Tampa Bay History

Gasparilla season officially kicks off this weekend when little pirates will invade the city. The G-rated Children's Parade is held the week before the more raucous Gasparilla Pirate Fest and has been a part of the festival's history since the 1940s.

"My husband says, 'If something is locked, you need to find out why before you open it,'" said Seminole Heights homeowner Marina Terracciano.

The tunnels under Ybor City have been talked about for decades. Some thought they were an urban legend, but there's more evidence that there actually is a network of underground tunnels built decades ago.

As condos and skyscrapers pop up across downtown St. Pete, 'view' is everything. But perhaps the best view of the city has been there for nearly a hundred years -- only it's off limits.

An office from 1968 doesn't have any computers, but this one holds the memories and style of one of Florida's most noted business leaders. His name was George Jenkins, but people knew him as Mr. George, founder of Publix Supermarkets.

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa is an opulent work of art – from the stained glass windows to the painted cathedral ceiling, but the sights of the church are outweighed by the beautiful sounds created by the stories-tall pipe organ.

The nation is remembering a Hollywood icon. Burt Reynolds died from a heart attack today in south Florida at the age of 82.

If you've ever dreamed of living in a historic mansion, you may find your dream home hidden right in the middle of South Tampa.

Soon you'll be able to live in one of Tampa's original cigar factories. It's now called Casa Oliva, at 19th Street and Palm Avenue in Ybor City. 

Tampa bakery owner and promoter Phil Alessi Sr. died Sunday at the age of 74. His son, Phil Alessi Jr., said his father battled diabetes and had been on dialysis. 

The Tampa Bay Rays turn 20 years old on Saturday.  The franchise – then known as the Devil Rays, of course – took the field for their first regular season game back on March 31, 1998.

Over the years, there have been plenty of remarkable airplanes in the skies over MacDill Air Force Base. But it’s been years since B-17 bombers rumbled down the South Tampa runways, so it was a special treat for airmen and their families when the ‘Memphis Belle’ herself arrived Tuesday.

The history of Tampa International Airport has some twists and turns. The airport could have been where USF is today, or T.I.A. could have even been built in Pinellas County, in which case it wouldn't be T.I.A. 

Thirty-four years ago, the Sunshine State got its first wakeup call from an arriving spacecraft.  The space shuttle’s signature twin sonic booms rattled Florida on February 11, 1984 as Challenger made the first-ever Kennedy Space Center landing.

Nearly 120 years later, the War of 1898 remains a defining moment in the Bay Area's history.  It's the story of the Henry Plant Museum, Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the war that put America on the world stage.  

A storied squadron with roots all the way back to D-Day has returned to Tampa. And the squadron commander, a native of Puerto Rico, faces two challenges.

The city of Tampa will turn 130 years old this Friday and the tale of Tampa has many twists, ranging from its famous cigar industry to its less well-known early healthcare system.