What to See in Tampa - Top Sights and Attractions

Roller coaster with a 90-degree drop. SheiKra is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster at the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster was proposed by Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering for the park, and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. The ride was planned to be 160 feet high, but the park's executives rejected this and the height was changed to 200 feet. SheiKra reaches a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour and has a total track length of 3,188 feet. It first opened on May 21, 2005, and was converted to a floorless roller coaster on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister Dive Coaster Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year.

SheiKra was the first Dive Coaster to be constructed in North America; its track includes a splashdown and an Immelmann loop, both a first for its kind. It broke the records for the world's longest, tallest, and fastest Dive Coaster, but lost these records when Griffon in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States and Dive Coaster at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou, China opened. The name SheiKra is derived from the word "shikra", an Asian-African hawk that is known to dive vertically for its prey. In 2005, Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards voted it the fourth-best new steel roller coaster of that year in a three-way tie and the 28th-best steel roller coaster. It was voted the 38th-best steel roller coaster in 2014.^[1]

Museum in Tampa, Florida. The Henry B. Plant Museum is housed in the south wing of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa's campus, located at 401 West Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa Florida. Plant Hall was originally built by Henry B. Plant as the Tampa Bay Hotel; a 511-room resort-style hotel that opened on February 5, 1891 near the terminus of the Plant System rail line, also forged and owned by Plant. The Plant Museum's exhibits focus on historical Gilded Age tourism in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, the elite lifestyle of the hotel's guests, and the Tampa Bay Hotel's use during the Spanish–American War. As such, the Plant Museum is set up in the Historic House Museum style. Exhibits display artifacts in a manner that reflects the original placement and usage within the related historic building.

The Tampa Bay Hotel was designed by architect J.A. Wood, who also designed the Old Hillsborough County Courthouse in 1892 in Tampa, Florida, as well as the Oglethorpe Hotel and the Mahoney-McGarvey House in Brunswick, Georgia.^[2]

Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. The Florida Aquarium is a 501 non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is a large scale, 250,000-square-foot aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means they are a leader in conservation and education, supporting programs for wildlife and having a strong educational component in the forms of summer camps, school trips, etc. The facility is home to more than 7,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and all over the world. The facility is located in the Channel District of Downtown Tampa. The Florida Aquarium opened in March 1995 as a privately funded entity and became a public-private partnership when the city of Tampa assumed responsibility for its debt in 1999. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the Florida Aquarium on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.

On May 8, 2017, it was announced that the aquarium hired Roger Germann as its new president and CEO. Germann came from the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where he was executive vice president for 16 years, and also served on the advisory board of the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.^[3]

Lauded zoo with interactive exhibits. ZooTampa at Lowry Park is a 63-acre nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida. In 2009, Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 Family Friendly Zoo in the US by Parents Magazine, and is recognized by the State of Florida as the center for Florida wildlife conservation and biodiversity. The zoo is operated by the Lowry Park Zoological Society, an independent 501 charitable organization. The zoo also exists as a center for conservation of endangered wildlife both locally and around the globe. Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as well as a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, the Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Florida Attractions Association.

ZooTampa traces its origins to a small animal exhibit that was located on the campus of the University of Tampa in downtown beginning in the 1930s. It moved to its current location in the Seminole Heights neighborhood 1957 and become known as the Lowry Park Zoo, with various small rides and other entertainment facilities added in the following years. The animal enclosures were run down and deemed unhealthy by the 1980s, and after several years of fundraising, the zoo was completely redesigned and rebuilt in 1987-1988. Since reopening, several new sections and attractions have been added, often with a geographic theme.

In 2018, the zoo was rebranded as "ZooTampa at Lowry Park" as part of another large renovation and expansion project. Nearly 1 million people visit the 65-acre zoo a year to see its more than 1,300 animals.^[4]

Amusement park ride in Tampa, Florida. Falcon's Fury is a free-standing Sky Jump drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Intamin subsidiary Intaride, the ride reaches a maximum height of 335 feet, making it North America's second tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders experience about five seconds of free fall, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour. The ride's name was chosen to invoke a falcon's ability to dive steeply at high speed to capture prey.

