JetBlue Offering New Nonstop Flights From TPA

JetBlue is offering new nonstop flights from Tampa International Airport. They announced this week that you can fly from Tampa International Airport to Providence, Rhode Island. Those flights to Providence will begin on October 27th and will fly once daily during the winter months.

The once-a-day flight will leave the international airport at 7:55 PM and arrive in Providence, Rhode Island at 10:55 PM. JetBlue does fly to Providence, but it is not a nonstop flight. It is a flight with a layover, so this a great option if you need to fly there.

Tampa International Airport has been in the news for some good things they have won. The pink flamingo Phoebe won an international art award. Phoebe just turned one year old and was honored as the CODA awards winner for the most successfully integrated commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces.

TPA also was recognized by Food & Wine as a part of their first-ever readers choice awards. The list of the airports with the best food was recently revealed and Tampa International Airport was ranked #6. Food & Wine had their readers vote on the airport with the best food based on travel completed within the last 3 years. The categories included restaurants, bars, hotels, airlines, and airports. TPA announced its new mobile service with Uber Eats. With this partnership, you can order ahead for pickup at many of TPA’s local favorites. All you have to do is set TPA as your location before you arrive or while you’re waiting by your gate.

Finally, Tampa Bay is known as the birthplace of commercial airline service. Tony Jannus flew the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg–Tampa airboat line on January 1, 1914. That is the first scheduled commercial airline flight in the world using a heavier than air airplane.

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and resorts. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. But, if you're looking for some more underrated, and less busy, Florida beaches, then you also have some options. The major beaches are often filled with tourists, so finding some of the more underrated Florida beaches may be just what you need for a quiet getaway.

Before we get to the most underrated Florida beaches to visit, let's talk about the amazing water areas that Florida has to offer. Florida is one of the boating and fishing capitals of the world. As VisitFlorida.com points out, the state has more than 7,700 lakes, 11,000 miles of rivers, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and has been home to more than 900 world fishing records. That tops any other state or even country. How wild is to to think that Florida has created more fishing records than even any other country? It shows just how rich the state is when it comes to our water.

Florida also has more than 700 freshwater springs, and 27 are classified as first-magnitude springs, which is more than any other state. A few other special things about Florida is that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo was America's very first underwater state park. Also, the fishing village of Cedar Key is known for having the best clam chowder in America. So, if you have a craving for clam chowder, that's the place to go.

A separate article from VisitFlorida.com notes that Florida beaches are known for being very clear, but "it varies from week to week, and even from day to day depending on the amount of sunlight, the temperature, the amount of rainfall, the wind speed and direction, water currents and surf." They add that Florida has some very clear and beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Ocean. For clear water ost days, try "northwest Florida beaches in and around Panama City Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola; southwest Florida beaches on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Siesta Key."

I love that fact that you can enjoy Florida beaches any time of the year. I mean, contrary to what people outside of the state think, it can get cold here in the winter. But, it's rarely too cold to sit on the beach with a sweatshirt on and watch the sunset. Read on for underrated Florida beaches to get on your radar.

Fort Myers Beach still has a good amount of damage from the hurricane, but Margaritaville is open, so you'll find plenty to do there. Situated on Estero Island, Fort Myers Beach is one of the state's most underrated beaches. At Fort Myers Beach, you'll find beautiful, white-sand beaches and gorgeous sunsets.

Make sure to visit Siesta Key here, as well as Sarasota Gay Beach and Crescent Beach. Just south of Tampa Bay, Sarasota is a lovely beach town that is especially popular during the holidays. You'll find lots of local shopping opportunities here.

St. George Island State Park is located on a barrier island fronting the legendary Apalachicola Bay. It's a great place to gaze at the stars. Note that starting March 1, 2025, the campground at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park will be closed for an expansion project.

If you head to Santa Rosa Beach and want to find some really special, and secret, beaches, try Blue Mountain Beach and Grayton Beach State Park. This beach town is less crowded than most, which makes it a low-key getaway.

Pensacola Beach is located on a 40-mile barrier island, Pensacola Beach, and has beautiful, translucent waters. It's a really small town, so it's much less crowded than other beaches. It's a hidden gem.

If you don't want to go too far, do some digging and visit one of the closest beaches to you, that you haven't visited yet. This is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe you'll find a new favorite beach super close to home.