mpicard

I've never been to Tampa and want to explore the area so I booked four nights downtown (Marriott Waterside) and three nights on the beach in St. Petersburg (Tradewinds). I am going over Memorial Day week. I'm wondering if I should change my downtown reservation. They are charging a fortune for parking and I'm reading that there's nothing much around the Convention Center to eat or do. Is there anywhere downtown I should stay if I'm just a tourist and not going to a convention? Where are the shopping and restaurant areas in downtown Tampa?

Wayne

The International Mall is one of the really big and popular shopping areas, with every store I can imagine plus several good restaurants. As for other places to eat in Tampa, try Howard Avenue, with a wide assortment of 20 or so places. Then of course there's Ybor City farther on the east side of town.

Downtown is a misnomer as far as I am concerned. Yes, there is a downtown, and there is an art gallery and several stores and restaurants. But a neat little alternative is Hyde Park Village, with a nice ambience and a few nice stores and restaurants, plus free parking in their parking garage. Don't know of any hotels close to Hyde Park, though.

If you want some nightclub action, you will find it in a couple of places on/off Kennedy Boulevard. Also there's the unique architecture and grounds of the Univ of Tampa. My favorite restaurant, Mise en Place, which always draws rave reviews but is a bit pricey, is in the same area.

Lots of others will also provide even better advice. I live in St Pete Beach so my knowledge of Tampa comes from frequent visits, but others will have more info.

bachslunch

Not sure if the usual tourist attractions are what you're looking for, but if so, there are a couple options within a reasonable walk in Downtown:

-Henry B. Plant Museum (on the Univ. of Tampa campus)
-Florida Aquarium

Ybor City is well worth a visit (there's a modest sized museum there, plus some worthwhile restaurants and interesting architecture) and can be reached by car or by using the trolley. If you go, stick to the tourist strip, as it's surrounded by a very dicey area, especially problematic at night.

The Busch Gardens theme park, Museum of Science and Industry, Lowry Park Zoo, and Big Cat Reserve can be reached by car. The Tampa Museum of Art won't reopen until fall 2009.

parisonmymind2

I have never eaten a bad meal in Ybor City. We spend our weekends here and do not go out too late. There is a new French Bistro - L'Olivier ' they have 2 live shows - 8:30 & 10. They are a lot of fun and the food is good.

It really depends on what you re looking for. The new Tampa Bay History Cennter is quite nice. If you are interested in such things, it does give a pretty good picture of the local history. The Columbia Restaurant has the food contract, so I imagine that lunch there is pretty good. It's located across from the St. Pete Times Forum and the streetcar from Ybor stops right in front of it.

The Performing Arts Center usually has some pretty good stuff going.

So, it really depends on what you want/like to do. I can respond to specifics, but we just may not enjoy the same things...

mpicard

Thanks for your replies. We're a middle-aged couple. We love good food, outdoor dining, jazz clubs, performing arts and unique shopping (we have all the chains where we're from). I'm just wondering if it's really worth it to stay near the convention center and pay that premium to reach the things we would be interested in downtown, like channelside, Ybor etc. Or would it make more sense with a car to stay closer to the airport and drive in to downtown for these thing? Is downtown pretty accessible if you're commuting in? Is there four days worth of things to do if staying downtown? Would you recommend swallowing the cost and staying by the convention center for the convenience of the trolley, proximity to museums etc. or saving money and moving further out? Thanks.

Tropics

I was able to view this website before our overnighter in Tampa before our cruise.

Under Travel Services, view the Transportation Services for your downtown stay. There is trolley and streetcar system.

Wish we had more time to check out downtown, it looks very clean and nice.

Hope this helps you. http://www.visittampabay.com/

joan

Mpicard, another resident of Tampa Bay chiming in here.

Since you will have a car, and nothing is really within walking distance anyway, I would switch the Tampa hotel to three days, and increase the Tradewinds to four. Also, why not get a room in Tampa with a view? Check out the hotels on the Courtney Campbell Causeway (called the Rocky Point area I believe). They should all have a water view and everything is ten minutes by car from there. Yes, at the MWaterside you can access the trolley to get to Channelside and Ybor (if it still goes to these spots - check online first). But the indy dining places are all on South Howard anyway (called SoHo locally), so you'd still be using the car.

The Hyatt Grand (airport not the downtown one) has great waterfront grounds and often comes up (or used to) on Priceline for a great price.

Have a great trip!

stumpworks73

My favorite restaurant in Ybor is the Columbia. One of the finest Cuban restaurants anywhere. Columbia has a white table cloth side and an historic saloon setting with beautiful tile and a fine wood bar. Everything from fine cuban sandwiches, soups to superb fish dinners.

Bern's Steakhouse is also neaby central Tampa. Also one of the finest in the country.

Cali

We always go to Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City when in Tampa. It is wonderful.

sweet_polly

I'm middle-aged and live in Tampa, but don't find downtown Tampa very scintillating. While it's better than it used to be, there's still not that much going on at night and it's not a "real" downtown like Chicago or Philly. You might like Downtown St. Petersburg. My husband and I occasionally drive over and spend the night on weekends...it's a lovely, walkable waterfront area with lots of unique restauarants, wine bars, shops, galleries and museums. You're still only about 20 minutes from downtown Tampa if you want to spend some time there.