The project was originally planned to begin in 2012 with the ride opening in 2013, but it was delayed by one year. Construction began in 2013 with a scheduled opening date of May 1, 2014; however, the opening was delayed due to mechanical and technical issues. Following a preview opening to park employees in early August and a soft opening on August 16, 2014, Falcon's Fury officially opened to the public on September 2, 2014. Public response to the ride has been positive, with reviewers praising the height of the tower and the drop experience.^[6]

Roller coaster in Tampa, Florida. Scorpion is a steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Built by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel, it opened on May 16, 1980, as the second roller coaster at the park. The roller coaster was added as part of the newly constructed Timbuktu section during the second-phased opening, being surrounded by the Congo and Nairobi sections. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 60.7 feet, with a maximum speed of 41 miles per hour, and a total length of 1,817.6 feet.

Scorpion is one of three Silver Arrow models produced by Anton Schwarzkopf, being the only one supported on a permanent structure. Upon opening, the roller coaster received generally positive reviews and with the closure of Python in 2006, Scorpion became the oldest roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.^[8]

Roller coaster in Tampa, Florida. Sand Serpent is a Wild Mouse roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. The ride originally operated at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia as Wild Izzy in 1996 and later as Wilde Maus from 1997 to 2003. When the roller coaster relocated to the current park, it was renamed Cheetah Chase from 2004 to 2011 before coming into its current name.

Sand Serpent was manufactured by Mack Rides and designed by Werner Stengel. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 45.9 feet (14.0 m), with a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km/h), and a total length of 1,213.9 feet (370.0 m). Upon opening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the roller coaster was received generally well by the public, though its relocation at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was minimally covered.^[10]

Multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida. Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League and the University of South Florida Bulls college football program. The seating capacity for most sporting events is 65,618, though it can be expanded to about 75,000 for special events with the addition of temporary seating. Raymond James Stadium was built at public expense as a replacement for Tampa Stadium and is known for the replica pirate ship located behind the seating area in the north end zone. Raymond James Financial, a financial service firm headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, has held the naming rights for the stadium for the stadium's entire existence.

Besides serving as the home field for the Buccaneers and the Bulls, the facility has been the site of three Super Bowls: XXXV in 2001, XLIII in 2009, and LV in 2021, the latter in which the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history both to play and to win a Super Bowl on their home field. In college football, Raymond James Stadium is the home of the annual Outback Bowl (since 1999) and Gasparilla Bowl (since 2018), hosted the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009, and was the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. Additionally, the stadium has hosted a wide variety of non-football events, including soccer matches, equestrian sports competitions, monster truck shows, and large concerts. It was also the site of WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.^[12]

Hotel in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa is a gaming complex and hotel that opened in 2004. It is located on the Tampa Reservation off of Interstate 4, just east of Tampa, Florida. The 190,000 square foot casino is the sixth-largest in the world and has been expanded multiple times since its opening. It is a 24-hour venue that permits smoking indoors.

It includes many displays of rock and roll memorabilia, such as clothing and musical instruments. Rock videos and music play on multiple screens, including one displayed inside a waterfall. Many song lyrics are displayed on the walls. Among its many services are a food court and tour bus parking. Special membership cards allow points accumulated by gambling to be redeemed for retail discounts.^[15]

Burial ground. Oaklawn Cemetery is the first public burial ground in Tampa, Florida, United States. The location was deeded in the mid-19th century and was described as the final resting place for "White and Slave, Rich and Poor". Oaklawn Cemetery is located at the intersection of Morgan Street and Harrison Street in downtown Tampa, about two blocks South of I-275. It has approximately 1,700 graves.

