Welcome to Downtown+ Tampa. A 103-foot pirate ship fires cannons inside a football stadium, a 120-year-old restaurant takes up a full city block, and the Cuban sandwich was built by cigar factory workers who needed a lunch that could survive the morning shift.
Tampa doesn't explain itself. It shows up.
What is Downtown+?
Downtown+ is how you find what's happening in Tampa. Local businesses, events, deals, community news. From Ybor City's 7th Avenue to the Riverwalk to Hyde Park Village. Menus, hours, and deals you can check from your phone.
What You'll Find
- Local Business Profiles. Restaurants, shops, and services across 80+ districts. Who runs them. Whether they're open right now
- Events. Gasparilla, Lightning games, Ybor City festivals, Riverwalk concerts. Posted by the people organizing them
- Deals. Discounts from Tampa businesses. The kind you'd hear about from a friend who works there
- News. Community updates from local businesses and organizations
- Local Products. Buy from local shops online. Shipping, pickup, and digital options
- Restaurant Roulette. Can't pick a place to eat? Tell us what you're in the mood for. We'll pick for you
Tampa's Story
In 1885, Vicente Martinez-Ybor moved his cigar factories to a patch of scrubland east of downtown and built a city from nothing. Thousands of Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants followed. By 1900, Tampa was the Cigar Capital of the World.
The cigar industry declined. The culture didn't. Columbia Restaurant has been serving on 7th Avenue since 1905. 1,700 seats across 15 dining rooms, a full city block, the 1905 Salad prepared tableside, flamenco shows on weekend evenings. La Segunda Central Bakery has been baking Cuban bread since 1915. And the Cuban sandwich itself: ham, roasted pork, salami (the Italian addition that separates Tampa's version from Miami's), Swiss, pickles, mustard, pressed until the bread shatters. Invented here. Tampa doesn't argue about this. It just eats.
Then there's Gasparilla. Since 1904, Tampa has staged an annual pirate invasion. A 165-foot ship called the Jose Gasparilla sails into the bay. 300,000+ people line Bayshore Boulevard. The mayor surrenders the key to the city. Absurd? Completely. And it's not one weekend. Gasparilla is a season running January through March. A music festival with 50+ bands, an arts festival now in its 55th year, a film festival, a distance classic. Three months of events from one pirate story. Only Tampa would commit this hard.
The Buccaneers play at Raymond James Stadium, where that 103-foot pirate ship fires cannons after every touchdown. In 2021, they won the first home-team Super Bowl in NFL history. The Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. The 2.6-mile Riverwalk stitches the whole thing together along the Hillsborough River.
A big city that still eats like a neighborhood.
Start Here
Looking around?
- Browse Tampa businesses and professionals
- Check what's coming up
- See what deals are running
- Read community news
Own a business here?
- Create a free profile and start showing up where your customers are looking
- Post events, run promotions, and connect with the community