I love living in the Tampa Bay area even though it has become a bit more crowded over the years.
I remember when Tampa was overlooked by most tourists coming to Florida.
Many of them opted for the nearby cities that have amusement and theme parks. Many people have flocked to the area to cool off in our calm emerald ocean water during the hot Summer days. But now, Tampa has become a hot spot especially since we have so much more to offer. In addition to the beaches, we have lots of museums, nature preserves, sporting events and more. And not to mention the festivals. One of my favorites is the Gasparilla Pirate Festival that I have been going to ever since I was a kid. It’s a 100+ year festival celebrating the legend of pirate Jose Gaspar. I love dressing up in pirate costumes, and my kids love it as well and they love seeing the pirate ship and the boats. Thankfully, this festival is held in January where the weather is nice outside. I don’t think my kids would enjoy it as much if it was in the middle of the Summer and they had no air conditioning. I love my kids, but they are nothing like me. When I was growing up in Tampa, we played outside every day, and we didn’t have air conditioners in our home. We lived close enough to the Bay, so although it was always humid, we didn’t think it was that hot outside. But my kids prefer to go to places that have air conditioning. And I can’t blame them because they have never lived life without air conditioning.