×

Tampa Bay Blog

Category - Memory Makers
  • Wayne Ward
    Ever wonder how the field stays so green at Bucs games? With the hard work, dedication, and expertise of Wayne Ward and his crew, they've accommodated events from Super Bowls and Monster Truck Rallies to world-class concerts. Originally wanting to
  • Julie Curry, Bake 'N Babes
    This month’s Memory Maker is Julie Curry, creator of larger-than-life sweet treats and owner of the beloved Bake’n Babes. Newly located inside GenX Tavern, Julie shares her passion for making epic desserts and even more epic memories. Established
  • Empower Adventures Tampa Bay
    Nobody knows how to zip into the weekend like Calvin Joustra, Operations Manager at Empower Adventures Tampa Bay. Located in Oldsmar, FL Empower Adventures is the Bay Area’s only guided zip line tour. Take on 3,000 feet of zip lines, conquer the
  • Urban Kai
    Outdoor adventures are all the rage these days with paddle boarding being among the fastest-growing water sports in the world. Mike Conlee is Tampa Bay’s expert paddler at Urban Kai and this month’s Memory Maker. Urban Kai began as a small
  • Malerie Dorman
    Curator of Collections, Tampa Bay History Center The Tampa Bay History Center brings 12,000 years of human achievement together under one roof. Along with artifacts like a centuries-old dugout canoe and a replica pirate ship, the collection
  • Memory Maker Eric Hovland
    Eric Hovland Associate curator, resident shark guy The Florida Aquarium It's always Shark Week in Eric Hovland's world. The native of Wisconsin and marine biologist helped develop the unique sea life collection when The Florida Aquarium opened in
  • Captain Chris "Castaway" Pawlak
    As sea dogs go, Captain Chris "Castaway" Pawlak, is a little less salty than most. This former land-lubber grew up in the Rocky Mountains before moving to Tampa Bay. He earned his sea legs on the crew of the Yacht Starship dining cruise, eventually
  • Maria Esparza Columbia Memory Maker Square
    Since 1905, Florida's oldest restaurant, the Columbia, has been a pillar of historic Ybor City, Tampa Bay's Latin Quarter. Now in its fifth-generation under the Gonzmart family, the Columbia embodies Tampa Bay's Cuban and Spanish heritage from the menu to the decor. Six nights a weeks, visitors experience an authentic piece of Spain when the restaurant's Flamenco dancers take the stage to perform. Maria Esparza, whose mother was born in Seville, Spain, has led the troupe for...
  • Affari Trasnportation: Alex Fernandez portrait
    Alex Fernandez started Affari Transportation as a true mom-and-pop shop, with him and his wife taking reservations and sitting behind the wheel of their vehicles. "When we first started I had to do everything, from washing the buses, to driving
  • Memory Maker - Anthea Onufrak
    Among the last of its kind, the American Victory spent most of its life as a merchant ship ferrying goods and personnel to far-flung war zones across the globe. It was christened near the end of World War II and served honorably during military