Travel

Tampa Named To TIME Magazine's 2023 World's Greatest Places

TIME writer Terry Ward​ credited the ongoing Water Street Tampa mixed-used development for elevating Tampa to world-class status.

D'Ann Lawrence White's profile picture
D'Ann Lawrence White, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
TIME writer Terry Ward​ credited the ongoing Water Street Tampa mixed-used development for elevating Tampa to world-class status.
TIME writer Terry Ward​ credited the ongoing Water Street Tampa mixed-used development for elevating Tampa to world-class status. (City of Tampa)

TAMPA, FL — Ranked right up there with such world wonders as Giza, Egypt; Naples, Italy; and Jerusalem, TIME magazine has named Tampa to its list of 2023 World’s Greatest Places.

TIME announced Thursday its top 50 list of world wonders Thursday to be featured in the March 17 edition of the magazine. This is the fifth year for the list.

TIME writer Terry Ward credited the ongoing Water Street Tampa mixed-used development in Tampa's once-industrial Channelside District for the city's elevation to the world's best places to visit.

Find out what's happening in Tampafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"Florida’s city du jour is eager to earn permanent status on travelers’ lists of sunny, accessible escapes worthy of a weekend stay, as a cutting-edge, multi-billion-dollar landmark development project redefines its downtown," Ward wrote. "Water Street Tampa wrapped phase one late last year with the unveiling of the city’s first true five-star hotel, The Tampa EDITION (there are currently only five in the U.S., including one in Miami), with Michelin-starred chef John Fraser at the helm."

Backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, Ward noted that Water Street Tampa features top restaurants including Boulon Brasserie with interiors by a Montreal designer and "ridiculously good escargot," and The Pearl, a stylish oyster bar across the street, as well as lifestyle hotels and residences including ROOST Apartment Hotel.

Find out what's happening in Tampafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The neighborhood was recently named the world’s first WELL-certified City District, thanks to its focus on sustainability and livability.

"The development is at the crux of a downtown renaissance that’s seen Tampa finally take full advantage of what’s been here all along–water, water, everywhere, between the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay," Ward said. "The city has become an entrepreneur- and millennial-magnet, with bleisure a way of life at spots like Sparkman Wharf, where top chefs proffer light bites and cocktails from within shipping containers astride a busy shipping canal, and Armature Works, a chic food hall inside a restored trolley warehouse along the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk."

The debut of Tampa’s first nonstop flight from Heathrow via Virgin Atlantic makes the city all the more appealing to travelers, Ward said.

“The travel industry is back in full swing in 2023, but not without notable shifts in how and where we wander," said TIME editors. "Steeper costs and increased interest in sustainability and authenticity are reshaping the landscape.”

To compile this list of the top spots to visit this year, TIME solicited nominations from its international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences. The result is 50 far-flung and familiar spots, from Giza and Saqqara in Egypt, where the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum has been revamped and reopened, to the gastronomy hot spot of Dijon, France.

This year's list also includes reporting to help readers navigate the sometimes chaotic travel industry – from what to do when something inevitably goes wrong at the airport to how cruises have changed since the pandemic to how to score the best flight and hotel deals.

Other places making the TIME 2023 World’s Greatest Places are:

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Tampa