities can lay claim to a history museum that's 10 blocks long and 10 blocks wide? Antique Ybor City stretches over that much territory and more, its streets lined with antique buildings tied closely to the 200 cigar companies and 12,000 cigarmakers who once rolled the world's stogies here.
Tampa Museum of Art features a permanent collection of Greek and Roman classical pieces as well as contemporary art and sculpture. The University of South Florida's Contemporary Art Museum houses a 3,600-piece permanent collection that includes work by Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist, as well as African art. Salvador Dali's Surrealist art is displayed in the largest collection of its kind at St. Petersburg's Salvador Dali Museum.
Theater
As for performing arts, the city's Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center claims to be the largest performing arts complex south of Washington, D.C. It has four theaters for opera, cabaret, plays, dance, music, alternative and Broadway theater. The legendary Tampa Theater, established in 1926, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and hosts film series, concerts, special events and backstage tours.
Nightlife
Many clubs throughout the region, particularly in St. Petersburg Beach and the string of islands along the coast, cater to the late-night crowd with music and dance options. Jillian's Bistro & Piano Bar offers live music and exotic food. Jannus Landing hosts a variety of concerts for all ages. The party's always in full swing at Shadracks, and Newk's Café is popular after a hockey game at the Ice Palace.
Sports
Tampa Bay loves its sports. From the Tampa Bay Buccaneer football team to professional baseball and hockey teams, the city is strong on sports and always has been—baseball great Babe Ruth hit his longest home run here at Plant Field on April 4, 1919, when he whacked a 587-foot, record-setting homer. Another famous baseball name, Al Lopez—also known as "El Senor," and named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977—was an Ybor City native.
Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium is a nationally acclaimed arena that frequently hosts the Super Bowl. Tampa's Lightning hockey team plays in the city's new Ice Arena. Enthusiastic fans closely follow Tampa Bay's Devil Rays baseball team.
For racing enthusiasts, Tampa Bay has two greyhound racing tracks—Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, billed as the world's oldest continuously operating dog track, and Tampa Greyhound Track in Tampa. In nearby Oldsmar, Tampa Bay Downs thunders with the racing hooves of thoroughbred horses.
Finally, for those who want a scenic walk or jog, Bayshore Boulevard runs alongside Tampa Bay for a serene 4.5 miles of panoramic views and greenery. A favorite with joggers, walkers, skaters and bikers, it's the city's epicenter for fitness fans and was cited by the American Automobile Association as one of the state's "Top Roads." In St. Petersburg, the historic, mile-long pier is a delightful place to stroll the region's historic past, enjoy the present and contemplate the future.
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