Tampa is a city with soul, a place that rewards the kind of traveller who wants sunshine and substance. Stroll the two-mile Tampa Riverwalk as the Gulf breeze rolls in, spend a lazy afternoon in Ybor City - Tampa's historic Cuban quarter, where hand-rolled cigars and Spanish architecture tell a story that predates most of America’s. Enjoy the relax pace with a craft beer in hand and some of the finest stone crab you'll ever taste. Tampa Bay isn't just a holiday - it's an adventure waiting to happen. The kind of place where one day you're riding the rails at Busch Gardens, the next you're swept up in the spectacle of Gasparilla, Tampa's legendary pirate parade that takes over the entire city every January. With so much on offer, it's genuinely hard to know where to begin. A CityPASS gives you instant access to the best of Tampa Bay in one simple bundle, taking the guesswork out so you can get straight to the good stuff. 

Just an hour's drive north of Tampa lies Crystal River, a place so naturally extraordinary it earned the title of Manatee Capital of the World. This is home to the only National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. created specifically to protect the habitat of Florida's beloved official marine animal, and the chance to swim alongside these gentle giants in their natural environment is the kind of experience that stays with you long.. But Crystal River is far more than its famous residents. Spend a morning reeling in some of Florida's finest fishing, then sit down to a proper fish-to-fork meal as the sun dips low over the water. Dive for scallops, cycle one of America's top-rated trails, hike through forests that feel genuinely untouched, or tee off on a course with views that make you forget your handicap entirely. For those who like their adventures a little slower, the lakes, rivers and springs offer kayaking and paddleboarding through some of the most peaceful scenery you'll find anywhere in the sunshine state.

Venture a little deeper into Citrus County and you'll discover three small towns that each offer something distinct yet together paint a picture of a Florida that most tourists never get to see. In Floral City, time seems to slow beneath a cathedral canopy of moss-draped oaks along the famous Avenue of the Oaks, where historic homes and a quietly unhurried atmosphere evoke the soul of old Florida at the turn of the twentieth century. A short drive brings you to Homosassa, an original Gulf Coast fishing village where the rhythms of daily life are still dictated by the tides; whether you're casting a line, scalloping in the shallows, or simply gliding through the waterways by kayak, this is Florida as it was always meant to be experienced. Then there's Inverness - small-town living done properly, with a lively historic Courthouse Square at its heart, a genuinely walkable and cycle-friendly centre, and a clutch of great restaurants, inviting pubs and independent shops.