OT: Need Tampa Advice

Submitted by goblue7612 on

So last year for the Sugar Bowl, some New Orleans natives and regulars gave us great advice about places to eat, things to see, and places to stay. Those tips were incredibly useful. I was wondering if some Tampa natives or regulars could give us some advice on things to see, places to eat, places to stay, etc.

Most importantly, can anyone tell us where to spend NYE? We've heard that Channelside can be decent, and then there's Ybor City as well as South Howard/Hyde Park.

What is public transportation like around the city? There's a trolley that runs supposedly. Anyone know how convenient it is and how late it runs?

What are the taxis like? Is it cheap to go from Ybor City to South Howard? Are they plentiful? (for example Purdue and Indiana University LACK CABS)

What is the tailgate scene like before the game at Raymond James? Are there specific lots we should buy a tailgate pass for?

Thanks in advance for all of your tips. Pretty sure there wasn't a thread dedicated to this, hope I'm not wrong.

Tater

December 6th, 2012 at 7:13 PM ^

Clearwater Beach is great, and they have official festivities.  Downtown St Pete would be my second choice, with a lot of clubs for people of varying musical tastes.  Both are tons safer than Ybor or even Channelside.  As for public transportation, you're pretty much screwed.  

Pinellas County (Clearwater, St Pete, etc) is sorta like Ann Arbor with a bunch of water and more clubs and bars.  Tampa is more like Detroit.

GatrHatr

December 6th, 2012 at 8:59 PM ^

Tampa-

Tampa bay brewing co.

Cigar city



Pinellas-

Willard's tap house in largo is the best spot in the area by far.

Barley mow brewing co.

Rapp brewing

Seventh sun

Dunedin brewery

Cajun cafe on the bayou

Pegs cantina



I would say stay away from WOB but that's my opinion. I'm a "get off my lawn" sort FWIW.

Clarence Beeks

December 6th, 2012 at 10:25 PM ^

As someone who lives here, I can't think of one good reason to stay in downtown Tampa. I like Tampa, my office is right downtown, I like the downtown area, but there just isn't anything to do down there anymore. I can't be more explicit about this: CHANNELSIDE IS A GHOST TOWN. It has been undergoing a lengthy and messy bankruptcy for the past couple of years and there is not much at all going on down there anymore. I suspect everyone who has mentioned Channelside in this thread hasn't been there in a few years. As someone who lives here, and who is going to the game, I would choose to stay at the beach, regardless of age and family presence (it would just depend on which beach). You can still easily do Ybor and downtown St. Petersburg from the beach (either rent a car or taxis are far more prevalent than some posters have indicated - just call one - and the beaches have FREE beach taxis). Probably about the only way I would consider staying anywhere in Tampa is if the primary focus (aside from the game) is going to Ybor or if you are only in town for game day. Otherwise you're going to end up being pretty pissed that you're constantly spending 45 minutes driving from your downtown hotel or airport hotel across the bay to where the things to do actually are. Maybe it's just me, but I would rather drive 45 minutes from a hotel on the beach to the stadium once on game day rather than driving 45 minutes from a downtown hotel to everywhere else every other day of my trip.

Clarence Beeks

December 6th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^

Good call on Madeira / Treasure Island. Most locals will tell you that's the best beach (nice beaches and far fewer vacationers). And so centrally located and blends right into St. Pete Beach, especially with the free beach taxis. I do like Clearwater Beach a lot, too, but it's too touristy for my taste (as a local) to visit on a regular basis.

TX2AA

December 6th, 2012 at 11:27 PM ^

If I could just throw in a few more restaurant and or bar suggestions:

Ella's, I suggest Soul Food Sundays for Chicken & Waffles and the ribs are good too.

Fly Bar and Restaurant, a bit more $$ but not too ridiculous

The Refinery, I suggest making a reservation on-line before going.

Bricks of Ybor, deli in Ybor with a decent selection of beer.

The Indepent, small delicious deli and an impressive selection of beer.

Taco Bus, Tacos & a Bus duh.

Ribbit's, a bar-b-que joint in the middle of SoHo bars owned by a Alabama fan.

Ceviche, Spanish tapas and live music for the fun times.

4 Green Fields, a thatched roof bar/ restaurant. 

Red Mesa Cantina, St. Pete near downtown that has a great patio bar and delicious food.

Tampa Brewing Co and Cigar City for the local beer joints.

Ybor is great for the crazy nights and will have eveything from gay bars, biker bar, dance clubs, a Barbarella-themed bar, tamer outdoor bars, etc.

SoHo is a bit more the collar-pooping crowd with UT(ampa) students and young college grads.  

Channelside,  I only really went for date nights with the fiancee when the movie theater was there.  It closed down a few months ago, so yeah it's that bad.  The aquarium is there, so that may be a bonus.

Clarence Beeks

December 8th, 2012 at 1:46 PM ^

"I don't think anyone mentioned the  Columbia restaurant on the Tampa side."

I mean, come on.  No one considers The Columbia a chain.  They have like five locations and they are all within about an hour of their original location.  No one that says "chain" is referring to a place that is entirely local and has that few locations.

"Can't say that the area has great locally owned restaurants."

