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Welcome to a comprehensive sports fan's travel guide to
Tampa Sports Events.
Please review our website menu for a directory of services of things to do and places to go in Tampa, all designed to make your visit for a
sports event more enjoyable !
Welcome to Tampa, Florida
More than just a big city with all the sophistication,culture, industry 
andservices that implies, Tampa isalso a place for family vacations and
encounters of the natural kind. Situated on Florida’s largest inlet, Tampa Bay, which separates it from sister city St. Petersburg, Tampa has a lot of shipping history in its past, and in its present. With its strategic position, it began as a Seminole War fort. Later its quick access to the Gulf of Mexico and deep port brought cigar-making and Spanish-American War preparations to town.
Tampa Bay is ideally located on Florida's West Coast, and features miles of glistening waterways and sandy shorelines. Its central location provides easy access to the nearby Gulf beaches and surrounding areas. Tampa's waterfront consists of both Hillsborough Bay and Tampa Bay, as
well as the beautiful Hillsborough and Alafia rivers and several area lakes.
From the distinct Latin roots of Tampa's historic Ybor (E-bore) City to the Greek history of Tarpon Springs; from the thrills of Busch Gardens to the culture of our museums, visitors have plenty of genuine, exciting attractions and communities to explore.
Even though Tampa is more business-like than St. Petersburg and Clearwater when it comes to attire, dress tends to be informal. Few restaurants require a jacket and tie, and most nightspots are decidedly casual.
With Tampa as your primary destination, you can easily reach other cities for day-trips and planned excursions. Clearwater and St. Petersburg are a short 23 miles to the west, Sarasota is 61 miles southwest, and Orlando is 82 miles to the east.
Sports Teams & Events
Tampa is represented by teams in three major professional sports
leagues; the NFL, the NHL, and Major League Baseball. Two of the
teams play in Tampa proper, while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball play across the bay in St. Petersburg. All of the teams are considered to represent the entire Tampa Bay metropolitan area.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the area's first major franchise in 1976, and brought the area its first major sports
championship at the end of the 2002 season, winning Super
Bowl XXXVII.
The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and
currently play their games in the St. Pete Times Forum. The 
Lightning won their first Stanley Cup championship at the end of
the 2003-2004 NHL season.
The Devil Rays began play in 1998, but have yet to be a major contender - finishing last in the American League's East Division in eight of the nine seasons they have played.
The Tampa Bay Storm play in the lesser-known Arena Football League. Originally playing in Pittsburgh, the team moved to Tampa in 1991. The Storm won their first Arena Bowl championship in 1991, and have won four subsequent championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2003. Since 1997, the team has played its home games in the St. Pete Times Forum,
which is located in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay Area also hosts a number of Major League Baseball
teams for spring training, as well as several minor league baseball
teams. Playing in the spring training Florida Grapefruit League are:
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg.
The New York Yankees of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Legends Field in Tampa.
The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater.
The Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball play spring training games at Knology Park in Dunedin .
The University of South Florida (USF) has had an unprecedented
growth in the school's football program. USF began football play as
a 1-AA independent in 1997, moved to 1-A in 2001, then to Conference USA in 2003, and now competes in the Big East conference (as of 2005) with its Bowl Championship Series (BCS)
tie-ins.
USF's rapid advancement to the Big East Conference and the associated gains in recruiting have been helped greatly by its facilities. The Bulls recently opened a $18 million athletic facility on campus, and the football team plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium, also the home field of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
USF, which was passed up for bowls in 2001 and 2002, was extended an invitation to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 31, 2005 against N.C. State from the ACC. The bowl game was only the 100th football game in school history, a feat unmatched in NCAA Division 1-A history. In 2006, USF was invited to the PapaJohns.com Bowl in
Birmingham, Alabama defeating East Carolina University for the first
bowl victory in in program history.
The NCAA football Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium is
held in Tampa each January.The Bowl is organized by the Tampa
Sports Authority and since the 1996 game has contracts with the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference. The 2007 Outback Bowl featured Penn State of the Big Ten winning 20-10 against Tennessee of the SEC.
PODS Tampa Bay Championship golf tournament., (formerly known as the Chrysler Championship), has moved to a new location on the PGA Tour's FedExCup schedule of events - and is now second in rotation in
March in the Florida Swing of PGA Tour golf tournaments.
The PODS Championship is played at the Copperhead golf course at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor Florida.
Planning other Sports Travel Road Trips !
We have over 85 Sports City Travel websites to help you.
USA Sports Travel is a collection of Sports Travel & Visitors Guide
website directories to the USA sports cities that are home to a NCAA BCS college and/or Bowl Game, a Major League Pro Sports Team and/or a Major League Pro Sports Event.
USA Sports Travel family of websites provides a sports fan information on what there is to do and see in the sports city they are going to visit for a sports event making every sports event road trip
an enjoyable mini-vacation.
"Let Us Help Plan Your Next Sports Road Trip"
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