Tampa, Florida

If you are an avid reader of the Tampa blog you know my favorite thing to discuss. If you don't, hi my name is Jenna and I love to talk about food. Because of my love for food, I thought it would be fun to highlight a personal favorite restaurant of mine from the bay area. My first restaurant highlight is going to Oxford Exchang e. Now before I tell you all the things I love about Oxford, thats what the  cool kids call it, let's have a little history lesson. image from  https://oxfordexchange.com Oxford exchange is located on Kennedy Boulevard, right across from the University of Tampa which used to be the home to the Tampa Bay hotel of Mr. Henry B. Plant. Oxford Exchange was many things before it was Oxford Exchange such as a place for local retailers. It wasn't until Brother and Sister, Allison Adams and Blake Casper discovered a lack of place in their hometown. It wasn't until September 2012 that Oxford finally opened in Tampa.  For more history of Oxford ...

image from  https://frbiergarten.com Sparkman Wharf is formally known as the Channelside Bay Plaza or known to me as another waterfront park. According to the Sparkman Wharf,  celebrates the best of Tampa- good weather, waterfront views, music, craft beer, and exceptional dining. Sparkman Wharf is located on the east side of Downtown Tampa and has been open for just under a year. The park and wharf are open Tuesday through Sunday, the park hours are11:00 am to 11:00 pm and wharf, hours are 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.  Now, what exactly can one do while at Sparkman Wharf? Well, I'm glad you're here to find out.   Let's start with my favorite thing possibly ever... Food. Sparkman Wharf has a "Dining Garden" that has 10 bay area restaurants. There is a lot of variety between all 10 restaurants such as Pizza, Vietnamese, and Seafood just to name a few. One thing to note... Some of these individual vendors might offer different hours than those listed ab...

Ahhhh its time for some sports talk. Now not to bash Tampa, but we know we're a smaller market city, we get it, Tampa just isn't there yet.  Although Tampa is considered on the smaller scale we somehow still have every major sport, a National Football team, a National Hockey team, and a Major League Baseball team. While I know sports might not be for everyone they are still a top attraction for major (and smaller) market cities. Let's start with our National Football League team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , also known as the Bucs. The Bucs home stadium is known as Raymond James, located off Dale Mabry Highway. Now, let me just be real for a minute, it's hot in Tampa, like really hot and football is played outdoors (most of the time). The Bucs, unfortunately, are not the best football team in the league, and because of this and our year-round summer-like weather, I personally won't be attending any games in time soon. The Bucs season will run through the end of ...

If you are from Tampa or come to visit we know we lack public transportation. It is no secret that the city of Tampa isn't where they want to be to support the demand for public transportation. Although Tampa lacks universal public transportation, there are still many fun ways to get around the city, aside from the typical buses and taxis. One way of transportation is the Teco Line Street Car. To me, the streetcar is the most "city" like feature for Tampa. It reminds me of San Francisco's trolley cars throughout the city. The StreetCar has 11 total stops throughout Channelside Drive and Ybor City. image from  http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org Listen, I will be honest with you, I personally have never ridden on the Teco StreetCar, but many people use it to quickly get from Downtown Tampa to Ybor City.  For more information on the StreetCar routes and schedules visit,  http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org . Now, when I think of traveling around Tampa I think of t...

image from  https://www.tampagov.net The city of Tampa knows how to play to their strengths. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is in Downtown Tampa lined with Plam Trees, Water Sprinklers and of course a view of Tampa's Waterfront. All year round the city of Tampa experiences the best weather, making Curtis Hixon a great place to visit. Curtis Hixon is a public park with a large grass field, a dog park, playground, covered pavilions, a boat dock, a small concession stand, and quick access to Tampa Riverwalk. Curtis Hixon is open to the public all year round and has something for every member of the family to do. At the front of the park, there are water sprinklers. I thought they were there for visual appeal but many kids find it like a mini water park. Be sure to bring your own sunscreen, and towels! Another great selling point for the children is the playground park. Why hire a babysit when the park and water sprinklers can wear them out??? image from  https://www....

If you live in Tampa you most likely have heard of SoHo, or if you're coming to visit, I'm telling you right now to add it to your list. South Howard Avenue is a main road located just outside of downtown Tampa. Along its stretch, SoHo is home to some best restaurants, bars, and trendy boutiques, but I'm going to talk about my favorite things drinks and food! image from:  https://www.tvo.org Let's start with my personal favorite thing to do when making a trip to South Howard... the BARS! If you're over 21 SoHo is definitely the weekend (or weekday, I don't judge) hot spot for a night out. Whether you're looking to bar hop or stay awhile SoHo has a bar for you. If you're visiting Soho and don't have time to hit all the bars here are my personal top 3 must-visit bars. MacDinton's  is an Irish pub that sticks to their Irish roots. There are drink specials every night of the week with Friday being an open bar from 6 pm to 8 pm. Along with...