mdtravel

Hello. I have a long weekend in Tampa coming up and would appreciate any web links on dining, drinking and museums.

I saw reference to a Dali museum in another thread but quick searches of the web yield little.

Any help is appreciated.

coach4448

This might help you out:
http://www.digitalcity.com/tampabay/dining/

also: http://www.visittampabay.com/index_visitor.html

Hope these help. Channelside near downtown is great. It's a complex of bars, restaturants etc..
Ybor City is a popular drinking spot, along with a couple of great restaurants. The Columbia is great for Cuban food.

bryarsmom

I agree. Ybor City years ago had been in "distress", to put it mildly. Nowadays, revamped and very chic, its a great place to stroll and dine. We had the best time there on our last FL. visit.

joebob

Columbia is not great cuban, it is the "most well known OK cuban" or "touristy cuban". For cuban (with some Catalun influence) go to cafe Don Jose in Temple Terrace, I dream of their mussels, spanish bean soup, brown bread, cazuela de mariscos, ropa vieja.....all excellent, I highly recommend it. Also, Bern's steakhouse is also very good and $$$$ but I would prefer to eat there over Columbia any day.

I was disappointed in the Dali museum, I would skip it unless you are a big Dali fan. The Florida aquarium is in tampa (very close to Ybor) as are the TB Lightning. You could take an interesting day trip up to crystal river and dive/snorkle in the springs, it is also good manatee sighting time of the year, you may find yourself face to face with a manatee....oh, yeah, if you time it right you may be there for Gasparilla (a mardi gras-esque downtown parade of drunkeness, but fun), which this year will probably feature the Super bowl champs....have fun

gc

I'm dating myself here, but when I travelled extensively to Tampa many moons ago, my favorite place was Spanish Park, a GREAT seafood place with supposed mob connections. The Pompano, boned at the table, was a favorite.
Is it still there and good?

gc

I'm dating myself here, but when I travelled extensively to Tampa many moons ago, my favorite place was Spanish Park, a GREAT seafood place with supposed mob connections. The Pompano, boned at the table, was a favorite.
Is it still there and good?

gatorlover

gc, I'm very sorry to tell you that the Spanish Park Restaurant closed about eight years ago and yes, it was the best Spanish restaurant in Tampa and is sorely missed. I would agree with joebob that Cafe Don Jose is probably the best now, just wish it was closer for us South Tampaites.

sightseer

Here's the website for the Dali museum in St. Petersburg: www.salvadordalimuseum.org

The museum is a very managable size to see in a short amount of time. I found the free hour long tour to be informative and enjoyable.

If you enjoy musuems, you might also want to check out the Ringling Bros. Circus Museum in nearby Sarasota. In addition to the circus exhibits, they also have a nice art museum onsite.

As for the Columbia restaurant in Ybor City, I enjoyed the show and food, but I must admit that I've had better Cuban food at other restaurants.

OliveOyl

I think the Dali is fabulous--truly my favorite museum in the area, but I would not even consider doing it without the tour. You will miss 75% of the content of his paintings without help, trust me!! gt; That was one strange mind....the average's person's brain just doesn't function on those wave lengths (fortunately!). Tours run constantly and there never is much of a wait. Size is kept manageable as well.

Agree about the Columbia...enjoyed the show too, (Ybor City location) but that's a restaurant living on its past reputation.

The above post mentioned Ringling, but omitted mention of their house, Ca d'Zaan, once again open to the public after a complete renovation. It is well worth touring. Actually, I enjoyed that and the art museum on the grounds more than the Circus Museum, and doing all three makes for a long day.