Oaklawn Cemetery includes a section for Catholic burials called St. Louis Catholic Cemetery. The two graveyards were added as a Historic District to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 2017. The Sexton House was used for equipment storage and maintenance activities. The cemetery was of the "Rural Cemetery" style. The First Mayor of the City of Tampa, Judge Joseph B. Lancaster, is buried at Oaklawn, as is the 6th mayor, James McKay Sr. Others include pirates, slaves, yellow fever epidemic victims and confederate soldiers. Notable areas and gravesites in the cemetery include the gravesites of Henry Laurens Mitchell, John T. Lesley Family, Samuel Friebele, Charlie Wall, the Hooker Family, James McKay Jr. James C. Field, Joseph B. Lancaster, the Krause Family, the Wall Family, mass graves, gravesite of James T. Magbee, the gravesites of William and Nancy Ashley, gravesites of John P. Wall, James Gettis, grave art, and the "Cradle Graves".^[17]

Skateboard park in Tampa, Florida. The Bro Bowl is one of the last remaining skateboard parks of the 1970s and the first public skatepark to be built in Florida, United States. It is the first skatepark to be listed on any national registry of historic sites.

Located at Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Tampa, Florida, this facility opened in 1979. The Bro Bowl is a bank-style park more similar to the first generation skateparks of 1976-1977 rather than the late seventies parks which tended to focus on vert. What is also unusual about the Bro Bowl is that it was constructed as a free public skatepark during a time when most parks were private profit-driven ventures. In 1998, the Bro Bowl was featured in the fourth Birdhouse video, The End, starring Thrasher Magazine's pro skateboarder of the year, Andrew Reynolds. In 2010 the Bro Bowl became the subject of a documentary titled “The Bro Bowl: 30 Years of Tampa Concrete."

The Bro Bowl takes its name from its proximity to the city of Tampa's projects. In the early years it was common to hear skaters refer to the bowl as the place where the brothers riot. Over the years the press and even the mayor of Tampa have lost track of the history of the park and openly refer to the park by its colorful name.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 as the Perry Harvey Sr. Park Skateboard Bowl.

It is apparently the first skatepark, world-wide, to be recognized on a national historic registry. The Rom, built in 1978 in east London, England, was the second; it became Grade II listed in 2014.

The original skatepark was demolished as part of a renovation of Perry Harvey Sr. Park and replaced with an updated design heavily inspired by the original.^[18]

Museum in Tampa, Florida. Tampa Bay History Center is a history museum in Tampa, Florida. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of a 1920s cigar store. The museum is on the waterfront at 801 Water Street in Tampa's Channelside District. It opened on January 17, 2009. The History Center building is 60,000 square feet with 25,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The Tampa Bay History Center includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space covering 12,000 years of Florida history, with a special focus on Tampa Bay and the Gulf Coast. The History Center has a museum store, classrooms, the Witt Research Center (a branch of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System), a map gallery, an event hall and the Columbia Cafe (a branch of Ybor City's Columbia Restaurant).^[21]

Convention center in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in downtown Tampa, Florida at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. It has both waterfront views of Tampa Bay and views of the city's skyline. Harbour Island is across the eponymous bridge on the other side of the Garrison Channel. The center is connected to the neighboring Channelside District and Ybor City via the TECO Line Streetcar, which has a station across the street. The center opened in 1990 and encompasses 600,000 square feet in total. It has a 200,000 square feet exhibit hall, a ballroom capable of accommodating over 2,000 guests, and 36 meeting rooms that can be adjusted to various sizes. The facility hosts over 300 events per year.^[22]

Performing arts theater in Tampa, Florida. The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, Florida in July 1987. The venue was rebranded in November 2009 to recognize the donation of financier David A. Straz Jr.--the largest individual philanthropic gift ever made to a cultural institution in Tampa.

The Straz Center is located downtown on a 9-acre (36,000 m2) site along the east bank of the Hillsborough River. As the second largest performing arts complex in the Southeastern United States (behind the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts), the 335,000-square-foot (31,100 m2) venue provides an environment for a variety of events. It has a leading Broadway series and produces grand opera, as well as presenting a variety of concerts, performances and events. The center estimates that it has a statewide economic impact of $100 million annually, generates 100,000 hotel room nights a year, and has 110 full-time and 250 part-time employees. Attendance runs on average 600,000 guests per year.

