That’s right!  After months of effort and planning, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has chosen to host the 2015 Women’s Final Four Championship in Tampa Bay!  The Women’s Final Four rolled through Tampa Bay this past April, and to say it was a success wouldn’t do it justice. 

No matter who you are, or where you worked, this past April you absolutely KNEW that the NCAA Women’s Final Four was here.  This one single tournament has an estimated Direct Economic Impact of more than $19 MILLION. 

That means, whether it’s an attraction, a restaurant, or a hotel…or even if you were just having your meeting or convention in the area, then this event had an impact on you. 

From the Westshore District to Ybor City and throughout Tampa Bay, there were Women’s Final Four activities going on everywhere.  As far as things to do in Tampa Bay were concerned, this topped the list.  And now we can look forward to its return in 2015. 

The NCAA also chose host cities for 2012-16, which were: 2012 – Denver, Colo.; 2013 – New Orleans, La.; 2014 – Nashville, Tenn.; 2015 – Tampa Bay, Fla.; 2016 – Indianapolis, Ind. 

Check out some more information here – Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay.

Were you here for the last Women’s Final Four, or have you attended the event elsewhere?  Drop a line and tell us about it.  

Until next time, keep checking back here for the latest on Tampa Bay area events.  From attractions to hotel updates and even Tampa Bay emergency information, we’ll have it ready for you. 

Find the most comfortable pair of shoes you own because you are not going to want to stop this weekend. Our partners have brought you a rainstorm of activities going on this weekend so you don't have to wonder what to do. So get ready for things to do in Tampa Bay!

All weekend long, the Rock, Rib and Ride Festival will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The festival will have all of the necessities of a day at the Fairgrounds: food, midway rides, games, music, entertainment, commercial vendors. Don’t miss Blue Oyster Cult performing Friday at 7 p.m. on the main stage. Saturday, the Kansas City Barbeque Society will host a Charity Rib Tasting, so bring a napkin (or a roll of paper towels) and come on out!

Also, on select dates during the month of October, the Henry B. Plant Museum is challenging you to find out if ghosts really live in Plant Hall. There is no charge other than admission to join in on the “We Are The Ghosts” scavenger hunt. When you arrive, you will be given a guide filled with riddles and clues. You can solve the mystery of the final day of the 1906 Tampa Bay Hotel guests by visiting the different exhibits and piecing the clues together.

Friday through Monday, support your favorite Tampa Bay sports team and bring some Rays love to MOSI for $10 admission. All you have to do is sport your favorite Tampa Bay Rays ensemble or even a Rays hawk and come on down to MOSI to see The Diplodocus Dinosaurs exhibit or the Disasterville exhibit at a price you can’t beat.

Sunday, take a day to relax and head for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and enjoy some of the Tampa Bay weather. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the hotel & casino are hosting a Caribbean Experience by the pool. Sunday’s are also Swipe & Score day in the casino. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. just swipe your Players Club card in the “Swipe and Score” promotion for a chance to win cash, free play or complimentary food & beverage prizes.

I bet you can’t wait, so don’t. Go have fun this weekend! Check out our Calendar of Events for even more things to do this weekend in Tampa Bay. Come back and leave me a comment about how things went next week!

Hello Bulls fans, K-Mart here! Three wins in a row is not catching lightning in a bottle, it’s more like mad skills. The USF Bulls football players are working their magic once again.

“Thank God it’s Friday,” were my first thoughts as I headed towards down Raymond James Stadium for the game. Seemingly everyone else in the tri-county area was heading to the game and our 3 mile drive took 45 minutes (Hint: if you go to a game, go early!). Luckily my friend/chauffer had a bubble wand to make the drive eventful. If that wasn’t enough driving entertainment  all I had to do was look out my window to see random green and gold youth leaning out of car windows circling the Bull sign and shouting “Wooooo!” all the way down Dale Mabry.

When we finally made it to the Ray Jay parking field, there was Bull pandemonium everywhere! There were painted guys, jerseyed girls and everything in between. Just about every 3rd car had a grill fired up in front it, every 4th car was blaring opposing music and every 5th car had a tent. Tables lined with red and blue plastic cups and hacky sack boards littered the field as far as I could see, and a feeling of excitement and hometown support had taken over.

The game started at 8 p.m. after a light rain shower (gotta love that unpredictable Florida weather). The game was “edge of your seat” material. We were down by 17 points in the second quarter. No one lost hope though, and our golden boy Grothe connected with A.J. Love and Taurus Johnson for 2 touchdowns and ran a 3rd in himself (34-20). Our nationally number 1 ranked defense spent all night kicking butt, yet somehow let our 14 point lead slip away in the 4th quarter (blinding flash of light that only the defense could see?? Hmm??). Neck and neck, our safety, Nate Allen, caught an interception and ran it back 40 yards. In the end our freshman kicker, Maikon Bonani, came through with a 43-yard field goal.

The crowds were pushing forward to storm the field, but the cops had brought reinforcements… their horses. Next time you’re in town, you have to check out a Bulls game. It is an unforgettable, must-see spectacle! 

Let me know if  you were at the game and leave me some Bulls love!

The Tampa Bay area showcased two of the nation’s top soccer events over the past two weekends, with the annual Black Watch Labor Day Soccer Tournament and the inaugural United Soccer Leagues W-League Combine.

The 12th annual Black Watch Labor Day Soccer Tournament played host to 105 teams from around the state of Florida over Labor Day weekend.  Bringing in US Soccer club teams, boys and girls, ages 10-19 this event has become one of the premier soccer tournaments in the country.  Congratulations to all the Finalists and Champions:

            Finalists                                                Champions
U10b    Weston Fury SC                    Hunter's Creek SC Sharks
U11b    Hunter's Creek Barracudas      South Florida Elite
U12b    East Pasco Pirates                South Florida Elite
U13b    First Hernando Heat                Black Watch Rangers
U14b    Black Watch Victory Blade      East Lake Arsenal (Kennedy)
U15b    Coral Springs Storm                Palm Beach Hornets
U16b    Coral Springs Boys                 Brandon FC Flames
U17b    Rockledge Steelers                 West Pasco Futbol Thunder
U19b    Jax Jaguars                            Gainesville Soccer Alliance
U10g    Brandon FC Flames I               Wesley Chapel Flames
U12g    Everton Florida                        Largo United SC
U14g    Wesley Chapel Flames            Dunedin Stirling Hearts
U15g    East Orange EOS-CFU Real     HCUnited Red
U16g    Valrico A                                 BAYSL U-16 Girls
U19g    First Hernando Youth Soccer    Naples Youth Soccer Shark

If you got a chance to make it out, leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it!

Hi gang, Jerm here.  In recent weeks we have seen an increased amount of activity over the waters with regards to tropical depressions, storms, and hurricanes.  In case we find ourselves in the path of a named storm, please feel free to stay tuned to my blog as well as the pr/news blog for the latest storm advisories and emergency management news and updates.

In the event of an emergency such as this we will be giving updates with regards to Tampa Bay hotel updates, information on mandatory evacuations, as well as general emergency information.

As i find myself becoming a bit of meteorologist in recent weeks, I have come across a few great sties that track these storms and other weather patterns: