Life at USF
The University of South Florida is located on the Northeast side of Tampa on 1,797 acres. Tampa has a wide range of activities that includes arts, natural recreation, theme parks, museums, and collegiate and professional sports. Close to campus is Busch Gardens, Adventure Island Water park, USF Botanical Gardens, USF Riverfront Park, Lettuce Lake Park, and the Museum of Science & Industry. USF students get free admission to the Salvador Dali Museum (near the USF St. Petersburg Campus) and many state parks and Gulf Coast Beaches are easily accessible by car. A few common activities among previous students are listed below.
USF Transportation Student Programs
There is a new free bicycle rental program at USF. Also they rent gear. Students also have access to USF Zimride that allows you to share rides and there is a WeCar program on campus to rent a car by the hour. In addition, students have free access to the campus biodiesel powered shuttle bus system and the local public transit system (HART).
Rec Center and CoRec Sports
USF offers free access to the Rec Center and CoRec Sports with a valid USF ID. The Rec Center has cardio equipment, weights, squash courts, and the rent-a-bike center. It also offers free group fitness classes, such as yoga, pilates, zumba, and much more. A variety of clubs meet in the Rec Center and offer free classes, such as Salsa dance lessons. Sports such as volleyball, flag football, inner tube water polo, and many more are available as CoRec Sports. Additionally, pick up games of soccer can be found every night on the fields near the Rec Center. Check out this link for updated information about the wide variety of opportunities available at the Rec Center and with CoRec Sports: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/CampusRec/
Campus and Sporting Events
In general, a good resource for events around campus is http://www.usf.edu/Campus-Life/index.asp. To find out about the plays and other performances on campus, check out the performing arts at http://www.arts.usf.edu/. For each weekend, USF summarizes the events going on around campus at this link: http://involvement.usf.edu/weekends/.
USF is a member of the Big East Conference and offers free tickets for students to sporting events. To check out all the varsity sports and their schedules, look at http://www.gousfbulls.com/. If you’re looking for some USF gear, go to the bookstore on the Monday after a football victory. The point differential becomes a percent discount on clothing items with a maximum discount of 25%.
Clubs and Organizations
USF has a wide range of clubs and organizations available to students. For engineers, opportunities include but are not limited to American Water Works Association (AWWA), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA). For a complete list of the clubs and organizations on campus, visit this website.
-Attractions Near USF-
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens, Tampa is just around the corner from campus. Busch Gardens is considered Tampa’s top tourist destination, where wildlife and wild rides come together in an unparalleled combination of Broadway‐style shows, a world-class zoo with more than 2,500 exotic and endangered animals and more record-breaking roller coasters than any destination in Florida. You can get a student pass for unlimited admission throughout the school year for $50.
More Info
Yuengling Brewery
The Yuengling Brewery in very near to campus, for those interested in the chemical processes and intricacies of beer brewing. There are guided tours Mon-Fri at 10am and 1pm or Saturdays at 12pm.
More Info
The Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) is the largest science center in the south (encompasses over 400,000 square feet) and is home to Florida’s only IMAX® Dome Theatre. MOSI also includes “Kids in Charge” the newest and largest children’s science center in the nation.
Adventure Island
Adventure Island’s 30 acres provide water-soaked excitement for guests of all ages. There, participants can escape to the soothing Key West atmosphere, where corkscrew slides, waterfalls, a wave pool, and other family attractions create a tranquil atmosphere and hours of sun‐drenched fun.
-Outdoor Activities-
Botanical Gardens
The USF Botanical Gardens maintain a living collection of over 3,000 taxa of plants and natural habitats that emphasize the rich botanical diversity of our area. Throughout the Gardens, visitors will find many animal and insect species, from gopher tortoises to butterflies to over 60 species of birds.
USF Riverfront Park
Located on Fletcher east of campus. $5 for a 2 hour rental of a canoe, double kayak, or single kayak. There is also a frisbee golf course located here. There's also a semester pass available at the office in the basement of the Rec center for $25.
USF Waterfront Park
Located at the USF St Pete campus. Same $5 rental but you can keep the boat overnight. Students can also sign up for sail boating lessons here.
Lettuce Lake Park
Located across the Hillsborough River from USF's Riverfront Park. This county park offers opportunity for wildlife viewing along a 2,500 ft boardwalk, and walking and biking opportunities along a paved trail.
Manatee Springs
The spring is great for swimming and the campsite is pretty good too. The spring doesn't go too far before it joins with the Suwanne River so the canoeing is not the best. Apparently, it's possible to see manatees that come up into the spring when the gulf and river are cold during the winter.
Rainbow Springs
This is a really popular spot where you can float down the spring. You can also swim at the head spring. The camping is terrible (very little shade and tons of RVs) here so I'd recommend a day trip. Just get up early and make a full day of it because the river float is like 2 or so hours long at a leisurely pace.
Flatwoods
This is a nice place not too far from campus for running, biking, roller blading, etc. It has a couple of loops which are about 7 miles long.
Fort De Soto
This is pretty decent campsite near Clearwater. You can camp next to the water but it can be very windy and again there are fleets of Rvs. You have to pay like $20 for a fire pit, too, FYI. No ground fires are allowed, they all have to be contained.
Honeymoon Island State Park
This park is located near Dunedin. It has beach and a great hiking trail for bird watching. You can also take the ferry to Caledesi Island, voted to number 1 beach in the country one year.
Hillsborough River State Park
Located about 20 minutes east of campus, this state park offers wonderful opportunities to hike 6-7 miles through local forest. There is also a primitive camp site that is several miles walk in.
Alafia River State Park
Has one of most favored off-road biking choices in Florida. It has been described as a rugged series of "scary drops, off-camber hillside ledges, high speed banked turns and intimidating ridge top trails."
More to Do near Tampa
For information on Tampa see here.
Within 0.2–1.5 Hour Drive of Campus:
Beaches
Tampa Bay’s Gulf beaches are among Florida’s finest and are ranked consistently high by “Dr. Beach”. They are located about 45-60 minutes from campus. For example, the beaches at nearby Fort DeSoto, Caladesi Island State Park, and Siesta Key have been widely recognized as Top‐10 beaches in the U.S. (see www.drbeach.org).
Dali Museum
The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is the permanent home of the world’s most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spaniard’s work. The museum is celebrated for its 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures and objects d’art, and an extensive archival library.This museum is free with your USF student ID. Hours vary but is opened everyday.
More Info
Zoo
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo has been ranked as the number one zoo in the U.S. (Parents magazine 2009 & Child magazine 2004). Natural outdoor exhibits for more than 2,000 animals from Florida and similar habitats include a Native Florida Wildlife Center and manatee hospital, Asian gardens, primate world, free‐flight aviaries, Wallaroo Station Children’s Zoo, and Safari Africa. The Zoo also features rides, shows, hands‐on interactive exhibits, and a solar‐powered ride.
Aquarium
The Florida Aquarium is located in downtown Tampa (also accessible by public transit). It encompasses 200,000 square feet and houses more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and around the world. We plan to hold a Monday evening reception at the Aquarium.
Nightlife within a 30‐Minute Drive from Campus:
Known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter for over a century, Ybor City is an exotic blend of aromas, flavors, sights and sounds. From the scent of roasting Cuban coffee early in the morning to the rhythms of Latin music late into the night, Ybor is a feast for the senses.
SoHo Tampa, short for “South Howard Avenue,” is an entertainment district within the Hyde Park section of Tampa. The area has some of the finest examples of architecture in the city surrounding it and many restaurants and nightlife venues are located here as well.
For more links to Tampa's nightlife, click here.
Farther from Campus:
Disney World (70 miles), Sea World (70 miles), Universal Studios (75 miles), and Cape Canaveral (125 miles) are within driving distance of USF, as is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (near Kennedy Space Center).
Everglades National Park is the third largest national park in contiguous United States. The Everglades are actually a slow moving freshwater “River of Grass,” 50 miles wide but only 6 inches deep, flowing from Lake Okeechobee through marshy grassland into Florida Bay. Everglades National Park has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people of the world. Everglades City, located on the northeast edge of the park, is slightly over a 3-hour drive from the USF campus. Flamingo, at the far south end, is approximately a 6-hour drive (and is near the Miami Airport, just 35 miles from Miami).
North of the Everglades, the Big Cypress National Preserve is part of the greater Everglades watershed, and is made up of 2,400 square miles of marshlands, grasslands, slash pine, mangroves, and both dwarf and rare great bald cypress, some of which are up to 700 years old. Excellent hiking and wildlife viewing can be obtained here, especially along the US41 east‐west corridor.
USF Transportation Student Programs
There is a new free bicycle rental program at USF. Also they rent gear. Students also have access to USF Zimride that allows you to share rides and there is a WeCar program on campus to rent a car by the hour. In addition, students have free access to the campus biodiesel powered shuttle bus system and the local public transit system (HART).
Rec Center and CoRec Sports
USF offers free access to the Rec Center and CoRec Sports with a valid USF ID. The Rec Center has cardio equipment, weights, squash courts, and the rent-a-bike center. It also offers free group fitness classes, such as yoga, pilates, zumba, and much more. A variety of clubs meet in the Rec Center and offer free classes, such as Salsa dance lessons. Sports such as volleyball, flag football, inner tube water polo, and many more are available as CoRec Sports. Additionally, pick up games of soccer can be found every night on the fields near the Rec Center. Check out this link for updated information about the wide variety of opportunities available at the Rec Center and with CoRec Sports: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/CampusRec/
Campus and Sporting Events
In general, a good resource for events around campus is http://www.usf.edu/Campus-Life/index.asp. To find out about the plays and other performances on campus, check out the performing arts at http://www.arts.usf.edu/. For each weekend, USF summarizes the events going on around campus at this link: http://involvement.usf.edu/weekends/.
USF is a member of the Big East Conference and offers free tickets for students to sporting events. To check out all the varsity sports and their schedules, look at http://www.gousfbulls.com/. If you’re looking for some USF gear, go to the bookstore on the Monday after a football victory. The point differential becomes a percent discount on clothing items with a maximum discount of 25%.
Clubs and Organizations
USF has a wide range of clubs and organizations available to students. For engineers, opportunities include but are not limited to American Water Works Association (AWWA), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA). For a complete list of the clubs and organizations on campus, visit this website.
-Attractions Near USF-
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens, Tampa is just around the corner from campus. Busch Gardens is considered Tampa’s top tourist destination, where wildlife and wild rides come together in an unparalleled combination of Broadway‐style shows, a world-class zoo with more than 2,500 exotic and endangered animals and more record-breaking roller coasters than any destination in Florida. You can get a student pass for unlimited admission throughout the school year for $50.
More Info
Yuengling Brewery
The Yuengling Brewery in very near to campus, for those interested in the chemical processes and intricacies of beer brewing. There are guided tours Mon-Fri at 10am and 1pm or Saturdays at 12pm.
More Info
The Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) is the largest science center in the south (encompasses over 400,000 square feet) and is home to Florida’s only IMAX® Dome Theatre. MOSI also includes “Kids in Charge” the newest and largest children’s science center in the nation.
Adventure Island
Adventure Island’s 30 acres provide water-soaked excitement for guests of all ages. There, participants can escape to the soothing Key West atmosphere, where corkscrew slides, waterfalls, a wave pool, and other family attractions create a tranquil atmosphere and hours of sun‐drenched fun.
-Outdoor Activities-
Botanical Gardens
The USF Botanical Gardens maintain a living collection of over 3,000 taxa of plants and natural habitats that emphasize the rich botanical diversity of our area. Throughout the Gardens, visitors will find many animal and insect species, from gopher tortoises to butterflies to over 60 species of birds.
USF Riverfront Park
Located on Fletcher east of campus. $5 for a 2 hour rental of a canoe, double kayak, or single kayak. There is also a frisbee golf course located here. There's also a semester pass available at the office in the basement of the Rec center for $25.
USF Waterfront Park
Located at the USF St Pete campus. Same $5 rental but you can keep the boat overnight. Students can also sign up for sail boating lessons here.
Lettuce Lake Park
Located across the Hillsborough River from USF's Riverfront Park. This county park offers opportunity for wildlife viewing along a 2,500 ft boardwalk, and walking and biking opportunities along a paved trail.
Manatee Springs
The spring is great for swimming and the campsite is pretty good too. The spring doesn't go too far before it joins with the Suwanne River so the canoeing is not the best. Apparently, it's possible to see manatees that come up into the spring when the gulf and river are cold during the winter.
