After a month long success of baseball and softball Spring Training Showcase in 2008, the National Club Baseball Association/National Club Softball Association has once again named Tampa as their main host location for their 2009 Spring Training Showcase.

Mike Sansone Park in Plant City will be the physical location for this year’s showcase with the Red Rose Inn & Suites, less than 2 minutes away, as the official host hotel and sponsor.  Last year this showcase brought in revenue of over one million dollars along with 1,000 plus players and spectators during players spring break.  This year’s showcase will look to replicate and surpass 2008’s numbers as they are expecting over 60 clubs to be in attendance. 

NCBA and NCSA have confidence in Tampa and their baseball and softball events, as over the last 3 years there has been a steady 10% increase each year in their tournaments held in the Tampa area!

I don't know about you guys but I like saving money and am a sucker for a good deal! So before you take that family vacation and start to book a hotel be sure to check out the Hot Deals section of our website. 
As we get closer to the end of the football season and approach events like the ACC Football Championship, Outback Bowl, and that small little event known as the Super Bowl (insert sarcasm here), you might want to get an early start on making sure you got a place to lay your head! 

Lately we seem to have more hotel deals than we know what to do with! Properties like the Intercontinental Tampa, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, and the Doubletree Hotel Tampa Westshore Airport just to name a few. 

Of course we got you covered on the dining and nightlife front from free drinks, early seating coupons, to free beignets! We add to this list on a regular basis so be sure to check it out save some cash! 

The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee announced on Friday, Nov. 14 that they have chosen Tampa Bay as host for the 2015 Women's Final Four Championship games! Tampa Bay was host to the 2008 tournament, which was held at the St. Petersburg Times Forum in April. The event was such a huge success that the NCAA decided to award Tampa with one of the five open years.

The other cities that were chosen for future tournaments were Denver (2012), New Orleans (2013), Nashville (2014) and Indianapolis (2016). 

Tampa Bay is looking forward to another great event in 2015... bring on the basketball madness! It seems like it's far away now, but it will be here before we know it.


Thanks for stopping by and keep checking back for more about the beautiful destination that is Tampa Bay!

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. 

Calling all soccer junkies!  Wednesday November 12th marked the official start of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer tournament with women’s following on Sunday November 16th.

Four out of the five rounds will be held at their respective colleges with the finals for both men and women held at Pepin Stadium on the University of Tampa’s campus in Tampa.  

Stay tuned for more information as the finals are approaching quickly. For visiting fans please visit www.VisitTampaBay.com/NCAASoccer.

Are you ready for some USL SoccerFest!  November 20-25^th marks this year’s third annual USL Soccer Fest in Tampa.  This annual event is hosted together by USL and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.  This year’s annual event consists of a five day Super Y-League North American Finals, a five-a-side frenzy, a three day USL Annual General Meeting and various festivities throughout. 

Soccer matches will be played at Ed Radice Sports Complex along with the Land O’Lakes Recreation Center.  Watch as over 130 youth soccer teams from North America battle it out for their chance at a league championship. 

The USL Annual General Meeting is a three day meeting which will be held at the host hotel in the Grand Hyatt.  This meeting consists of over 300 plus soccer coaches, franchises, and team owners discussing important issues facing the USL community.  During the AGM, there will also be numerous seminars and expos on how to improve and build up individual USL organizations.

Another great example of a  great sports event here in the bay area!  Be sure to check out all the games and  enjoy Tampa Bay in your downtime!

I am sure that you are as ready for the weekend as I am. And as I have said before, there is so much to do in Tampa Bay, that there is just no possible way to fit everything in. Here are a few Tampa Bay area events and activites from our partners going on this weekend.

Tonight, Channelside Bay Plaza is hosting a smooth jazz session in the Channelside Courtyard. From 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. stop by for the smooth sounds of Al Chisolm + The On Que Players. Afterwards, you can walk over to Howl at the Moon and sing along with the piano players, Splitsville and try to strike out in a bowling match against your friends, Sling Shots for line dancing lessons or one of the many other Channelside Bay Plaza hot spots for some Tampa Bay nightlife.

Saturday, head over to Centennial Park in Ybor City to celebrate the history that once made Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World’ with the 10th Annual Cigar Heritage Festival. The festival will include a kid zone, lessons in Sicilian wine making and sausage making, cigar rolling, dominos, live entertainment and even a charity beer garden. Oh, and did I mention it’s free admission?

