Four Fun Facts about Tampa Bay
Posted 08-27-2018 at 04:18 PM by TampaBayLove
Whether you live in the Tampa Bay area, plan to visit, or simply want to know a little bit more about this awesome, eccentric little corner of Florida, we’re here to help you learn. We’ve compiled a few of our favorite Tampa Bay facts into a tiny article (which, was no easy task – Tampa Bay is an incredibly diverse, interesting, and fun place with plenty to shout home about). Check out a few of our favorite Tampa Bay facts here!
It’s Annually Taken Captive by Pirates
You read that right – Tampa Bay is taken captive every year, like clockwork, by the pirates of Tampa Bay. These treacherous scallywags flank Tampa from its Bay side and take over for a fun, wild, and exciting festival known as Gasparilla. The Gasparilla fest has been going on for about 100 years without fail. This festival is the 3rd largest parade in the entire country and features a festive, pirate themed lineup that lasts almost an entire week. The Gasparilla Invasion is no joke, either – the parade on Bayshore in Tampa will blow your mind as hundreds of thousands of pirate-dressed people who’ve traveled from far and wide do wild things to earn their beads.
It’s Got the World’s Longest Sidewalk
This might sound like we’re making this up, but we promise, this is an actual fact. Bayshore Boulevard is a 4.5 mile long continuous stretch of sidewalk with zero interruption. You can walk, run, jog, bike, skate, and more on this gorgeous stretch, and it’s even complete with scenic views of the beautiful Tampa Bay.
It’s Got Plenty of Beverage and Restaurant History
Tampa Bay takes a ton of pride in its food and drink – something integrated as a huge part of our culture since each cities inception. Because of that, Tampa Bay is rich with food and beverage history. For starters, next time you bite into a delicious Cuban sandwich, remember that it was likely invented in Tampa (that’s right, not Cuba). Further, Tampa (Ybor, to be precise) is home to Florida’s oldest restaurant, the Columbia. While there are other Columbia locations now, the first is still positioned firmly in Ybor. It also has quite a selection of breweries, with over 60 currently established in Tampa Bay (this number is only growing!)
It’s Pretty Well Stocked on Lightning
While you can’t necessarily name one single city the lightning capital of the country, Tampa Bay comes pretty close to snagging the title anyway. In fact, the area from Tampa to Titusville, is literally known as Lightning Alley. You can expect plenty of lightning strikes in the Tampa Bay area, so make sure if you’re visiting or plan to move here that you know about lightning safety. With lightning tearing through the sky in Tampa Bay (on average) about 100 days every year, it’s no small wonder that Tampa’s famous hockey team is literally named the Tampa Bay Lightning (we wonder how they came up with that?). It makes even more sense that the name “Tampa” is believed to come from the Calusa phrase “sticks of fire” – whether you buy that or not, it’s still a pretty neat coincidence.
It’s Annually Taken Captive by Pirates
You read that right – Tampa Bay is taken captive every year, like clockwork, by the pirates of Tampa Bay. These treacherous scallywags flank Tampa from its Bay side and take over for a fun, wild, and exciting festival known as Gasparilla. The Gasparilla fest has been going on for about 100 years without fail. This festival is the 3rd largest parade in the entire country and features a festive, pirate themed lineup that lasts almost an entire week. The Gasparilla Invasion is no joke, either – the parade on Bayshore in Tampa will blow your mind as hundreds of thousands of pirate-dressed people who’ve traveled from far and wide do wild things to earn their beads.
It’s Got the World’s Longest Sidewalk
This might sound like we’re making this up, but we promise, this is an actual fact. Bayshore Boulevard is a 4.5 mile long continuous stretch of sidewalk with zero interruption. You can walk, run, jog, bike, skate, and more on this gorgeous stretch, and it’s even complete with scenic views of the beautiful Tampa Bay.
It’s Got Plenty of Beverage and Restaurant History
Tampa Bay takes a ton of pride in its food and drink – something integrated as a huge part of our culture since each cities inception. Because of that, Tampa Bay is rich with food and beverage history. For starters, next time you bite into a delicious Cuban sandwich, remember that it was likely invented in Tampa (that’s right, not Cuba). Further, Tampa (Ybor, to be precise) is home to Florida’s oldest restaurant, the Columbia. While there are other Columbia locations now, the first is still positioned firmly in Ybor. It also has quite a selection of breweries, with over 60 currently established in Tampa Bay (this number is only growing!)
It’s Pretty Well Stocked on Lightning
While you can’t necessarily name one single city the lightning capital of the country, Tampa Bay comes pretty close to snagging the title anyway. In fact, the area from Tampa to Titusville, is literally known as Lightning Alley. You can expect plenty of lightning strikes in the Tampa Bay area, so make sure if you’re visiting or plan to move here that you know about lightning safety. With lightning tearing through the sky in Tampa Bay (on average) about 100 days every year, it’s no small wonder that Tampa’s famous hockey team is literally named the Tampa Bay Lightning (we wonder how they came up with that?). It makes even more sense that the name “Tampa” is believed to come from the Calusa phrase “sticks of fire” – whether you buy that or not, it’s still a pretty neat coincidence.
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