Tampa Culture-One More Reason to Call Tampa Bay Home.

Tampa is a strong cultural-based community that offers a wide variety of options to visit exhibits and artwork on display. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the Henry B. Plant Museum, and the Tampa Theatre are just a few of the sights to see. The Museum of Science and Industry opens doors to children and offers a variety of activities for anyone of any age. Recently named a "Top Arts Destination" by the magazine American Style, Tampa Bay is an inviting city with inspiration rarely found in a large city.

The Tampa Bay Performing Art Center-The Performing Arts Center opened its doors for the first time in 1987, allowing more than ten million visitors to walk through its doors. Located downtown along the bank of the Hillsborough River, the nine acre site is one of the largest in Florida. The center itself is 335,000 square feet in size offers everything from opera, dance, and musicals to meetings, classes, and conventions. There are five theaters, a conservatory, a rehearsal hall, and three restaurants and banquet facilities. The 2006-2007 season offered more than 2,000 activities to over 65,000 students.

Henry B. Plant Museum-Originally, this historic landmark was a hotel (1891), the Tampa Bay Hotel, built and financed personally by Henry B. Plant. This awe-inspiring hotel was the first in Florida to have 511 rooms electrified. This concrete reinforced building is fireproof and offered the latest luxuries of the time-a billiard room, a telegraph service, a music room, and telephones in each room. The amenities of the 150 acre grounds included an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, croquet courts, boathouse, hunting and fishing grounds, stables, racetrack, kennels, exposition hall with Florida products on view, casino with 2000 seat auditorium, heated indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, spa facilities and card rooms, totaling 21 buildings in all. Today, the hotel is preserved to show the Victorian lifestyle of the turn of the century.

The Tampa Theatre - This prestigious historic building first opened its doors in 1926 to a showing of “The Ace of Cads” (a silent film). The historic landmark has been preserved in its entirety, seating up to 1,446 people for a single event and up to 135,000 annually. Today, The Tampa Theatre hosts over 600 events per annum with a full schedule of concerts, films, special events and tours. The Theatre is a rare gem that is treasured by residents and visitors alike.

Lance Mohr is a full time professional Tampa Realtor specializing in New Tampa homes for sale and Tampa real estate.