After living in a small town in New Jersey, moving to Tampa was definitely the coolest things that could have happened to 9-year-old me. There are so many different things to do, that it has taken me 11 years, since I moved to Florida, to explore, and I still haven’t done everything there is to do around here. But if you’re new to the Tampa area or have lived here all your life, here are a few reasons why Tampa is the best place to live

1. Busch Gardens

Living in Tampa means that you get to have an amusement park about 20-30 minutes from your house (depending on where you live). What gets better than that? For you adrenaline junkies out there, this means that during your free time you can just hop on over to Busch Gardens and hang around with some cool animals as well ride some animal-themed coasters. Nothing boring about that!

2. Beaches

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches but some cities aren’t as close to them like Tampa is. Beaches such as Clearwater and Siesta Key are only about an hour away, which makes it extremely convenient to take a relaxing weekend trip to the beach without worrying about the long commute. Plus, there is always something going on there such as parasailing, jet skiing, and more.

3. Universal Studios/ Disney

I don’t know about you guys, but my obsession with these theme parks is too great to live so far away from them. Orlando is also another short hour drive from Tampa in which you can enjoy Universal Studios and all of Disney’s seven parks without having to live in this tourist flooded city. Universal is pretty much my second home, since I go there almost every other weekend and I’m still obsessed with the rides and atmosphere of this amazing place.

4. River Walk

Located in Downtown, the Tampa River Walk/Curtis Hixon Park is always hosting different activities such as a Hot Air Balloon Festival that included live music and food trucks, which might I add was pretty cool. You can also rent bikes or (if you’re not feeling like being active) take a Segway tour or even have a picnic at the park while overlooking the beautiful waterfront view. The River Walk hosts more than 300 events annually, so for us Tampa residents, this always gives us something to do to avoid being bored!

5. Sports Central

The Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Rays all hold a huge part of our hearts here in Tampa. The Tampa Bay Rays made it all the way to the World Series Final in 2008, although coming up short from the title to the Phillies, this gave huge exposure to our home team. Also, our love for Tampa Bay Lightning has spread like wildfire over the past few years when Steven Stamkos made his impressive debut as well as making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015. These three sports teams give us tons of games to go and cheer our hearts out for, year round. Once you become one of these team’s fanatic, you can’t go back. So “Be the Thunder,” “Rays Up” and enjoy the “Bucs Life”!

6. Weeki Wachee Springs

This beautiful spring is located about an hour away from Tampa and has two components to it: the water park and the spring where you can canoe, jump off rope swings and even see some manatees! This is a great place to enjoy the day and for some beautiful photo-ops, so this is a must for all of us Tampanians.

7. University of South Florida

I would not be a true Bull if I didn’t include my amazing home in this article! USF is one of the top universities in Florida and has so many things to offer for students as well as for non-students! From homecoming concerts and carnivals, its own River Front Park, and tons of camps for those still in high school and below, it embodies everything that a university should be. So when you’re applying for college or maybe want to transfer, look into this amazing school and be engulfed in all USF and Tampa have to offer!

So, as you can see- there are so many things to do and places to see that it’s dizzying! Tampa is an amazing place and this is not even the half of it, so don’t hesitate to call this place your home!