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It doesn't have the reputation for glamour like Miami or wholesome family fun like Orlando, but Tampa, located on Florida's west-central coast, has forged an appealing identity all its own while presenting the best of both worlds. A port city that has also attracted the banking and high-tech industries, Tampa has much to offer visitors, from the nightlife of Ybor City and the relaxing western beaches to the kid-friendly destinations of Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and Adventure Island.

Tampa's system of street cars -- the In-Town Trolleys and the TECO Line ($2 one-way or $4 for one-day unlimited) -- makes getting around the downtown area a cinch. In-Town Trolley Route 96 loops around the business district and connects to Harbor Island, while Route 98 heads westward to Hyde Park. The TECO Line goes through the Channel District then north to Ybor City.

Tampa International Airport, just to the northwest of downtown, offers bus service into the city via the Hillsborough Regional Transit Authority (HART) for $1.50. Taxis charge a maximum flat rate of $20.

Catch the Bronx Bombers in Training
The Tampa Bay area is home to four different teams during Grapefruit League each spring, none more popular than the New York Yankees. Legends Field, a smaller-scale replica of Yankee Stadium, holds 10,000 fans for the largest capacity of any spring training facility in the state. If you can't get enough baseball, head to the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. (Click to learn more about The Splendid Splinter's place.)

See the Players' Favorite Stadium
A 2004 poll of NFL players rated Tampa's Raymond James Stadium the best playing field in the league. Judge for yourself with a trip to a Buccaneers game or a tour of the facility, available three days per week.

Swim With Manatees in Kings Bay
Head north of St. Petersburg to Crystal River and find where more than 250 West Indian manatees make their winter home in 39 acres of protected habitat. Several operators in the area run boats out into the water for guests to swim and snorkel with the seal-like creature that can reach 3,000 pounds.

Bike Along Bayshore Boulevard
The seven-mile promenade along Hillsborough Bay bills itself as the world's longest continuous sidewalk and offers sweeping panoramic views of the downtown Tampa skyline and is popular among joggers, skaters and bikers as well as Sunday drivers.

Release the Hounds
Tampa is home to one of the nation's oldest sites for dog racing, the Tampa Greyhound Track, opened in 1933. Besides the nearly 3,000 races run each year, there's a buffet and a poker room in the clubhouse, and simulcasts of thoroughbred horse races from around the country.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
3000 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, FL 33674
813-987-5283 or toll-free 888-800-5447
Busch Gardens is two attractions in one: part crazy fun rides, part African-centric zoo. The roller coaster rides are first-rate, the equal of any park in the country. SheiKra, the newest, carries riders up 200 feet at a 45-degree angle and then hurtles them back down at a heart-stopping 70 mph. The highlight of the zoo is an 80-acre replica of an African plain, upon which zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals roam.
http://www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens_default.aspx

Clearwater Public Beach (Pier 60)
1 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33767, 727-462-6466
The sand on this wide, wide beach is so white, it's blinding. Park in a gated municipal lot adjacent to the beach. Stroll past the beach volleyball nets to the warm gulf water. A fishing pier extends far into the water, on your right (bring your rod; there's a bait-and-tackle shop). Jump in; the swimming is great. There's a children's playground, restrooms, showers, casual dining and a daily sunset festival. A concessionaire will rent you a lounge chair and a private, two-person canopy to protect you from sun. Sun block not included.
http://funandsun.com/1tocf/allgosf/tampa/clearwaterbeach.html

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33617, 813-987-6100
The largest science museum in the southeast, it is also among the nation's finest. Pedal a bicycle across a one-inch steel cable suspended 30 feet in the air (don't fear; riders are tethered). Tour the human body -- its DNA, its cells, its organs. Simulate a flight in a fighter jet. Experience the power of a 74 mph gulf hurricane.
http://www.mosi.org/

Salvador Dali Museum
1000 3rd St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, 727-823-3767
The museum houses the world's most comprehensive collection of the Spanish surrealist's beguiling art. View Dali's drawings, oil paintings, watercolors, posters and sculpture, as well as a 5,000-volume library of his art and surrealism. You'll see a number of his masterworks: The Basket of Bread, Apparatus and Hand, Eggs on a Plate Without a Plate and The Weaning of Furniture - Nutrition.
http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/home.html

Florida Aquarium
701 Channelside Dr., Tampa, FL 33602, 813-273-4000
The aquarium focuses on Florida's aquatic life. Tour the museum and you'll discover it's incredibly rich. Follow a drop of water (and the fish who depend upon it for life) as it enters a spring in Florida's wetlands, wends its way through mangrove forests and empties into a coral reef in the sea. Take a 90-minute bird-and-sea-life eco-tour aboard a catamaran. If you're feeling adventurous, dive among black reef tip, sand tiger and nurse sharks with one of the aquarium's certified scuba divers.
http://www.flaquarium.org/

2004 Tampa Bay Lightning (defeated Calgary Flames, 4 games to 3).
2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (defeated Oakland Raiders, 48-21).