THE hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I gripped the edge of my seat, fixed on the performance below.
Then, a large cannon exploded across the stadium and the crowd erupted alongside it.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had just scored their first touchdown.
I was at the mighty Raymond James Stadium in Florida’s Tampa Bay, where American football is so much more than the game itself with beers, barbecued food, dazzling cheerleaders and music.
The atmosphere was infectious.
Although football is a huge tradition in the States, it isn’t my sole reason for visiting Tampa Bay on Florida’s gloriously golden coast.
This region, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, is home to some of the world’s prettiest beaches and has become a hub for foodies in recent years, with more and more restaurants earning a place in the Michelin Guide.
One of these Michelin Guide spots can be found at Epicurean Hotel, in the trendy Hyde Park district of South Tampa, where I was staying for the next few days.
The stylish hotel has modern, spacious rooms, an onsite gym and a swimming pool, but the shining star was dining spot Elevage.
World cigar capital
The chefs here reimagined classics from around the world, serving up blackened pork belly with black mole, pickled green apple and hazelnuts, as well as garlic grilled octopus smothered in pistachios and oysters filled with spicy nduja sausage.
It is definitely worth a visit if you are staying in the four-star joint, but if you are looking for something more typically American, then Ciro’s Speakeasy and Supper Club in Tampa’s historic Bayshore Royal Building is for you.
You need a password to gain entry (do your research before booking) to the dimly lit space, where jazz music serenades diners.
Here, white Russian cocktails and espresso martinis are accompanied by duck-fat fries, fried chicken and waffles and humble desserts such as milk served with hot, gooey cookies.
Then there is Hyde Park Village, one of Tampa’s most affluent neighbourhoods and THE place to try for Michelin-star food.
But there is also the much more laidback Goody Goody Burgers, which serves impossibly good hamburgers for little more than a fiver.
Follow it up with a sweet treat from Sprinkles, where a desire to serve late-night customers led them to a genius invention: the world’s first cupcake ATM.
It looks just like the ordinary kind, only it dispenses freshly-baked cupcakes and cookies, not cash, round the clock.
When you have indulged in as much of the foodie scene as your stomach can handle, there is a load of fun for families in Tampa.
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Busch Gardens, a theme park and zoo rolled into one, is home to the world’s fastest and steepest “hybrid coaster”, Iron Gwazi, which sends you hurtling through the air at speeds of 75mph.
On top of the thrilling rides, I would recommend a safari tour around the park’s 65-acre Serengeti Plain.
I got up close and personal with a rhinoceros, hippos and elephants, and even fed a giraffe some lettuce — just watch out for their huge tongues.
For culture buffs, the famous Oxford Exchange is a social space where history and commerce blend — expect marble floors, a limestone fountain and pictures of former presidents hanging from the old, exposed brick walls.
My wonderful trip ended just as it had begun: with me in a food coma
There is also a bookstore, coffee house, gift shop and (unsurprisingly) more food — try the apple crumble pancakes at The Restaurant (that is its actual name), which were the most delicious I have ever had, dripping with pecan streusel and honey butter.
Before you leave, make sure to visit Ybor City, once regarded as the cigar capital of the world and one of only three National Historic Landmark Districts in Florida.
Exploring on foot is the best way to see the city, with its old cobblestoned streets.
Book a guided tour with Tampa Bay Tours to learn about its rich history as the state’s first industrial town.
I even hand rolled my own cigars in the iconic El Reloj Cigar Factory after watching master hand rollers at work in its three-level museum.
Columbia, the oldest restaurant in Florida AND the oldest Spanish restaurant in the US, is just round the corner.
It has been serving Cuban and Spanish specialties for over a century and the famous Cuban sandwich, crammed with thick cuts of ham and gooey cheese, will not disappoint.
My wonderful trip ended as it began: with me in a food coma.