In 2009, the Straz Center officially began a new program entitled the "Broadway Genesis Project," which presents premieres of musicals and plays that might move to Broadway. In 2018 the Straz Center went under an extensive multi-million dollar renovation that included new wood floors on the stages, new cooler LED lighting, and improved dressing rooms for performers. Judith Lisi is the current Chief Executive Officer.^[24]

Catholic church in Tampa, Florida. Sacred Heart Catholic Church was constructed in 1905 in downtown Tampa, Florida and is one of the oldest churches in the city of Tampa. The church, located at 509 N. Florida Avenue, is predominantly a Romanesque structure, with other elements. The church is home to Sacred Heart Parish, part of the West Hillsborough Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

The first Catholic parish on Florida's West Coast was established in 1860 and named St. Louis Parish in honor of Fr. Luis de Cancer, a Dominican missionary who was martyred on the shores of Tampa Bay in 1549. The initial wooden-frame building called St. Louis Church was erected on the site where Sacred Heart stands today. In 1888, the Jesuits took over the pastoral responsibilities of the parish, after a serious outbreak of yellow fever in Tampa took the lives of three diocesan priests. Using Tampa as their base, the Jesuits were given the responsibility of all of South Florida by Bishop Moore. In 1905, a new Church was constructed in Romanesque style and the parish was renamed Sacred Heart.

As Tampa grew, so did the parish, and by 1897 it was decided that a new church was needed. Construction on the church began with a groundbreaking on February 16, 1898, with the laying of the cornerstone taking place on February 4, 1900. The dedication of Sacred Heart Church took place on January 15, 1905, and at that time the parish was renamed Sacred Heart Parish.

The architect for the new Sacred Heart Church was Nicholas J. Clayton of Galveston, TX, who designed many Roman Catholic Churches in Texas and throughout the southern United States. The granite and marble structure includes a 135-foot dome, solid oak pews and doors, porcelain tiles, and a Carrara marble altar. Its 70 stained glass windows were designed and manufactured for Sacred Heart by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany. The facility is a popular location for weddings, having hosted weddings for some parish families going back as many as six generations.

The parish operated a school, Sacred Heart Academy, which it established in 1931, on Florida Avenue in the city's Tampa Heights neighborhood. However, due to the changing demographics of the immediate area, Sacred Heart Academy was forced to close at the end of the 2011–12 school year. Previously affiliated with Sacred Heart Parish was another Tampa institution, Jesuit High School, founded in 1899, which thrives today.

In 2005, after the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart Church, the Jesuit community which had long served the parish withdrew in order to concentrate on their academic institutions throughout the South. The fourth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Most Rev. Robert Lynch, invited the Franciscan Friars of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Province to assume the pastoral responsibilities for the parish. The current pastor is Father Stephen Mimnaugh, OFM. In 2010 the Diocese of St. Petersburg added a Catholic Heritage Marker to the church exterior, recognizing its historic significance.^[27]

The Tampa Riverwalk is a 2.6-mile-long open space and pedestrian trail along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. The Riverwalk extends along most of the downtown Tampa waterfront from the Channelside District on the eastern terminus to the mouth of the Hillsborough River and then north along the riverside to Tampa Heights, forming a continuous path that connects a multitude of parks, attractions, public spaces, and hotels. Among the notable points of interest along the Riverwalk are the Tampa Bay History Center, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, Rivergate Tower, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Water Works Park, and the Waterfront Arts District which includes the Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children's Museum, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Locations along the Riverwalk play host to many community events, most notably the numerous festivals held at Curtis Hixon Park and the arrival of the "pirate ship" Jose Gasparilla, which moors at the Riverwalk behind the Convention Center during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival.