If you’re still going strong Sunday night, Jimmy Fallon will be at the Tampa Improv. Tickets are sold out for both showings Saturday night, so if you want to get in on Sunday, log on and buy your tickets A.S.A.P! Jimmy Fallon, one of my favorite comedians, is best known for his impressions on Saturday Night Live and roles in movies like Taxi and Fever Pitch.

A weekend like this will probably leave you with a severe case of the Monday’s when it’s over. Make sure you come back and tell me how it went and what you’re planning for next weekend. Until then, have fun and be safe! For a complete list of Tampa Bay area events, check out our Calendar of Events.

Whew? Is everyone as whipped as I am? Things are starting to get busy around here, thanks in part to the beautiful weather and of course, to the 2009 Super Bowl which is now just weeks away!

We've hosted a number of productions in the market recently including a PSA for Metropolitan Ministries, a catalog and online shoot for Delia's, a commercial for Bright House Networks, a documentary shoot for The Discovery Channel. Coming up this week we've got Goodyear Tires, Nike Canada, and a commercial spot for Everest University.

And lately we've seen a dramatic increase in student film projects, compliments of the University of Tampa's Film and Media Arts program.

Hope to see you at tonight's Tampa Film Review. Don't forget they've moved to a new location -

Romeo’s Art Gallery
1515 E. 7th Ave
Ybor City

Oh and is everyone watching Rookies? I've DVR'd every episode but can't bring myself to watch them. Next episode featuring Tampa Police Department's finest airs on Tuesday at 10pm on A&E.

Want to see the next major wrestling Superstar before anybody else? For almost 5 years, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) has been the spot to get your live wrestling fix in Tampa Bay. Now, FCW is officially sanctioned and recently reorganized by WWE, making it the arena where tomorrow’s WWE Superstars are trained.

Past FCW talent includes: Mike Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Jack Brisco, Gerry Brisco, Steve Keirn, Barry Windham, Kevin Sullivan, Dick Slater and more. With 60 different talents from 14 different countries, the shows will have you on the edge of your seat cheering! Also, fans can expect WWE Superstars to make regular guest appearances on FCW programming and live events.

Every Thursday night the arena will host a Wrestling Extravaganza and everyone is invited. The wrestling matches will also be aired on Brighthouse Sports Network on Thursday at 11:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6:00 pm. so you don’t ever have to miss a match!

So what are you waiting for? Tickets are only $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and under. Check out the WWE Superstars of tomorrow ringside, tomorrow night!

Can I get a Whoop Whoop for Green hotels?!
One more of our stunning Tampa Bay hotels has dedicated their time and money to going Green. The InterContinental Tampa, Tampa's newest luxury hotel, was awarded the Florida Green Lodging Program designation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for its admirable approach to being an environmentally-conscious hotel property. 

The Green Lodging Program requires facilities to meet environmentally-friendly guidelines by increasing recycling programs, energy efficiency, water conservation, clean air practices and waste reduction. As part of this effort, all guest rooms and suites at the InterContinental are cleaned with all natural green products that are non-toxic and biodegradable, which is the best way to clean the rooms without hurting the environment.


The Green thing is really catching on, and with everyone's help, we can make a difference in the health of our environment. Keep up the good work Tampa Bay!! I want to see every hotel property go Green by the end of 2010! :)

So last week when I did my post on our new Tampa Bay&Company online store, I think I thanked everyone but one very important person. I know the title may be a little confusing, but I needed a catchy title and that seemed to fit for Robert!

Robert La Follete is one of the Tampa Bay area's premier freelance photography and graphic designers and works with Tampa Bay&Company on numerous projects. In fact, a good portion of the imagery you see on our website was probably done by Robert. When it came time to start putting product images together for the online store, we couldn't have thought of a better person to help us out, and the results (as you can see when you visit the store) speak for themselves!


Robert has had his other works featured in publications like Shutterbug Magazine, Informant Guest, and Creation Magazine, just to name a few and has also won numerous awards for his work. He even has a book based off of the beautiful imagery of the Tampa bay area for sale at retail book outlets like Barnes and Noble, as well as Amazon. Robert will even be doing some work for the Super Bowl here in February so he is without question in demand, and rightfully so. 

If you want to see more of his work, check out the website I mentioned above, or simply visit www.robertlafollette.com. Thanks again Robert for all of your help!

As we get ever so closer to the ACC Football Championship, those guys over at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission always manage to think up something new and creative. Leave it to me to find a fun game to play that will keep your attention for hours when you should be working...shame on you! Technically this is work for me so its no big deal.

