The city of Tampa is situated in the state of Florida, near the Gulf of Mexico. It is home to just over 346,000 people, and takes up nearly 442 square kilometres of area. The city actually forms part of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. Tampa has been ranked number 5 by Forbes magazine in terms of it being one of the best outdoor cities. Tampa is a city of high rises of ultra modern architecture. The retail sector, shipping, national defense sector, the finance and insurance sector, professional sports teams and organizations, tourism, and most importantly the real estate business play a fundamental role in the growth of the city's economy.
Tampa is the hub for theatre and performing arts organisations. It is the home of various theatre and orchestra companies such as Opera Tampa, The Spanish Lyric Theater, The Florida Orchestra and many more. Nightlife is one of the prime attractions of the city of Tampa, and the city ranks one of the six biggest party cities in the USA. Districts like Ybor city, Downtown Tampa, Soho and several others are the major places for nightlife. There are lots of bars, restaurants and nightclubs scattered throughout all of these areas. Tampa is also the home of numerous heavy metal bands, and also hosts the WWE Florida Wrestling Championship annually.
There are numerous museums in the city like the Museum of Science and Industry, the USF Contemporary Art Museum, the Planetarium, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Tampa Bay History Center, the Tampa Firefighters Museum, the Henry B Plant Museum and the Ybor City Museum State Park. You will also find in Tampa's downtown are the SS American Victory, which is a former World War II Ship, now used as a museum.
Some other attractions you have to take in include the Florida Aquarium, Howl o Scream, Lettuce Lake Park, Dinosaur World, the Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, the Big Cat Rescue, the Glazer Children's Museum, the USF Sun Dome, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Fort Foster, the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, El Centro Espanol de Tampa and the Oaklawn Cemetery.