With only two days allotted to my Tampa visit, I had to pick and choose my itinerary carefully.
Because Busch Gardens ate up one entire but exciting day, I decided go for a diverse array of attractions on Day Two, starting with the Florida Aquarium, home to more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and elsewhere.

At Busch Gardens Tampa, the rides alone make a visit a special treat — especially if you like roller coasters.
But add to it a zoo with more than 2,000 animals, magnificent gardens and landscaping and live Broadway-style shows and you end up with an entertaining mix that should keep you busy for at least an entire day.

Dr. Food Science mixes bananas and Sprite, conducts other food experiments.

Auto racing column: Danica Patrick became the first female driver to win a race in the history of Indy Car racing. She says it's big on many fronts.

They say that as many as 85,000 students show up during spring break at South Padre Island.
The island is a 34-mile long, 2-1/2 mile wide vacation hot spot off the tip of Texas.

Visit to a cooking school housed in a Savannah, Ga., mansion.

Even those that don’t especially appreciate birding would have little to complain about at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
Located 12 miles southeast of McAllen, Texas, the 2,088 acre tract that abuts neighboring Mexico gives visitors a glimpse of the natural world that has vanished from 95 percent of the Lower Rio Grande.

``Philosophy is just understanding the way people think.''

Entertainment column: While the “Toy Story” series, “Ratatouille” and other computer-generated films are well-done, there’s just something about the old-school, hand-drawn movies that’s special.