The game doesn't really have a title so we will just refer to it as ACC Football Game...catchy title right! Cool, game with a simple concept...just don't get tackled and make it to the end zone. Its pretty tricky though as the guys chasing after you are allot quicker than they let on to be.

The high score to beat is 267 yards at the moment and I can't seem to get over 132, so I challenge you all to beat that score! If you beat the high score then you can submit your info and be eligible for prizes.

Don't get too excited though as I have been playing for about a half hour now and can't seem to win anything! So hop on and prove you are better than jerm at this! Let me know what your high score ends up being.

p.s. Big shout out to the guys at Performix Marketing for putting such a sweet game together!

Tampa Bay Rays 3rd baseman, Evan Longoria, has been
named Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. And he didn’t just scrape by with a win; he took all 28 first-place votes!

We are all so proud of how great our Rays did this season, going from one of the worst teams in the league to making it to Game 5 of the World Series. The whole team pulled together to give us a memorable season. 

Longoria showcased his talents all season by hit hitting .272 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs in 122 games. Longoria was also the first rookie third baseman to his three home runs in one game since 1952 in a September game against the Twins.

Congratulations Evan Longoria, AL Rookie of the Year! A well-deserved honor!

Let's go OutBack tonight! Hola internet peoples, Jerm here with a partner website update for ya! As we draw ever so near to the end of the college football season, and the numerous New year's day bowl games, fans of the SEC and Big Ten, should pay close attention to www.OutBackBowl.com to see if their respective hometown teams will be making plane trips to Tampa Bay. 
The Outback Bowl is Tampa Bay's New Year's Day college football game matching teams from the SEC and Big Ten Conference (3rd pick from each).  If the season were to end today, it looks like we would see an Ohio State vs Georgia matchup which would be an awesome matchup and sure to draw a sellout crowd. You never know though, as this college football season has provided one surprise upset after another so you can never be to sure!

If you are wondering if your team will make it to Tampa for the game then I suggest bookmarking this site, as the team announcement is most likely to break at this website first!

In addition to team announcements as far as who will be playing in the game, you can expect to find information on fan housing, tailgate parties, hotels, things to do, and schedules of game week events!

Be sure to log on and check it out!

Looking for something a little different this weekend? How about an art viewing or perhaps a wine tasting? This weekend is packed with arts and culture in Tampa Bay. Here are a few fun (and affordable!) events going on this weekend with some of our partners.

If you are interested in art and art history, the Salvador Dali Museum holds regular Avant-garde Lecture Series’. On Friday at 6:30 p.m., guest speaker Andrew Laird will be talking about the origins of Classical influences from Greece and Rome in Mexican, Cuban and North American art, myth and nationalism. Even better, the lecture is free with museum admission which is only $5 after 5:00 p.m.

Also on Friday, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center will be hosting their Scene on the Green. This month’s showing is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Don’t forget to bring lawn chairs and blankets for this free, outdoor movie showing on the TBPAC Riverwalk.Keep your fingers crossed that the Tampa Bay weather stays fabulous!

Visit Malio’s Prime Steakhouse Saturday night for the San Rafael Wine and Live Music Series. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. there will be a wine tasting of MAIRENA Vinos De Mendoza paired with specialty cheeses by Malio's. From 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. enjoy live music from Half Circle and Friends. A whole evening for just $20.00 per person!

In honor of Veteran’s Day, MOSI will bring in patriotic music, hands-on science exhibits and an IMAX Dome Theatre film to honor our country’s heroes! Times for the special event vary. For all of our hometown (and visiting from out of town) heroes, November 8-11 MOSI will offer free admission to the museum for all active and retired military personnel, EMTs, firefighters, and police officers.

Invite a little culture into your life this weekend. While you’re at it, have fun! Don’t forget to come back Monday and tell me what you ended up doing this weekend in Tampa Bay! For a complete list of things to do in Tampa Bay this weekend, check out our Calendar of Events.

Ok, so you may have heard that 7th Avenue in Ybor City was just named one of America’s 10 Greatest Streets…and if you haven’t heard, where have you been??!!

Just in case, here’s a recap - The American Planning Association announced that 7th Avenue will be recognized as one of the 10 Great Streets in America for 2008, through their Great Places in America program.   They have singled out 7th Avenue as a Great Street in America for its history, distinctive character, and strong community engagement.

Ok, enough with the details, and on to some…well, details! 

Make sure you make it down to Rough Rider’s Park (at 7th Avenue and 13th Street in Ybor) on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 2pm for a sign unveiling ceremony by our very own City of Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. 