I can't let this go unaddressed.  Possibly, I misunderstood what you meant here because you mentioned so great local places a few posts up.  Have you never been to the St. Pete waterfront?  Everything there is local and there is some truly great dining down there.  Virtually everything in South Tampa and Soho is local and there is some truly great dining over there, too.  Same with downtown Tampa.  Are there a lot of chains by the airport and football stadium?  Yep, there sure are and most of them are just what you would expect.  The beach doesn't have many, if any, chains, either, but no one goes to the beach for fine dining.  That said, one of the best restaurants in the entire region is across the street from the beach.  I'm sorry, I just couldn't let this comment go unchallenged.  If there is one thing that we do well here, aside from beaches, it's food.

sarasotaattorney

December 7th, 2012 at 8:21 PM ^

At night especially, YC has maybe two or three safe streets. Coyoto Ugly and a few other bars are located on the safe streets. North, South, East and West of these streets can be dangerously. That being said, I don't want to change a person's desire to stay-rather just give my 2cents. 

If you stay in YC, you are going to be about 8 to15 miles East of both the stadium(8) and the TIA(15). If you want to be relatively close to the stadium, then stay at a hotel near the airport, International Plaza, Westshore Plaza or the Rocky Point area(Northwestern Tampa Bay- Highway 60 at/near the Courtney Campbell Bridge?)  which has at least one hotel on on the bay.

If you stay out at one of western beaches or cities, you are going to a lot of activities to partake in.

 

juager

December 14th, 2012 at 11:20 AM ^

I have lived in Tampa for four years, I am not sure if that makes me a local but I will attempt to impart a bit of the information which echoes some of the above. For clarification Tampa refers to the city of Tampa, Tampa Bay (includes St. Petersburg (Called "The Burg" in the Bay area), Clearwater, Sarasota, etc) refers to the metro area which is huge. All of the below is just my opinion:

1) A lot of the recommendations above say to stay in St. Pete. That area tends to have more/nicer hotels. The beach will be cold. Not too cold to go to being from the Midwest but the water will be too cold to go much further than your leg deep. I had some friends from Ohio visit me in January and we went to the beach. Had some issues with Red tide. The view will still be great and you will be able to experience some good beaches/bars within waling distance. Tampa does have a lot of hotels but they tend to be spread out and what area to stay in can vary depending on what you wish to do in town. There are Hotels in Ybor City and near Busch Gardens (the ones nearest to the Park seem a bit more sketchy). Near USF (South Florida) campus there some nicer ones if Busch Gardens is your aim.

   1a) Beaches - Tampa Bay has an abundance of beaches (almost all of them are white sand so it will be soft sand that sticks to you). The well known ones are Clearwater, St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. Most of the tourists head to Clearwater since it it the most well known. Locals tend to frequent St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. I also like the Treasure Island area since they do a Sunday night Drum Circle (which is exactly what it sounds like). Cabby's is a Beach front bar/restaurant which is in the Treasure Island area and has Cabanas to rent. It is in a smaller area but I always like the vibe.

2) Food - Tampa does have a good assortment of food options. Ybor City used to have an extremely high Cuban population so there are many arguments as to the best Cuban Sandwich in town (my vote is La Caridad Bakery) . As the above people have mentioned Taco Bus (the original location on Hillsborough and Nebraska), Columbia Restaurant (located in Ybor City) and Leroy Selmon's are all well known. My personal favorite is a Cajun restaurant in the St. Pete area. Cajun Cafe on the Bayou is amazing Cajun food. If you attended the game in New Orleans last year you can compare the two but I think it holds up well against New Orleans Cajun. They also have a great Craft Brew Section.

3) New Years Eve - As many have mentioned the Channelside area is in a decline with many of the well known places leaving. There is an Aquarium in the area which will be hosting a new years but that will be $90 a ticket. Ybor City will have many Bars and Clubs for people to be in through the night (hotels near by if you want to avoid expensive cab rides). The Hyde Park and South Howard (SoHo) area would be my recommendation. Many places to go within walking distance and places like MacDinton's are well known.

4) Transportation - There is no public transportation system in Tampa except cities buses and their routes/times are not desirable. Plan to stay near where you are celebrating New Years or plan on taking a cab ride. Cost of cabs is not too bad but since Tampa Bay is large celebrating in one location and then having to cab it to your hotel would be very expensive.

5) Tailgating/Parking - Like many have mentioned there is a grass lot to the north of the Stadium where most people tailgate. You can pay to park and then just walk into the stadium. Parking will most likely be $15-$20 on the day of the game. Most of the residential streets near the stadium will have people selling pakring in their yard for cheaper. This, like most things, will become what do you want to pay/how far do you want to walk.

6) Final Thoughts - Tampa Bay is a large area and offers a lot of things to do. The area is thought of as "sleepy" since it is so spread out and it can take a while to find areas you enjoy or your niche. There are many "Boroughs" that make it so that you have to find downtowns in each of them to find things to do. The Strip Clubs can be nice but are often smaller than the ones you find in the mid-west. My favorite is 2001, but most people recommend Mons Venus.

Enjoy Tampa and Go Blue!