By retirement, seniors have spent years growing in their careers, raising families, developing lifelong friendships and making many memories — and they are far from ready to slow down.
For retirees eager to embrace the next season in life with a fun, active, engaging lifestyle, Greater Tampa Bay is just the place. The region and its cities are consistently ranked as top retirement destinations due to the sunny weather, outdoor attractions, resident happiness, access to entertainment and health care, safety and affordability.
No. 2 New Port Richey, No. 10 Sun City Center — Best Places to Retire in Florida
— SmartAsset
No. 6 Tampa, No. 12 Lakeland — 25 Best Places to Retire in 2021-2022
— U.S. News & World Report
No. 3 Largo, No. 6 Lakeland, No. 12 Clearwater, No. 21 St. Petersburg — Best Cities to Retire in 2022
— Retirement Living
Clearwater — One of the 25 Best Places to Retire in 2021
— Forbes
No. 2 Clearwater, No. 4 St. Petersburg, No. 12 Lakeland, No. 35 Tampa — 2021 Best Cities to Retire in America
— Niche
No. 6 Tampa, No. 10 Clearwater, No. 11 Bradenton, No. 25 Tarpon Springs, No. 27 Dunedin, No. 33 St. Petersburg — Best Places to Retire in Florida
— WalletHub
Spend those golden years soaking up the sun at any of the top ranked beaches or on guided hikes through natural parks and preserves. Or, pick up a new hobby and mingle with neighbors who have common interests. GTB has a club for almost every hobby or passion, and many of these are just for seniors.
There are endless opportunities for every generation in the family to get together and have fun in GTB. Festivals celebrating music, the arts, food and culture happen year-round. The landscape of art galleries, performing arts venues, museums, aquariums and many other senior-friendly attractions will fascinate, entertain, educate and invigorate patrons of all ages. Seniors will never run out of new restaurants to try, markets and shopping centers to window shop in or public parks and districts to explore.
Active lifestyles have no age limit in GTB. Seniors of any athletic ability or skill level can have a ball here, whether it is playing a sport like tennis or bowling with the whole family or joining a recreational league just for seniors.
Friendly Competition
The Florida Senior Games encourages anyone ages 50 or older to join in on athletics, social events and volunteerism. The variety of sports and games includes powerlifting, bowling, shuffleboard, dominos, horseshoes, badminton, ping pong, swimming, softball and more. Competitors in local leagues can advance to state and national level competitions. However, the emphasis is on participation rather than winning — and it is all about enjoying fun, fellowship, fitness and competition.
Here are the local Florida Senior Games leagues:
- Tampa Bay Active Life Games — Hillsborough County
- Good Life Games — Pinellas County
- Gulf Coast Games for Life — Manatee County
- Polk Senior Games — Polk County
Pickleball is one such sport the whole family can enjoy. It is surging in popularity across demographics nationwide, and GTB is fully on board with this trend. The new Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus houses 16 pickleball courts. Hillsborough County plans to build several courts to county parks. Pinellas County has dozens of indoor and outdoor courts to choose from, and many more facilities for pickleball and more can be found throughout GTB.
Exercising the mind and keeping social skills sharp are just as important as keeping the body in motion after retirement.
After a lifetime of service in the workforce, volunteering is a great way to give back to the community. The nonprofit Seniors in Service connect seniors 55 and older with at-risk seniors, veterans and children in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties and is just one of many opportunities to get involved and help a neighbor in need.
Never Too Late to Learn
Florida citizens can attend classes for free at certain colleges and universities in Florida, as long as they are at least 60 years old and meet certain requirements.
A Florida State Statute has allowed seniors to be audited into classes at certain public colleges and universities since 2010.
Local participating institutions:
- St. Petersburg College
- University of South Florida
- Hillsborough Community College
- Pasco-Hernando State College
By Jewell Tomazin
