My sister and I will be heading to this area the third week of March for a few days. She has applied to grad school and we'd like to spend a day checking out the Tampa area and then a couple days enjoying the beach and having some drinks. I've been researching on the boards and am having a tough time figuring out the best area/hotel for us. She is 23, I'm 25, and we'd like to be somewhere with some fun bars, restaurants and shopping in walking distance but don't want to be surrounded by hordes of drunken spring breakers. Is this possible???

Anyone who can give me a general description of the areas?

Tampa is a half-hour minimum to the beaches along the Gulf. If you're talking about staying near USF then you're looking at an hour drive from USF to the beaches. Or are you talking about the U of Tampa? Do you want to stay in Tampa and then go to the beach? Or do you want to stay at the beaches and commute to Tampa?

Keep in mind that is spring break so you will need to make some reservations ASAP. Hotels are getting gobbled up.

We would like to base ourselves on one of the gulf areas and then go to Tampa one day (I'm not sure which school she applied to) and just drive around to explore the area. A 30-60 minute drive is not an issue- we'd just like to be based somewhere that we could walk to a variety of bars and restaurants if possible. We live in the Minnesota so spending some time near the beach is a must!!!

If you've not been to Clearwater then I'd suggest staying at the Clearwater Beach Hotel and maybe moseying down to the rowdy area of the beach when you've had enough of quiet relaxation and dignified sun worshipping. There is not a lot of great shopping there but you can shop in downtown Clearwater.

If you and your sister have an unlimited budget and like to pamper yourselves, I'd suggest a stay at the Don CeSar. It's a big pink hotel on the beach. Gorgeous place.

If you have a limited budget then you could stay on Treasure Island in some of the retro 1950s ratpack architecture hotels. The Space Age is back. Try the Surf. Or the Sands. And for fun visit the shops in John's Pass at the north, or shops near the Thunderbird (which is also a nice place to stay) on TI, or in downtown St. Pete Beach. Go to Baywalk in downtown St. Petersburg city.

When you're in TAmpa be sure to go to International Plaza for a great place to shop, all the top stores. Their food court is hot on weekend nights, it's happening -- an outdoor oasis of people and people watching.

And if you want to get a feel for what makes Tampa Tampa then go to Ybor City for lunch -- Carmine's on 7th for cuban food. Or the Tropicana.

That's what I'd recommend to two girls from Minnesota. And one other thing -- be sure to bring your sunscreen!

Thanks Tandoori-Girl, sounds like there is a lot to choose from and we should be able to get a nice balance of relaxation and fun.

dreamathers: I live in Tampa and Tandoori_Girl is right on the mark. International Plaza's BayStreet has a great upscale bar called The Blue Martini. Fun place for 23-25. Just don't drink too much before heading back over the bridge to the beach.

Clearwater beach is a great place to hangout. Nice beach restaurants - like Frenchies.

Because I live in Tampa, I never stay at the beach but I'm sure others would give you good advise.

Enjoy our sunshine state!!!!

We like the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor or in Clearwater. The Ybor location is more authentic, but the food is fabulous either place you go.

Keep in mind that traffic during the third week of March will be absolutely HORRIBLE if you are staying on Clearwater Beach. Since you won't be familiar with the back roads and other options, it will take you AT LEAST an hour to drive the 5 miles from downtown Clearwater over the causeway to the beach. And another hour to get off the beach. If you plan on staying on the beach, that's fine, but if you plan on coming and going, you may want to think of somewhere besides Clearwater. All the bridges will be bad, but Clearwater is the worst. All the high school kids go there, all the college kids go there. Maybe look into Maderia Beach, Treasure Island, or Indian Rocks Beach if you want to minimize the crowd.

The city of Clearwater had been planning to cut the ribbon on a multi-lane road and bridge that would immensely cut the traffic from mainland Clearwater to the Clearwater beach. They were hoping to do this soon. Unfortunately, according to yesterdays papers, they've now discovered cracks in support piers and will have to delay the opening until after Spring Break.

So there will be tremendous traffic jams, as maclaught says -- and these are tremendous, an hour or more in traffic inching along. You could either do your driving in early or late hours and hope for the best, or stay elsewhere. But don't underestimate this traffic. It is truly awful.

We really like the Clearwater Beach area. We have stayed at the Sheraton on Sand Key which is very nice. I would agree that you should check out Frency's. It is a fun place to hang out.

I'd thought about making a whole new thread on the bridge building, but then thought better of it.

That situation is unbelievable! One section dropped and torqued so badly a year ago that they had to demolish the seciton and re-do it. Then last week came reports of another section suddenly sagging 6 inches when temporary framework supporting it buckled under its weight. That too may have to be demolished. At that point in time I vowed I was never taking my little car over that bridge!!

Then, as TG mentioned, they have now discovered cracks in 4 of the supports of the twin center span, but worse still, some of those cracks go 50% of the way through the pillars! Word has it that they implemented a new construction technique to save some money after the project began. Now the decision must be made...do we demolish the entire center portion and start over, or can it be repaired by jacking up some sections and repairing the pillars!! Nuh-uh...my little car will never find its way across that bridge!

How long has that thing been under construction now? Two years? I've lost track.

I would just plain avoid Clearwater Beach altogether unless you plan on getting there and never leaving until departure day. We had company last week and took them out to Frenchys in CWB for lunch. Traffic backed up well into downtown Clearwater, and this is not yet spring break!

And then we have "The CWB Roundabout"!! lol

A whole other unbelievable tale, of a beautiful, traffic-easing roundabout, complete with huge fountain in the middle to beautify the area. No one had the foresight to realize that WIND off the Gulf was going to blow the water out of the fountain, smack onto and into all the convertibles driving the roundabout. The fountain had to be demolished and they are talking of doing the same with the roundabout because it has complicated the traffic situation rather than improved it. I don't know the statistics now, but for months and months after it opened, there was an accident a day there!

That area used to be my favorite beach, and it is beautiful, but when we went out with our guests last week, we hadn't been in about a year simply because of the traffic problems. Far better to avoid it all and head futher south!