Getting there and around Air Fly to Tampa (www.tampaairport.com) or Sarasota (www.srq-airport.com) airports. Tampa has a comprehensive local bus service, as well as a trolley by day connecting downtown attractions, and a streetcar running from the city center to Ybor City. Bus Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater have Greyhound bus connections from other major cities in Florida. Trolley Sarasota, Bradenton, and Clearwater have a trolley service from town to the beach. Clearwater’s Jolley Trolley (clearwaterjolleytrolley.com) links beaches from Clearwater south to St. Petersburg, and also runs north to Tarpon Springs on weekends. This is a convenient mode of transport. Check the website for schedules and routes. Car A car is by far the best way to get around.
Visitor information See individual entries. Consider the Tampa Bay CityPASS, which saves more than half on admission to ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Busch Gardens Tampa, The Florida Aquarium, The Clearwater Aquarium, and Museum of Science & Industry and more.
Supermarkets Publix (www.publix.com) is the premier supermarket here, with outlets throughout the region. Markets St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Farmers’ Market, First Ave South and First St, on the waterfront, 33701; 727 455 4921; www.saturdaymorningmarket.com; Oct–May: 9am–1pm. Tampa Downtown Farmers’ Market, 200 and 300 blocks on Twiggs St; www.tampa downtownmarket.com; Oct–May: 10am–2pm Sun. Ybor City Saturday Market, Centennial Park, 8th Ave and 19th St, 33605; 813 241 2442; www.ybormarket.com; 9am–3pm Sat year-round. Sarasota Farmers’ Market, corner of State and Lemon Streets; 941 225 9256; www.sarasotafarmersmarket.org; 7am–noon Sat year-round. Downtown Clearwater Farmers’ Market, Station Square Park, 500 and 600 blocks of Cleveland St; 727 461 7674; 9am–2pm daily
Festivals Gasparilla Pirate Festival, Tampa: lavish costumed parades; www.gasparillapiratefest.com (late-Jan). Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City; www.flstrawberryfestival.com (late-Feb–mid-Mar). Dunedin Highland Games, Dunedin (Apr). Medieval Fair, Sarasota; sarasotamedievalfair.com (Nov)
Pharmacies Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) and CVS (www.cvs.com) are the two major pharmacies in the region; some of their city branches are open 24 hours.
Restrooms All major attractions, shopping malls, and gas stations have public restrooms.
