The Tampa Bay Area

Planning and preserves have partially shielded pockets of the Tampa Bay Area from the overdevelopment that saturates much of the Atlantic coast. Tampa has Florida's third-busiest airport and a vibrant business community and is one of the state's largest metro areas. Even so, it is less fast-lane than Miami.

Whether you feel like long walks on white-sand beaches, testing your nerve on thrill rides, or wandering through upscale shopping districts, there's something to your liking in the diverse Bay Area. Bright, modern Tampa is the area's commercial center. It's is a full-fledged city, with a modest high-rise skyline and highways jammed with traffic. Across the bay, St. Petersburg's compact downtown has interesting restaurants, shops, and museums on the southeast side of the Pinellas County peninsula. The county's western periphery is rimmed by barrier islands with beaches, quiet parks, and little, laid-back beach towns. To the north, communities such as Tarpon Springs, settled by Greek sponge divers, celebrate their ethnic heritage. Farther north is what's known as the Nature Coast. Remaining somewhat rural, the land is dotted with crystal-clear rivers, springs, and nature preserves. To the south lie resort towns, including sophisticated Sarasota, which, like the Pinellas County beaches, fill up in winter with snowbirds escaping the cold.

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