Enjoy exciting attractions and waterside vistas from your private home rental in Tampa. You will appreciate family vacation time with traditional home comforts and the space you need at a value you simply won’t find from hotel stays.

Explore Tampa’s exotic history and lively culture. As a port city and destination of choice for Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrants, Tampa exudes Latino flair. They came to Tampa and nearby Ybor City to provide the labor for cigar factories and support businesses for the workers. Their multi-ethnic imprint remains today in a progressive city with portside entertainment complexes, family-friendly Busch Gardens and gorgeous Gulf beaches a short drive to the west.

Begin your exploration at The Tampa Bay History Museum, where past meets present, and the city’s legends and allure come alive. The waterfront museum will whet your family’s appetite for discovering Tampa. Channelside Bay Plaza is a trendy entertainment complex, where music ranges from smooth jazz to dueling pianos, and plenty of indoor/outdoor bars, clubs and restaurants overlook the bay. Boutiques, the resident chocolatier and other retail sites round out a very lively destination. Next to Channelside, The Florida Aquarium is home to dynamic activities and exhibits. The Aquarium also offers tickets for a wonderful new addition - the “Bay Spirit” catamaran ride and dolphin encounter.

Trolley service travels to and from Channelside and downtown Tampa to Ybor City, once the “Cigar Capital of the World.” The cigar factories have given way to lively clubs and multi-cultural restaurants and bars. Don’t miss the 100-year old Columbia Restaurant with 11 dining rooms that spread across an entire city block. It’s known for authentic Spanish fare, tiles and flamenco shows. Branch Ranch in nearby Plant City is another magnet for food lovers, where family-style dining features mounds of fresh vegetables, fluffy biscuits, strawberry preserves and infamous relish trays.

Definitely a family favorite, Busch Gardens is an all-inclusive attraction with Safari adventures, roller coasters, rapid rides, Sesame Street playland and more. Gain a feel for Africa along scenic walkways or from the Serengeti truck tour. The natural, rolling landscape is home to exotic animals and birds and a genuine wilderness experience.

You and your family will enjoy the many advantages of condo or home rentals, not the least of which is being able to offset dining expenses with a few home-cooked meals. Add the convenience of extra space, laundry facilities and residential feeling of vacation homes; and you will become a lifelong fan of this popular travel alternative.