Part of Florida’s west coast, Tampa Bay has some of the best beaches in the world. Travellers booking flights to Tampa can plan a holiday combining trips to the beaches, the lakes and the Hillsborough River, or spend their entire tripin and on the water: snorkelling, diving, sailing, fresh or saltwater fishing, kayaking, or just napping on the beach.
So it’s not surprising that Tampa Bay also surrounds one of Florida’s largest estuaries and has an abundance of water fowl. Some of the magnificent birds that are seen every day in Tampa are threatened species. The area is also a wildlife haven and has several nature parks and refuges.The well-known Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is home to one of Florida’s largest destinations for West Indian Manatees. And, of course, Busch Gardens in Tampa is home to more than35 endangered species and is well-known for its breeding programmes.
For those avid golfers booking Tampa flights, there are also golf courses, and lots of them. Tampa Bay has a golf course for every budget and skill level.
The months of June through September can have temperatures in the mid-20s and 30s (Celsius) and be very humid and very rainy. On average, the warmest month is July when temperatures sometimes reach the upper 30s.June through November is the hurricane season.December to May is the most pleasant time of year with average temperatures between 15 and 26 degrees Celsius and much less rain. January is the coolest month, when the temperature range is 10 to low 20s.
There are many ways to get around downtown Tampa and Ybor City. You can walk, but the rest of the city has a network of buses, trolleys and historic electric streetcars to get you around. To get to the airport, Ybor City, Busch Gardens or the Museum of Science and Industry, hop on one of the HART line buses. If you’re traveling at the end or beginning of winter months, you’ll notice extra traffic on the weekends. Many northerners come to Florida to escape the snow, and north-south routes can quickly become clogged.