Rainbow Springs
This is a really popular spot where you can float down the spring. You can also swim at the head spring. The camping is terrible (very little shade and tons of RVs) here so I'd recommend a day trip. Just get up early and make a full day of it because the river float is like 2 or so hours long at a leisurely pace.
Flatwoods
This is a nice place not too far from campus for running, biking, roller blading, etc. It has a couple of loops which are about 7 miles long.
Fort De Soto
This is pretty decent campsite near Clearwater. You can camp next to the water but it can be very windy and again there are fleets of Rvs. You have to pay like $20 for a fire pit, too, FYI. No ground fires are allowed, they all have to be contained.
Honeymoon Island State Park
This park is located near Dunedin. It has beach and a great hiking trail for bird watching. You can also take the ferry to Caledesi Island, voted to number 1 beach in the country one year.
Hillsborough River State Park
Located about 20 minutes east of campus, this state park offers wonderful opportunities to hike 6-7 miles through local forest. There is also a primitive camp site that is several miles walk in.
Alafia River State Park
Has one of most favored off-road biking choices in Florida. It has been described as a rugged series of "scary drops, off-camber hillside ledges, high speed banked turns and intimidating ridge top trails."
More to Do near Tampa
For information on Tampa see here.
Within 0.2–1.5 Hour Drive of Campus:
Beaches
Tampa Bay’s Gulf beaches are among Florida’s finest and are ranked consistently high by “Dr. Beach”. They are located about 45-60 minutes from campus. For example, the beaches at nearby Fort DeSoto, Caladesi Island State Park, and Siesta Key have been widely recognized as Top‐10 beaches in the U.S. (see www.drbeach.org).
Dali Museum
The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is the permanent home of the world’s most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spaniard’s work. The museum is celebrated for its 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures and objects d’art, and an extensive archival library.This museum is free with your USF student ID. Hours vary but is opened everyday.
More Info
Zoo
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo has been ranked as the number one zoo in the U.S. (Parents magazine 2009 & Child magazine 2004). Natural outdoor exhibits for more than 2,000 animals from Florida and similar habitats include a Native Florida Wildlife Center and manatee hospital, Asian gardens, primate world, free‐flight aviaries, Wallaroo Station Children’s Zoo, and Safari Africa. The Zoo also features rides, shows, hands‐on interactive exhibits, and a solar‐powered ride.
Aquarium
The Florida Aquarium is located in downtown Tampa (also accessible by public transit). It encompasses 200,000 square feet and houses more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and around the world. We plan to hold a Monday evening reception at the Aquarium.
Nightlife within a 30‐Minute Drive from Campus:
Known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter for over a century, Ybor City is an exotic blend of aromas, flavors, sights and sounds. From the scent of roasting Cuban coffee early in the morning to the rhythms of Latin music late into the night, Ybor is a feast for the senses.
SoHo Tampa, short for “South Howard Avenue,” is an entertainment district within the Hyde Park section of Tampa. The area has some of the finest examples of architecture in the city surrounding it and many restaurants and nightlife venues are located here as well.
For more links to Tampa's nightlife, click here.
Farther from Campus:
Disney World (70 miles), Sea World (70 miles), Universal Studios (75 miles), and Cape Canaveral (125 miles) are within driving distance of USF, as is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (near Kennedy Space Center).
Everglades National Park is the third largest national park in contiguous United States. The Everglades are actually a slow moving freshwater “River of Grass,” 50 miles wide but only 6 inches deep, flowing from Lake Okeechobee through marshy grassland into Florida Bay. Everglades National Park has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people of the world. Everglades City, located on the northeast edge of the park, is slightly over a 3-hour drive from the USF campus. Flamingo, at the far south end, is approximately a 6-hour drive (and is near the Miami Airport, just 35 miles from Miami).
North of the Everglades, the Big Cypress National Preserve is part of the greater Everglades watershed, and is made up of 2,400 square miles of marshlands, grasslands, slash pine, mangroves, and both dwarf and rare great bald cypress, some of which are up to 700 years old. Excellent hiking and wildlife viewing can be obtained here, especially along the US41 east‐west corridor.