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, the nine other 2008 Great Streets are: Broad Street (Philadelphia, PA), Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards (Arlington, VA), Commercial Street (Portland, ME), Main Street (Annapolis, MD), Mill Avenue (Tempe, AZ), South El Paso Street (El Paso, TX), Summit Avenue (St. Paul, MN), Washington Street (Boston, MA) and West Main Street (Louisville, KY). 

I’ll see you in Ybor City for the ceremony, and possible for a celebration later that night!  Stop back in and let us know what you thought, or even if you agree with 7th Avenue receiving the honor. 

And keep checking back here for the latest things to do in Tampa Bay.   

So, lets say for instance you came to Tampa on vacation or for a meeting and wanted to stop by our retail center in Channelside to pick up a few souvenir items. Ya know, so you can take something back to the family as a memento. Somehow, though you had a brainfart (as I often do) and realize that your plane is leaving in an hour and you have to hightail it to the airport!

Well have no fear... the online retail store is here! Today is the official launch of our retail store in an online format just for that occasion when you lose track of time, or just can't make it here and want some "Tampa Gear". Log on to our site at www.VisitTampaBay.com/Store, and browse around our selection of apparel, merchandise, gift packages, and spa products and have a little piece of our great destination delivered to your door.

This selection of merchandise is hand picked from our physical retail center and is ready to supply you with Tampa Bay themed: playing cards, golf balls, plush toys, baby-wear, and other collectible items. We ship anywhere in the continental US, but at present will not be able to ship internationally.

We are all crazy excited to have gotten this one off the ground so thanks to the team around here for helping me put it together, and be sure to check it out and feel free to order away.

Have you ever wanted to climb a frozen, vertical waterfall, or maybe surf down a building size water-wall? Unless you are a professional you probably shouldn’t attempt these activities, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t experience them. Extreme is making its way to MOSI’s IMAX Dome Theatre on November 14.

Extreme is a documentary was filmed using IMAX cameras and trails adventurist athletes as they surf, windsurf, ski, snowboard, rockclimb and iceclimb. The action packed documentary also has an original music soundtrack.

On opening night, MOSI will have local adventure enthusiasts at the theatre from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm to talk about what fuels their passion for adventure. MOSI is home to the only IMAX Dome Theatre in the state of Florida making it one of the premier Tampa Florida attractions. So make sure you stop by and check out the newest Extreme experience at MOSI's IMAX Dome Theatre for the latest in Tampa Bay entertainment!

So when I was out in San Francisco last month one of the sessions that we were at, was about this new start-up company based out of San Francisco called Off Beat Guides. I really do hate it when people come up with brilliant yet simple concepts that I couldnt think of first! 
Off Beat Guides is a really cool concept where you basically can build your own comprehensive guide book of the destination you are getting ready to visit. 

Very easy concept as all you really have to do is tell it where you are leaving from, where you are going to, hotel info, and the dates you travel. Once it populates your guide you have the option to sift through and decided which info is most importatnt to you regarding your trip. 

I took the liberty of creating one for my sister, as she has always wanted to come down for the annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival in January, and it turned out great! 


This is just another great tool to use in support of some of the maps and tools that you can use at the VisitTampaBay.com website. 

If you don't believe me as far as the simplicty goes, then visit the site and check it out for yourself! First person that responds to this post I will even build one for you and pay for it myself! If you happen to be visiting Tampa (hint hint), I would even be willing to give you the one I created for my sister!

Wondering where to eat? Have you heard of Pelagia Trattoria? This innovative, Mediterranean-inspired gem is located in the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza and the people who run it are creating quite a buzz in the Tampa Bay dining circuit.

Fabrizio Schenardi, executive chef of Pelagia Trattoria, and Jim Bartholomay, general manager of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza have been respectively named Executive Chef of the Year and General Manager of the Year for 2007 by Renaissance Hotels&Resorts.

The Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza is rated with 4 AAA Diamonds and is self-described as reminiscent of “a Mediterranean villa, a Spanish square, or even a Cuban plaza.”

Pelagia Trattoria and its celebrity chef have received awards, notoriety and rave reviews from local media like the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Tribune, Discover Tampa Bay Newcomers Guide and national media like Southern Living Magazine, the Link Magazine, Zagat Survey and Restaurant Forum Magazine.

Award-winning celebrity chef, innovative and sophisticated cuisine, first-class Latin-style hotel in Tampa’s chíc Westshore business district… sounds like my kind of place. Drop me a comment if you’ve been to either Pelagia Trattoria or the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza and let me know if you thought it was as fabulous as everyone is saying it is.