TAMPA, Fla. — Popular travel magazine Travel + Leisure has called Tampa the newest "it" city in Florida, saying "when it comes to the places everyone is talking about... it's impossible to ignore Tampa."
The neighborhoods across the Tampa Bay Area seem to have given the region this new title, along with what's found within them. From the beaches over in Clearwater, to the restaurants in Tampa Heights to walking around in downtown St. Pete or at Tampa's Riverwalk, Travel + Leisure says there's something for everyone.
"Tampa has always been an appealing destination," said Java Ingram, co-host of 10 Tampa Bay's morning show Great Day Live. "It's a city cloaked in sunshine, sandwiched by water, with a rich history, cultural diversity and a stone's throw away from award-winning beaches."
The weather is another reason why people want to come visit. No matter the time of year or season, there is always something to do, including several festivals across the area that never fail to draw a crowd.
The iconic Gasparilla Pirate Festival happens in late January. The Florida Strawberry Festival takes over Plant City in February. Tampa Riverfest comes to downtown in May, along with the Cuban Sandwich Festival in Ybor City. It's also not uncommon to stumble across an art festival and/or street market if you visit Hyde Park or Dunedin during the daytime on a weekend.
Tampa's up-and-coming food scene took center stage in the article from Travel + Leisure, with several restaurants getting shoutouts. Across the street from Armature Works, Rocca and Kōsen offer upscale dining with menus that are constantly evolving. Rocca opened in 2019 and made history as Tampa's first-ever Michelin-star restaurant. Kōsen opened its doors in the fall of 2023, and its classic Japanese courses are curated by Chef Wei Chen from three-Michelin-star restaurant Masa in New York City.
Other featured restaurants include Meat Market in Hyde Park, Psomi in West Tampa, and Sunda New Asian in Midtown.
It's for all of these reasons that more people seem to want to move to Tampa than ever before. Long-time residents have noticed the congested roads and expanding development. In the decade since 2010, the Tampa Bay region has seen a population increase of 17.5% according to the most recent State of the Region conducted by the Tampa Bay Partnership. That includes Sarasota, Manatee, Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.
