Tampa’s Newest Free Range VR Opens At WestShore Plaza

Tampa Bay just leveled up its entertainment scene this week with the newest addition to WestShore Plaza. Zero Latency opened its doors this week at Westshore Plaza bringing some of the best VR in Tampa Bay. 

Zero Latency is a free-roam Virtual Reality experience with cutting edge tech that’s bringing new adventures to the people of the bay. The new arena features only Zero Latency’s latest technology and can hold groups of 8 people. Zero Latency isn’t your average VR setup. It offers full freedom of movement without needing backpacks or extra wiring to fully immerse into the new world.

Najib Abou Ismail with Zero Latency said, “We’re thrilled to be opening our new Zero Latency venue in the great city of Tampa. It really is the best way to experience VR, whether you’re an experienced gamer or a first-timer. There’s nothing else quite like Zero Latency in Tampa.”

The world of Virtual Reality is not new to the folks over at Zero Latency. They have 90 locations spread across 25 different countries. The arena is truly fully immersive. The playing space is the size of a tennis court and has the freedom of no wires or cables. Thanks to the newest HTC VIVE Focus 3 tech, player groups can experience the same immersive experience, simultaneously.

Hop into another world at Zero Latency with experiences like Outbreak, Far Cry VR, Sol Raiders, Singularity, Undead Arena and Engineerium. In Outbreak, you’re humanity’s last hope protecting a research facility with the only cure for the zombie virus. The game time is approximately 30 minutes, is a shooter co-op game, and can fit between 1-8 players.

Virtual reality experiences have been the talk of the town over the past few years. Personally, the last time I tried VR was in a Samsung store back in 2016 playing Maze Runner. As more and more VR venues open up, I might need to hop back into the virtual world.

Virtual Reality isn’t the only thing Zero Latency has to offer. They also have a brand new golf simulator so you can hit the greens even in the off season. So if you’re looking to bring a little betting to the greens of Buschwood or work on your slice, you’ll want to check this out.

For more information about Zero Latency or to book your next outing with some of the best VR in Tampa, visit their website.

It's time to close the chapter to 2023 and look forward to the next year. Luckily for us in Tampa, there's a lot to be excited about in 2024. Be on the lookout for these new businesses and experiences in Tampa Bay next year.

Champa Bay seems to be growing and expanding more and more each year. So many new places and experiences popped up in 2023, and it was hard to keep track. We discovered a bunch of new restaurants, hotels, and adventures that opened up this past year. 2024 might be even better! We get to look forward to new restaurants and bars, roller coasters, and so many big acts playing Tampa venues (just to name a few). With the help of Creative Loafing and That's So Tampa, we made a list of 5 things to look forward to in Tampa in 2024

To help make this list, we got some of our inspiration from Creative Loafing. They told us 20 new restaurants to look out for in 2024. A couple of them made our list, but you can check out the full list here. But we wanted to expand more on things to get excited about in Tampa for next year.

Tampa had a lot of growth in 2023, leaving us excited for what's to come. This year we said "hello" to many new businesses and attractions including the tallest rooftop bar in Tampa, new restaurants with Michelin-star chefs, changes to our favorite theme park, and more. We also said "goodbye" to some of our favorite businesses and athletes who got traded to other teams (like Pat Maroon on the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ji-man Choi on the Rays).

One of the great things about Tampa is it's constantly changing for the better. But that also means it's becoming a really competitive market for those looking to move here. One thing we can count on with all of these new additions of 5-star restaurants and new affordable and luxury housing is that more people will surely be packing their things and heading to the Tampa Bay area. If you plan on making the move next year, check out some of our realistic advise before making the move.

We've already told you about some of the new places we're excited to see open in 2024. Coffee enthusiasts can get excited for a famous west coast coffee chain to open in Tampa next year. Dutch Bros coffee will be coming to the Ballast Point sometime in 2024. Learn more about that here.

Water street will continue to grow with the highly anticipated Italian-inspired restaurant Ash opening in the early spring. The Edition will also be gaining a new cocktail lounge called Alter Ego. This spot will offer an energetic vibe with a curated musical experience.

A few of Tampa's staple restaurants will be opening second locations across the bridge in St. Pete. Now there will be an Olivia and Forbici in the burg!

Tampa's favorite theme parks are also making some changes in 2024. Phoenix Rising is a new family-friendly coaster coming to Busch Gardens in the spring of 2024 in the Pantopia area of the park.

Adventure Island is also adding a new interactive splash and play area opening in Spring of 2024. Castaway Falls is the ideal play and relax spot for kids of all ages.

Earlier this year ZooTampa announced a $125 million expansion with multiple new habitats. First up on the expansion is the Stingray in-water experience. The Wallaroo are is also being reimagined as Australia with new rides, expanded splash pad, new restaurant and bar and even a wallaby encounter! You can also now reserve your encounter with a clouded leopard where you can witness a training session with the beautiful cat!

Gas Worx is going to be one of the biggest developments in Tampa. The first 317-unit apartment development within Gas Worx is scheduled to be completed in early Spring 2024! Gas Worx will certainly enhance Ybor and make a better connection to Downtown.

There have already been so many awesome concerts announced for 2024. Billy Joel & Sting, Morgan Wallen, Madonna, Bad Bunny, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more!