Tampa attractions plentiful and fun

Travel

A gallery of attractions in Tampa and surrounding areas for folks who may be heading down to the 2009 SEC Basketball championship.

Go to Busch Gardens and get on the Wild Surge. It's a four-story tower ride that lifts riders up and drops them multiple times throughout the duration of the ride.

Or climb into specially built Land Rovers for the Wild Animal ride at Busch Gardens, a ride similar to the safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Swim with the fishes at The Florida Aquarium in its largest exhibit. More than 2,300 fishes in the coral reef await guests 6 and older who are comfortable in the water.

Or sit in quiet splendor and watch the marine life swim by. The aquarium has swamps, lush mangrove forests and shallow coral reefs.

See such spectacles as a rare white alligator at the Florida Aquarium.

The Pier, which is nestled on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, offers a variety of exhibits, entertainers, live music, shops and restaurants.

Sit in the lap of luxury at the Don Cesar. A member of the Historic Hotels of North America, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and named a historical monument by the National Archives, the Don CeSar is as rich in luxury as it is in history.

Visit the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, which attracts more than 200,000 people each year from around the world. It's the permanent home of the world's most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spanish artist's work.

Check out this lobster telephone Dali created in 1936.

Visit St. Pete Beach which is filled with wonderful restaurants, beautiful sunsets and picture perfect weather -- at least most of the year.

View of the Vinoy Basin in St. Petersburg. The Vinoy Park and adjacent North Shore Park are on waterfront property overlooking Tampa Bay. It's an inviting setting for a picnic basket and to enjoy a fun day by the Bay

Dance the night away in Ybor City. Once the 'Cigar Capital of the World, ' Ybor City has become the nightlife capital of Florida's West Coast. By day, this National Historic Landmark District has quaint shops, bistros and museums. By night, this Latin Quarter comes alive with an eclectic mix of restaurants, nightclubs and bars.

Eat grouper -- one of Florida's most popular fish -- at the Columbia Restaurant and others in Ybor City. Richard Gonzmart, right, whose family has owned the Columbia for four generations, poses with his daughter Andrea.

Win a little cash at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino -- the $100 million gaming resort has a 250-room hotel and a 90,000 square-foot casino.

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Go to Busch Gardens and get on the Wild Surge. It's a four-story tower ride that lifts riders up and drops them multiple times throughout the duration of the ride.

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