The Florida Museum of the Photographic Arts occupies two floors of the building known as the Cube, a work of art in and of itself. One of the state’s cultural capitals, Tampa does not lack for great museums, including the Tampa Museum of Art and the Tampa Contemporary Art Museum. Just north of Clearwater is the undeveloped Caladesi Island State Park, where you can steer a kayak through the mangroves or wander along nature trails.
Clearwater Beach offers the white sands and warm waters you’d hope for, along with restaurants, bars, and tourist services. Just 35 minutes west of Tampa, you’ll find a chain of slender barrier islands and some of the Gulf of Mexico’s most stunning beaches. You can take a cigar tour to learn more about the neighborhood’s best-known industry, eat at least one of the Cuban sandwiches that may have originated here (Miami begs to differ, naturally), and explore the area’s abundant nightlife.
A historic Cuban American enclave that is now the center of LGBTQ+ life in Tampa, Ybor City blends the old and the new in colorful and charming ways.
