Sanding Ovations - Treasure Island

I have to say... Treasure Island is amazing with its different events and Sanding Ovations, the annual sand sculpture competition was certainly no disappointment! 3 days of food, drink, arts & crafts PLUS live music throughout the event AND Fireworks on the beach Saturday night!!! It is happening this weekend behind the Bilmar Beach Resort, right here in Tampa Bay.

Over $10,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the Top Three Sculptures & "People's Choice" Sculpture. With a high today of 80 degrees in beautiful weather, beachgoers are out in full force. We were there for the "Rocket Man Show" which was a great performance. After the Fireworks show tonight on the beach, tomorrow will feature a 6-hour beach jam with local musicians. There will also be a Jazz Beach Brunch Buffet presented by Sloppy Joe's and the city of Treasure Island. Nothing like listening to a 22-piece jazz band, the "Voices of Jazz" while enjoying a tropical beach brunch!

Did I mention what it is like to live here??? Maybe just once or twice :-))

St Petersburg Favorite! Taste Of Pinellas

Taste of Pinellas is an annual food and music festival for the whole family, held at Vinoy Park on the waterfront in St. Petersburg Florida. Definitely time to taste samples from some of the area's best restaurants while enjoying live music, a Kids' Zone for children and much more! A Taste of Pinellas is for a great cause, too -- proceeds from A Taste of Pinellas go to the All Children's Hospital Telethon.

Tampa Bay area's best restaurants that will be included. Entertainment begins this afternoon at 5pm until 10pm and features bands such as Huey Lewis. Entrance fee for today and tomorrow (11:30-10pm) is $5. The headliner tomorrow is Martina McBride. A huge fireworks display will be the finale Saturday evening!

Sunday is Family Day from 12-7pm and is FREE. All food and beverage sales throughout the weekend operate with tickets. A sheet of 10 tickets is $5 - items range in cost from 1 - 12 tickets.

See you there!

12 Days & Counting To The Honda Grand Prix Of St Petersburg

Springtime is here and that means welcoming a host of activities in the Tampa Bay area! Right around the corner is the annual HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST PETERSBURG. Racing along the downtown waterfront city of St Petersburg, Florida has been a traditions since 1985. Beginning in 2006, the race became an IndyCar Series and the first non-oval track for the Indy Racing League. The race includes 100 laps of the 1.8 mile track and to date the lap record is 1:00:98 by Sébastien Bourdais, Newman-Haas Racing in 2003.

For 3 days from March 26-28, 2010, downtown St Petersburg will come alive with this "grand" event! And to get things off to a great start... on Thursday night, March 25th, the 2010 Illuminated Night Parade & Fireworks will begin at 7pm. "Grand Marshall Ryan Briscoe, together with the other race drivers, will wind through downtown and along the beautiful waterfront to celebrate the official start of the Honda Grand Prix. The Illuminated Night Parade has been a favorite among audiences of all ages since 1969 with fabulous floats lighting up the night sky, music and beads!"

Just one more reminder about all there is to do and enjoy every day in Tampa Bay!

U2 Performs At Raymond James In Tampa Tonight!

October 9, 2009: Bono and the U2 360 degree tour chose Tampa as the only Florida city out of their 16-venue tour across the USA and Canada. They will be performing live tonight at Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at 7pm. Over 70,000 fans are expected!

The stage is a massive 360 degree structure (looking somewhat like a giant claw) that 1500 local workers have been hired to help the 350-person crew that travels with the show construct. Its purpose is to allow fans in all directions a good view of the show. Once completed, the tour manager realized they had additional room and have opened more tickets. U2 has a huge fan base and from the reports of the previous concerts, tonight's performance should be outstanding!

Again and again, we realize how much Tampa and the surrounding cities of Clearwater and St Petersburg have to offer! Whether it is entertainment, cultural events, museums (like Salvador Dali in St Petersburg), fine restaurants, international shopping, cruise port and Tampa International Airport... there is never a lack for something to do. And when you add to all of that our gorgeous white sandy beaches and breathtaking sunsets, well... definitely makes for a great lifestyle! Just check out our "Why Tampa Bay?"