Civil War Battles of Tampa and Fort Brooke
by Ewingjr98
Tampa was the site of two small Civil War battles. In 1862 the Union planned to tighten the blockade of the south by capturing some of the key ports; on 30 June a federal gunboat bombarded the town then demanded the surrender of the city. The gunboat bombarded the city overnight, after the citizens had evacuated, then it withdrew the next day. This was known as the Battle of Tampa.
The Battle of Fort Brooke also took place in Tampa, the next year. Fort Brook was bombarded by Union ships on 16 October 1863, while Union forces landed at Ballast Point. The Union forces surprised and capture two blockade-running ships, the steamer called Scottish Chief and a sloop named Kate Dale, while the rebels sunk the steamer A.B. Noyes to prevent her capture. As the Union soldiers were returning to their ship at Ballast Point, they were attacked, and a brief battle ensued, resulting in a handful of deaths on each side.
A plaque at the southern end of Bayshore reads:
BATTLEFIELD
Site of Only Land Engagement
at Tampa between Confederate &
Union Forces, Oct. 17, 1863
A Federal detachment of 124 men from
U.S. gunboat Tahoma & Steamer Adela,
after firing 2 blockade-runners moored
upriver, fell back under Confederate
assault without entering the city.
--LOSSES--
Confederate: 6 Killed - ? Wounded - 7 Prisoners
Union: 3 Killed - 10 Wounded - 5 Prisoners
Bradenton - Winter home of the Pittsburgh Pirates
by Ewingjr98
McKechnie Field in Bradenton, just 30 or 40 minutes south of Tampa, is the off-season home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is here the Major League Buccos host their annual Spring Training and Minicamp. In late 2009 the Pirates swapped Single A teams with Cincinnati and are moving the team from Sarasota here to Bradenton.
McKechnie Field is named after Pittsburgh native and Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie. The stadium was built in 1923 and renovated in 1991-93. The 6,500-seat venue had lights installed in 2007. This has been the training home of the Pirates since 1969.
Al Lopez Park and Cancer Survivors Plaza
by Ewingjr98
Al Lopez Park consists of 130 acres of woods, grass, ponds, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. The park is well-known as a great spot for tailgating before Tampa Bay Buccaneers football games and New York Yankees spring training games, since their stadiums are directly across the street. The park also has two trail loops one for pedestrians only, the other just for pedestrians. The park was named after a local boy--Ybor City's own Baseball Hall of Famer, Al Lopez
Cancer Survivors Plaza is in the southwestern corner of Al Lopez Park.
Deep Sea Fishing
by tampa_shawn
Once again we have tons of options here are a few
Double Eagle Charters
http://www.doubleeagledeepseafishing.com/
Rum Runners Charters
http://www.rumrunnercharters.com/
Captain Bret
http://tampa-bay-florida-fishing-guide.com/
Clearwater Deep Sea Fishing Charters
http://www.offshorecharternet.com/?gclid=CJzzkvLsvosCFRLTgAod9Urrxw
Shark Fishing - Fish 4 Shark
http://www.fishforshark.com/
Everything in One Spot!
by tafurojo about Channelside
Channelside is a great place to spend an evening if you want a change of pace from Ybor City. If its hockey season the best thing to do is to check out a Lightning home game then afterwards take your ticket stub over to Stumps Restuarant and cash it in for 3 free beers! Then hop over to Banana Joe's or check out the dueling piano bar at Howl at the moon. They just opened a Hooter's on the corner and there is a Jeoffrey's coffee shop along Channelside Blvd. Everything is within one courtyard. If you get bored here just take the street car to Ybor City. On top off all of this the Florida Aquarium is right next door literally. I am almost positive everything is casual but you may want to call ahead to make sure.
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TAMPA STREET SCENE
Indian Rocks Beach
Sashimi dinner!
Who's entertaining whom?
