At ABC Action News, we know it's the combination of all the communities that make Tampa Bay great to live in. That's why we've started a new series of reporting highlighting good things happening around town, discovering cool gems you may not know about, and uncovering the big news events impacting those areas.
On Friday, the Good Morning Tampa Bay team focused on the holiday season in the Tampa Bay area.
Complete Coverage: GMTB Local Spotlight
Bikes for Christ helping people get transportation this holiday season
Bikes for Christ, a local non-profit in Tampa Bay, is helping people get to and from work this holiday.
They work with local organizations in four different counties in Tampa Bay.
Tampa's Winter Village returns with new activities
Downtown Tampa is being transformed into an entire Winter Village.
Take a stroll through Curtis Hixon Park and be surrounded by beautiful lights, holiday shops with local artisans, and, new this year, curling!
Busch Gardens' Christmas Town celebrating 10 years
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is celebrating 10 years of its annual Christmas Town tradition.
The annual event features millions of lights, holiday-themed shows and food.
The event is included in daily admission and runs through Jan. 9.
Christmas in the Wild returns to ZooTampa
Christmas in the Wild returns to ZooTampa this holiday season with tons of lights across the park.
As ZooTampa transforms into the holiday atmosphere, guests are able to walk through a Lantern Lullaby, Gingerbread Jubilee and visit the Forest of Fantasy with a light show and music every 15 minutes.
10-year-old collecting toys for kids in the hospital
At seven years old, Aubriana Spiering was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Spiering is now 10 and has rung the bell that her cancer is in remission.
"Well, I had cancer and spent a lot of time in the hospital, and people would send me a lot of gifts, which will make it a little more exciting. So I wanted to do that for the other kids," Spiering said.
She now holds lemonade stands to raise money for gifts to donate. Spiering wants to lift the spirits of kids who are just like her.
Salvation Army continues to make Christmas magical for Tampa Bay Area Families
Time is running out to participate in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, which helps bring joy to Tampa Bay area children and families during the holiday season.
This year is more important than ever as the need continues to grow.
“We hear the stories, the hardships," Major Beth Swyer said. "People are going through the jobs lost when the hurricane came through, just the experiences of those families. Many parents will cry at the table as they tell us their stories."
Expect busy airports and roads this holiday; AAA seeing highest travel numbers in almost two decades
"Well, I think you're gonna see a lot of momentum building off of what we saw during Thanksgiving, which is very busy roads and very busy airports," AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said.
Thanksgiving pulled huge travel numbers, and AAA expects that trend to continue through Christmas and the New Year.
"Last Thanksgiving, we saw a really big rebound and travel numbers coming out of the pandemic. We're seeing some of the highest travel numbers that we've really seen in almost two decades," Jenkins said. "So chances are that momentum is likely to continue through the rest of the month."
Holiday spending is expected to be strong, with more people leaning on credit cards
Is your holiday shopping list shorter this year, or are you going all out?
While economists predict people will spend some money this holiday season, University of South Florida economics instructor Michael Snipes said we’re not back to pre-pandemic levels.
Lights of Lake Park have raised more than $1M in the past 29 years
They’re bright, they’re festive and they’re all on display for a great cause. This month marks the 29th annual Lights of Lake Park.
From Rudolph to Frosty to the Little Gingerbread Boy, the Lake Park neighborhood checks every box when it comes to the Christmas spirit.
“Very very blessed to live in this neighborhood,” said one resident.
Mother inspired by daughter with epilepsy to start toy drive for hospitalized children
The holidays are a special time, but some children have to spend them in the hospital.
Liz Haygood knows what it’s like having a child hospitalized. Her daughter’s first birthday was spent in the hospital.
“We were actually planning for her first birthday party, and she began to have seizures. So, we were transported to Nemours,” said Liz Haygood, founder of Kate’s Story Foundation. “It was a day that we planned to spend celebrating her first year of life with family and friends, and all of a sudden, we were confined to a hospital room.”
West Florida Foster Care Services holding 'Twinkle in the Terrace' for foster families
West Florida Foster Care Services is hoping to fill the gaps for foster kids in need this holiday.
At their upcoming event, they'll feature things like personalized stockings, and foster parents can come in to fill them.
They'll also have a dessert room where local bakeries donate all kinds of goodies, so families have treats on Christmas.
