I vaguely remember someone talking about being from Tampa in here, from a while back...

Well my dad has been at McDill AFB for the past 6 years and recently had me attached from my Combat Medic ground reserve unit to a Special Operations Unit here in Tampa.

Anyway...I've lived in a few places besides OKC since graduating from OU in 2007 and this place has been the most difficult to find a church, and things to do.

If there is someone from Oklahoma living in Tampa floating around on here, can they help me get to a website like this one for Tampa, or just a few pointers. Unit I get my orders I'm sitting around reading ESPN thunder articles and doing push ups. I'm bored out of my mind. Could use a little help.

Thanks!

Not really like this forum but here's one I discovered sometime ago. (long story)

Very active it seems and a lot of younger folks. Good luck!

http://www.tampaforums.com/

(Nope. I'm not from Tampa either.)

I don't live in Tampa but just wanted to say safe travels from one combat medic to another!

Thanks Doc!

Stay safe.

Bad ass, I'll give it a look over. Thanks!

I lived in Tampa for 8 years - what do you want to know?

How can you be bored in Tampa? It's an awesome city.

I lived in Tampa for about 5 years. Lots of fun things to do there. Go biking or roller blading on "Bayshore Blvd backing the bay. Ybor City is fun with its cool shops, restaurants and entertainment with a distinctive Cuban influence. Busch Gardens theme park was fun! Tampa Bay Bucanners, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Devil Rays tons of professional sports! Westshore "International Mall has great shopping with anchors of Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Westshore Mall down the road South is another good mall with Saks Fifth Avenue as one of their anchors. Nice areas to see beautiful homes include Bayshore Blvd, Palma Ceia, Westshore, Hyde Park.

I lived in Tampa for about 5 years. Lots of fun things to do there. Go biking or roller blading on "Bayshore Blvd backing the bay. Ybor City is fun with its cool shops, restaurants and entertainment with a distinctive Cuban influence. Busch Gardens theme park was fun! Tampa Bay Bucanners, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Devil Rays tons of professional sports! Westshore "International Mall has great shopping with anchors of Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Westshore Mall down the road South is another good mall with Saks Fifth Avenue as one of their anchors. Nice areas to see beautiful homes include Bayshore Blvd, Palma Ceia, Westshore, Hyde Park.

Don't forget the Florida Aquarium and Channelside district. You mentioned International Mall but there is also Bay Street at International Mall (it isn't just a mall). And of course, that is just Tampa. There is also St Pete, St Pete Beach, Fort Desoto, John's Pass (for the pirate tourist), and Tarpon Springs (for people that love Greek food and shopping). Disney is only an hour away from downtown Tampa. If you want a long bike ride checkout the Pinellas Trail or the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.

I hit up Ybor last weekend, and that was cool, honestly I wasn't that impressed though, the way everyone from my Army training talked it up. Maybe I just hit the wrong area.

I'm looking for a farmers market, a church, a wine shop, a micro brew, a concert venue, and local cultural stuff like a music festival or a cool local tradition.

Ybor isn't that great unless you want to get so drunk you don't actually remember it. Just be gone by midnight or risk getting shot, stabbed, raped or robbed - or all four. The two biggest cultural events are Gasparilla and the Strawberry Festival - but you already missed both for this year. I can't help you on the church front as we didn't care for our local congregation there so we drove to Orlando for church every Sunday.

As for a farmers market - check out the Oldsmar Flea Market open every weekend (located in Oldsmar at the north end of the bay at Tampa Road and Race Track Road). They have a decent sized farmer market and it includeds fresh baked goods. If you want to watch the ponies run there is a horse track near said flea market (Tampa Bay Downs). They also have a poker room if you are into that. The main concert venue is at the State Fairgrounds on I-4 near I-75.

I don't remember any specific wine shops but you might check to see if they have a Total Wine (I just looked and they do - on Dale Mabry just north of I-295). They will have more than you can ever imagine.

If you are train enthusiast check out Central Park in Largo. They have model trains big enough to ride on the first full weekend of every month. It is called the Largo Central Railroad. Of course, you can also check out the Tampa Zoo which is small enough to enjoy in an afternoon but big enought to have some unique attractions. You also have Busch Gardens and their free-beer hospitality house.

Ybor isn't that great unless you want to get so drunk you don't actually remember it. Just be gone by midnight or risk getting shot, stabbed, raped or robbed - or all four. The two biggest cultural events are Gasparilla and the Strawberry Festival - but you already missed both for this year. I can't help you on the church front as we didn't care for our local congregation there so we drove to Orlando for church every Sunday.

As for a farmers market - check out the Oldsmar Flea Market open every weekend (located in Oldsmar at the north end of the bay at Tampa Road and Race Track Road). They have a decent sized farmer market and it includeds fresh baked goods. If you want to watch the ponies run there is a horse track near said flea market (Tampa Bay Downs). They also have a poker room if you are into that. The main concert venue is at the State Fairgrounds on I-4 near I-75.

I don't remember any specific wine shops but you might check to see if they have a Total Wine (I just looked and they do - on Dale Mabry just north of I-295). They will have more than you can ever imagine.

If you are train enthusiast check out Central Park in Largo. They have model trains big enough to ride on the first full weekend of every month. It is called the Largo Central Railroad. Of course, you can also check out the Tampa Zoo which is small enough to enjoy in an afternoon but big enought to have some unique attractions. You also have Busch Gardens and their free-beer hospitality house.

Fantastic information. I'm going to check a lot of this out.

Cheers!