Tampa: Named A Best February Place To Go

Of course, we're of the mind that southern Florida is always a great place to visit. However, for snowbirds or adventure-seekers, Fifty Grande recently published seven of the best places to go in the country this February, and Tampa was among them.

"You have two choices this time of year: escape winter or head full-on into it," Fifty Grande says. While much of their list is focused on escaping frigid temperatures, they don't completely leave out snow-filled destinations. In fact, Breckenridge, Colorado, is the first destination highlighted.

Florida then takes up two of the remaining six spots. Miami is the first Sunshine State city to make an appearance. For many obvious reasons, South Beach is always a popular getaway destination. Almost every major American airport flies into Miami regularly. Then, an abundance of nightlife, food, and miles of beach await you.

Here is what is unique to Tampa in February that makes it a great time of year here. Aside from the great weather, we have numerous events to enjoy. On the heels of Gasparilla Pirate Fest, the music festival takes place February 16 - 18. Fifty Grande highlights this saying, "If you need added reason to book a trip to Tampa, this festival, which was voted 'Best Festival in Tampa Bay,' is it." Sofi Tukker and Nas headline this year.

Drake and J. Cole will also make a tour stop in Tampa this February. The It's All A Blur Tour will hit the Amalie Arena on February 2.

In addition to music, February means the return of baseball. MLB Pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks. At George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees begin their Spring Training schedule shortly as well. They will play their first home game on February 25 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

Of course, the beloved Tampa Bay Rays head south to Port Charlotte during this time. However, their spring training facility is only about 100 miles away.

The Tampa Bay Rays started in Major League Baseball in 1998. Originally called the "Devil Rays," the expansion team opened at home 25 years ago today (March 31, 1998), taking on the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field. Coincidentally, the Rays opened their season yesterday at home, beating the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field. Though the club has had numerous all-star players over the years, the Tampa Bay Rays retired numbers are slim. The group contains only one person who was a player on the team.

Over the years, Tampa has been a breeding ground of great baseball players. Rays legends such as Fred McGriff and Tino Martinez are from Tampa, as is the team's current manager, Kevin Cash.

The retired numbers are displayed inside the park on a wall that is to the left of the center field scoreboard. One of these numbers represents a manager who ended his career as an advisor with the Rays and was a Tampa, FL resident. The other two numbers reflect players, but again, only one of them actually played for the Rays. He too, called Tampa home.

The Rays will sport numerous uniform options this season. They will pay tribute to their anniversary with the throwback Devil Rays look on Friday home games (in addition to opening day). Over the course of the season, they will call up various players from their minor league system. These players, like the current roster and coaching staff, will immediately have three numbers unavailable to them regardless of the colorful uniform combination.

Here are the official Tampa Bay Rays retired numbers.