Make the most of your family time in the Tampa Bay area. Choosing a vacation rental home for your family vacation to Tampa saves you the hassle of a hotel and offers all the comforts of home. Travel smart by getting the CityPASS to maximize fun. The pass allows you to explore the best of Tampa Bay’s attractions and save over 50% on admission.

What’s a CityPASS and How do I Get One?

CityPASS is a ticket booklet that saves over 50% on entrance fees to Tampa’s top five area attractions. It has an impressive 95% customer recommendation. Your CityPASS also allows you to skip most main entrance ticket lines. To save money and time while experiencing Tampa Bay’s five most popular attractions, simply purchase your pass online and visit the attractions in any order.

See the Best of Tampa Bay with Your CityPASS

This easy-to-use booklet is valid for nine consecutive days, starting with the first day of use. This means you don’t have to choose between the beach and what to see, you have time to do it all. Admission includes Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, The Florida Aquarium, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium plus your choice of either the Museum of Science & Industry or the Chihuly Collection.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the ultimate theme park family adventure. Discover world-class roller coasters, a zoo with over 12,000 animals, live shows, restaurants, shops, games and more. Your CityPASS is good for a single-day admission, including all shows, exhibits and rides. The park is open 365 days a year from 10am to 6pm. Enrich your experience by downloading the Discover Guide App.

The Florida Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the country and is home to over 20,000 sea creatures. Your pass includes general admission to this family-friendly aquarium with splash pad and outdoor water play area for kids. It’s open daily from 9:30 am to 5:00pm.

Lowry Park Zoo is five-time winner of the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. The zoo spans 56 acres and is home to over 1,200 animals, including koalas, elephants, tigers, manatees and more. Your CityPASS is for one admission, including all rides, shows and keeper talks. The zoo is open daily from 9:30am to 5:00pm.

See Winter, the dolphin who inspired the Dolphin Tale movies, at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. More than just an aquarium, it’s a marine life rescue facility and working animal hospital. See rescued dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and otters. Your CityPASS includes same-day admission plus season admission to Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure, trolley and/or boat shuttle between locations. General hours are 9:00am to 6:00pm, daily.

Get wowed by the Museum of Science & Industry. It’s the largest science center in the Southeastern U.S. and features Florida’s only IMAX DOME theater. This museum offers over 400 interactive experiences. Your CityPASS includes admission to the MOSI permanent exhibits, one standard IMAX DOME film, one Saunders Planetarium show and Kids in Charge! MOSI is open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm with extended weekend hours until 6:00pm.

Or

Be awed by the rich color and gigantic scale of Dale Chihuly’s glass artistry by exploring the Chihuly Collection. World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly specializes in large scale glass installations that never disappoint. More than just one exhibit, your CityPASS includes admission to the Chihuly Collection plus Morean Glass Studio and Hot Shop, live glass blowing demonstrations and non-ticketed exhibitions at the Morean Arts Center and Morean Center for Clay. It’s open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm and Sundays 12:00pm to 5:00pm.

James Beard Foundation 2017 Restaurant and Chef Semi-Finalists

It’s been called the Oscars of the North American food world. In February, the prestigious James Beard Foundation released their list of semi-finalists for the 2017 Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Get to Know the James Beard Foundation

The explosion of food knowledge over the past decade means that James Beard is a household name. The late James Beard was a cookbook author and teacher with an expansive knowledge of food. Today, his not-for-profit foundation offers diverse programs including educational initiatives and training as well as the yearly food industry awards.

How Are Semifinialists Chosen

Each October the James Beard Foundation has an open, online call where anyone can submit up to two entries per category. The foundation’s restaurant and chef awards committee includes critics, writers, and editors who produce the list of semifinalists. The list is voted on by former Beard Award winners, Restaurant and Chef Award Committee members, and other regional panelists. Judges cast their votes and the five semifinalists with the highest number of votes in each category advance to become the nominees.

The James Beard finalists will be announced on March 15 and the winners will be honored at the James Beard Awards Gala on May 1.

Ten 2017 semi-finalists call Florida home, which means no matter where your vacation rental home is located, you’re never far from a memorable dining experience. Here’s the official list of Florida’s 2017 James Beard Award semi-finalists by city.

Miami

Getting a nod for Best Chef in the South category is Deme Lomas from NIU Kitchen. He is the executive Chef and Managing Partner of this eclectic Catalan style kitchen that plays with regional ingredients to make them extraordinary.

Brad Kilgore with Alter got his second nomination for Rising Star of the Year. Alter’s cuisine is focused on locally-sourced, seasonal Florida ingredients. Chef Brad Kilgore offers a tasting menu that changes daily.

KYU was nominated for Best New Restaurant. Chef Michael Lewis and General Manager Steven Haigh offer a diverse wood-fired and Asian-inspired menu.

Zak Stern of Zak the Baker  was nominated for Outstanding Baker. His traditional artisan baked goods can also be found in various Whole Foods and farmer’s markets around Florida.

Tampa

Ferrel Alvarez of the Rooster & the Till was nominated for Outstanding Baker. Not just a baker, Chef Ferrell is the creative force behind the restaurant’s locally-focused modern American cuisine.

Richard Gonzmart of Columbia Restaurant Group was nominated for Best Restaurateur. His restaurants include Spanish-style The Columbia, Floridian Native American-inspired Ulele, and the revamped vintage burger joint Goody Goody.

Clearwater

Best Chef, South nominated Christopher Ponte  is the classically-trained French chef behind Café Ponte’s modern American café.

Orlando

Kathleen Blake of The Rusty Spoon was nominated for Best Chef, South. At the Rusty Spoon Chef Kathleen creates locally-sourced American food with European roots.

Palm Beach

Clay Conley was nominated for Best Chef, South. His Florida hot spots include Buccan, which offers small plates that include locally-sourced ingredients with big flavors and Imoto that shares the small plate focus only with an Asian flair.

Winter Park

Best Chef, South Brandon McGlamery of Luma on Park offers an upscale, casual American menu inspired by local ingredients.