Look out, Orlando, there’s a city by the bay that’s gaining on you, and it isn’t San Francisco. It doesn’t have cable cars climbing halfway to the stars, but Tampa is the next best thing to heaven for golf and entertainment in the Sunshine State.

Situated on Tampa Bay, the largest open estuary in the state, the city of Tampa is the nucleus of a large geographical “atom” consisting of the “electron” cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Bradenton in a tri-county area featuring fine swimming beaches, lakes, rivers, the ocean, tropical parks, beautiful golf courses and an endless menu of amusements.
Fast becoming a big league player when it comes to business and commerce, Tampa is the headquarters of a large number of international corporations including Outback Steakhouse. As anyone who follows sports, it’s the home of the former National Hockey League champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, baseball’s Devil Rays, and, of course, the Bucs, Superbowl champions in 2002.
Next to Miami, Tampa is the largest deep-water port in the southeast US and a port of embarkation for no fewer than five international cruise lines including Holland America. The city’s revitalized downtown is headlined by the Channel District, one of Tampa’s most coveted addresses. The district includes Channelside, a massive, modern sports and entertainment complex consisting of restaurants, theaters, esplanades, shops and much more. The complex is adjacent to Garrison Channel port where the cruise liners are docked, and nearby is the St. Pete Times Forum, home of the Lightning and a big-name concert venue.
A short drive from downtown area are Busch Gardens and Ybor City. Busch Gardens is a 300-acre African-themed family entertainment park that has animal exhibits and rides, including six roller coasters, four of which are disc-poppingly steep. Ybor City was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1991. It was known as the “Cigar Capital of the World” at the turn of the 20th Century when some 200 factories employing thousands of workers turned out millions of cigars a year. Today, this trendy Latin Quarter is a center of Tampa’s nightlife.
Tampa’s other points of interest include the Florida Aquarium with its displays of 10,000 aquatic plants and its shark tanks, the Salvador Dali Museum, the Tampa Greyhound Track, the Museum of Science & Industry and Lowry Park Zoo named the “#1 zoo for kids in the U.S.” by Child Magazine.
There’s nothing kids-stuff about Tampa Bay’s golf courses. In such a large region, a wide variety of courses in quality and price are available and some of the widely recognized better layouts include the TPC of Tampa, site of the Champions Tour’s Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am which is located in the town of Lutz north of Tampa. This venue is widely considered one of the best in the TPC portfolio.
Other excellent courses include Heritage Isles, Eagles Golf Club, and Westchase, whose location near Tampa International Airport makes it a convenient course for a quick incoming or getaway round. Bloomingdale, a superior Ron Garl design, also merits inclusion on the schedule, as does Bardmoor Golf and Country Club in St. Petersburg.
The Tampa Bay region also has four exceptional resorts: Lake Jovita in Dade City featuring 36 holes laid out in a country setting of rolling hills, lakes and forests; Saddlebrook, a relatively small resort with two fine Arnold Palmer resort courses; World Woods, which is an hour’s drive north of Tampa and has two stylistically different but equally magnificent golf courses by Tom Fazio; and the Westin Innisbrook Resort, situated in the “Sponge Capital” of Tarpon Springs on the Gulf. The resort is in 900-acre nature preserve where golfers can easily be distracted by the wildlife on any of its four delightful golf courses that include Copperhead, Innisbrook’s signature championship layout and the site of the Chrysler Championship, a PGA Tour event. Return to All of The Reviews