Tampa offers an easily accessible downtown, a welcoming waterfront, and an arts and culture scene that’s not to be missed.

Convenient convention center. Located on the downtown waterfront, the 600,000-square-foot Tampa Convention Center offers 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 36,000-square-foot ballroom, 36 additional meeting rooms (including 10 waterfront rooms), and even boat-docking access. For outdoor events, the facility features 14,600 square feet of space overlooking the water.

Connected downtown. Just steps away from the convention center, the 2.4-mile Tampa Riverwalk gives attendees access to countless cultural, sports, and entertainment venues. It runs north to the Tampa Museum of Art and east to the Florida Aquarium, with more than 3,000 hotel rooms in between.

Culture capital. Named one of the top 25 art destinations in the U.S. by AmericanStyle magazine, Tampa is proud of its cultural heritage. The city’s public art collection includes more than 100 works of art dispersed among buildings, parks, and streets, including Bayshore Boulevard, one of the most scenic roadways in Florida. The longest continuous sidewalk in the world runs adjacent to it.—Samantha Whitehorne

Tampa Fast Facts

Recent and future association meetings: Association of Women’s Business Centers’ 2018 Leadership Conference, National Defense Industrial Association’s 21st Annual Systems Engineering Conference, Southern Gas Association’s Operation Conference and Expo

Hotel rooms within one mile of convention center: 2,760

Convention center exhibit space square footage: 200,000

Distance from airport to downtown: 10 miles

(fatido/Getty Images)