For Sale: "Fern Rest," Charming Craftsman Bungalow in Tampa, FL

Home

Photos & Floor Plan

Neighborhood

Tampa

Life + Style

Tampa, some may love it, others may hate it, but for those who can appreciate her exotic allure, Tampa gets under your skin like no other. An unexpected blend of cookie-cutter American commerce seasoned with spicy Caribbean heat, stirred to a Latin jazz rhythm and baked in the warm breezes of the tropics, Tampa offers an alternative for anyone yearning to break free of oppressive winters and white-bread suburbia! Sure, you may work in an office - and they're pretty much alike everywhere you go - but when you walk out that office door in Tampa, within minutes lies an exciting world of possibilities.

Dine on standard American fare, or head to any of the many upscale restaurants found all along Dale Mabry, or for the more adventurous, every meal presents an opportunity to send your palate on vacation to exotic destinations sampling Cuban, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Trinidad, Mexican, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean or many other cuisines. After dinner, party the night away to jazz, rock or a Latin beat in the old quarter of Ybor City - not unlike the New Orleans' French Quarter.

Love the outdoor life? Then Florida is the place for you! You may head straight out to the Gulf beaches or one of the many lakes and rivers for the life aquatic with kayaking/canoeing, wind surfing, fishing, boating, water skiing, or just taking in the sun and collecting shells. After the beach, enjoy a cold one and some fresh local seafood at one of hundreds of beach-side destinations, but don't forget to catch the sun as it takes a final bow for the day and disappears into the gulf. Did you catch the Green Flash?

If your thing is chasing the little, white ball around sunny greens, you could golf a different course every week for a year, and you still wouldn't have played them all! Be sure to put Saddlebrook Resort at the top of your list, though. With two 18-hole Arnold Palmer courses, Conde Nast Magazine ranks it as one of the Top 100 golf resorts. When you're off the links, you can hike, camp, skate, bike, ride horseback and so much more in over a 140 city parks and trails in the City of Tampa alone. Participate in numerous structured instructional and recreational programs or one of the special outreach programs for after schoolers and seniors. Hillsborough County operates another ten regional parks, and there are over 20 state parks within an easy day trip of the area, where you can enjoy and explore Florida's beautiful natural and fascinating historic heritage. Just follow this link, and select "Tampa" from the drop-down menu.

Shopping? Did you say shopping? From malls with nationally known stores like Macy's, Nordstrom's, Tiffany & Co., Abercrombie and Fitch, and Lois Vuitton, to the quirky shops of Ybor City and Hyde Park, with antiquing along El Prado Boulevard, we've got it all!

If professional sports are your thing, you're going to have your hands full with 2003 Superbowl Champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football, baseball with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, hockey with 2004 Stanley Cup Champions the Tampa Bay Lightning, arena football, college football, soccer, baseball and basketball - all national teams, nationally recognized, and state of the art arenas and playing fields. We are the champions!

More of a performing arts fan? Take in a Broadway show at one of several local venues, including the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the largest center for the arts in the southeast. Or sample some of the innovative local performances at the Gorilla Theater, or Job Site Theater. If classical music moves your soul, try the Tampa Bay Orchestra, the Tampa Symphony or the Master Chorale. That's only the local Tampa companies, there's lots more to see and hear south of the bay in St. Petersburg and Sarasota.

With weather like this, is it any wonder nearly every weekend brings with it a variety of festivals to choose from? Modeled after Mardi Gras, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a cigar-smokin', gun-totin', bead-slinging, Cuban sandwhich-chewing, beer-swillin', good-fun, month-long celebration of all things Tampa including the Gasparilla Parade, a children's parade, and a night parade. Also associated with the event is the Gasparilla Distance Classic and the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, one of the most prestigious outdoor art festivals in the country. The Florida State Fair, Strawberry Festival, Guavaween, Clearwater Jazz Fest, Hyde Park Music Series, St. Pete's RibFest, John's Pass Seafood Festival, St. Pete's Festival of States and the MacDill Air Show are just some of the bright spots of the local festival scene.

How about a museum? Dali, Fine Art, Art, Children's, Holocaust, History, Natural, Fire, Police, Science and Industry, Explorations, International are all represented by local collections.

I haven't even mentioned the attractions yet! Busch Gardens, Adventure Island water park, Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, St. Pete Pier, Big Cat Rescue, Suncoast Bird Sanctuary to name a few. Those are the local attractions, and only a short trip eastward, and you can take in Disney World, Universal and Epcot, then the Kennedy Space Center and Daytona racing on the other coast.

People come from all over the world to sample what Tampa has to offer, and why not? All this excitement, and the energy and opportunity of a big city wrapped in the warmth and laid-back style of the tropics, and living in Tampa is like an endless vacation.

Overview

Wikipedia

City Data

Return to reading