According to the city, the purpose of the Riverwalk is to "enhance the image of Tampa as a beautiful and unique destination" and highlight Tampa's waterfront.^[30]

Museum. The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Cube, Rivergate Plaza's architecturally significant six-story atrium building renowned as one of the most impressive interior spaces on Florida's west coast. Since 2012, FMoPA has been located in the Cube, which was selected as one of the Top 100 buildings in Florida in the American Institute of Architects' Florida Architecture, 100 Years, 100 Places poll. The Cube is located adjacent to Rivergate Tower, also known as the Sykes Building, in downtown Tampa, Florida. The location of FMoPA makes it part of the Waterfront Arts District, along with the Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children's Museum; all of which are situated around the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, located alongside the historic Tampa Riverwalk. Directly across from FMoPA and the Hillsborough River, where the Tampa Riverwalk is located, is the architecturally significant University of Tampa where the Henry B. Plant Museum resides.

Prior to being renamed the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in the summer of 2006, FMoPA was named the Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts.^[32]

Victory ship. SS American Victory is a Victory ship which saw brief service in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the final months of World War II, Korean War from 1951–1954, and Vietnam War from 1967–1969. Built in June 1945, she carried ammunition and other cargo from U.S. West Coast ports to Southeast Asia, then ferried cargo, equipment and troops back to the U.S. after the war ended. She survived two typhoons and one hurricane. She sailed around the world twice.

American Victory spent half of the period between 1946 and 1966 chartered to commercial carriers and the other half in two stints in U.S. reserve fleets. From 1966 to 1969 she delivered cargo to Southeast Asia in the Vietnam War, then three decades again in reserve.

In April 1999, she was turned over to a preservation organization to serve as a museum ship. Today she is the main feature of the American Victory Ship & Museum, also known as the American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship in Tampa, Florida's, Channel District.^[33]

Building. El Circulo Cubano de Tampa is a historic building constructed in 1917 to serve as a gathering place for Cuban immigrants in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It was designed by Tampa architect M. Leo Elliott. It is located at Palm Avenue and 14th Street. On November 15, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as Cuban Club, Ybor City.

The building has a theater and once included a bowling alley, spa, pharmacy, ballroom, library, and cantina. Decorated with imported tile, stained glass, scraffito spandrels and murals it continues the legacy of the club first established in 1902 as a mutual aid society.

In 1893, Cuban revolutionary, writer, and poet Jose Marti was visiting the building in order to gain support for his revolutionary party and movement in Cuba. During the time Marti was in the building, there was an assassination attempt on his life when two Spanish agents gave him a glass of poison. Marti survived the encounter by pure intuition and quickly forgave his would-be assassins. Today there is a plaque remembering the incident outside the western entrance to the structure.^[34]

Church building in Tampa, Florida. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is an active Episcopal parish and historic church building in Tampa, Florida, United States. The structure is located downtown at 505 North Marion Street, however, the parish offices are located at 509 East Twiggs Street. On April 15, 2009, the church building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Francis J. Kennard and Michael J. Miller are credited as the building's architects.

The congregation was officially established on July 24, 1871, and was the first Episcopal church in the city of Tampa. Initially, a hospital building at Fort Brooke was used for worship services. In 1877, the congregation purchased the block of land bounded by Marion, Twiggs, Morgan, and Madison Streets, where they are presently located. A wood frame church was erected on the site in 1883.

Construction on their current church building began in 1904 and three years later, the structure was completed. The historic Mediterranean Revival style building was designed by the prominent local architectural firm of Michael J. Miller & Francis J. Kennard, who had designed the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel and other significant structures which today are also NRHP-listed. Their design for St. Andrew's incorporated several components from the original wooden church, including the stained glass windows, communion rail, and lectern.

As Tampa's population grew and the city expanded, St. Andrew's parish helped to establish the local Episcopal congregations of St. John's and St. Mary's. The church is under the Tampa Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, which is within Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Next door to the historic church, on the same block at the corner of Twiggs and Marion Streets, is the six-story Western Union Building. The Art Deco styled, commercial office building built in 1929 was purchased by St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in 1996.^[35]