tampa/clearwater/st. pete/sarasota
 

spending 2 days with my 19-year old daughter in the area (she is taking me to see fleetwood mac in st. pete). since we have a little extra time, i'd like some recommendations of things to do - she's not much for the beach and i'm not much for the theme parks - but we both love funky neighborhoods with interesting shopping - maybe a museum or art gallery - and maybe an aquarium (looks to be a few in the area).
and any opinions on where i should stay? i like 3* or 4* level hotels.

The Salvador Dali Museum is in this area. My husband and I spent a rainy afternoon viewing his work. Ybor City in Tampa is another possiblity. Have fun at the concert.

It's hard to find unique retail areas anymore. The malling of America has left most areas with the same shops. Hyde Park Village in Tampa is one such shopping area, now dominated by national "upscale" chain stores. It is more charming than a mall however.

The little old Scots town of Dunedin has a quaint shopping district free of chain stores. Mainly galleries and antiques. Haven't eaten there in a while but I had a delightful lunch there at Kelly's I think. One of the most beautiful beaches is nearby but you said that is not on your list but if it should become ok: Caledesi State Park.

In St. Pete, I concur on the Dali Museum.

I second the Dali museum.

Forgot the hotel recommendations: You can get some pretty good rates lately on some very good hotels.

1. Hyatt Westshore. Olive Oyl's husband (a Fodor regular on this site) is the general manager of this very nice Hyatt with great views of Tampa Bay and great restaurants. The more casual Oystercatcher is a very good waterfront restaurant that is part of the hotel.

2. Renaissance Vinoy. This is in St. Pete and is a historic trust hotel. Recently renovated.

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa is pretty nice. Has a lot of different aquatic fish/animals associated with Florida. Pretty nice. It wasn't to pricey and was a nice way to spend part of a day.

The Florida International Museum in St. Pete is nice as well. They have rotating exhibitions, so you could probably do a search and find what will be there when you go.

The St. Pete Pier in downtown is also a nice place to visit. Shops, restaurants, etc...I know they also have a Chamber of Commerce kiosk there with different brochures of various activities etc..

If your into outlet shopping, right off of I-75 in Ellenton is an outlet mall. Has lots of brand name designers etc. Whenever I'm in that area, I stop and shop.

The Florida Aquarium is terrific. We were so pleasantly surprised, thinking we'd seen the epitome in Monterey and Boston. It's not Monterey but it is *really* good!

Art museums...definitely the Dali in St Pete. I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone who didn't find that fascinating. There is another good one in the Ringling complex (circus museum, art museum and Ca d'Zan, the winter home of John and Mable Ringling on the edge of Sarasota Bay built in the '20's and open for tours...just had a $15 mil renovation).

Agree with Hyde Park Village as decent shopping, and the neighborhood around it is fun to drive through. Bungalow style homes that had been falling into disrepair, but now probably starting around the $400,000 range after renovation. Hyde Park Village and South Howard have become hip hot spots.

Another funky neighborhood that is up and coming is Gulfport, nestled between St Pete and St Pete Beach. We keep a sailboat in the Gulfport Marina so spend many weekends there and have come to love the artsy side of the town. They've recently renovated and opened an inn, the Peninsula, in an old building that also houses a 6 Tables...very upscale dining now in 3 locations in Tampa Bay...Tampa, Dunedin, and Gulfport. It's a lot (IMHO) of eating, fixed menu of about 6 courses, but fun for a special occasion and the inn is definitely interesting. There is live jazz in their back patio weekend evenings. If you want to eat a bit less expensively and extensively, Backfin Blue next door allows just that, and if you dine al fresco on their porch, you have the added bonus of listening to the jazz group as they play next door. The Gulfport downtown has several *very* funky shops, many open weekend evenings. The term "artsy fartsy" definitely applies to the entire town! This is a town in transition...my husband thinks it's The Place to buy now, but I'm sort of dragging my feet..which way will it go? Big time funky!

I know Ybor City will be mentioned. I personally don't care for it, but it might be just the thing for your daughter. This is the old cigar manufacturing district of Tampa, now clubs and funky shops too. I guess it should be seen...once anyway. The best of the Columbia Restaurant chain resides there, complete with flamenco dancers.

If the concert is in St Pete, and you enjoy 3 or 4* hotels, then you should look into either the Don CeSar or the Vinoy. Both are beautiful 20's era hotels, very upscale. The Don is on the Gulf in St Pete Beach, the Vinoy on Tampa Bay in St. Pete (two different cities). My preference would be the Don, but then, I'm a beach person.

LilMsFoodie...thanks so much for the rec on our hotel and restaurants. It's our little piece of paradise, and I dread the day we are transferred! We try to keep our heads low. It does have a new name--it's now the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, as of January. It's in the same league as the Don or Vinoy, but the other side of the bay so more convenient if your activities center around Tampa. We sat out on one of the benches in the casita area the other night, commenting on our good fortune in getting this hotel as we watched the sun setting on the bay, two osprey fishing for dinner, blue heron gliding into the mangroves, then heard the unmistakeble "snort" of a dolphin coming up for air in the channel. Gads--please let us stay below corporate radar!!

thanks for all the comments - i thought the concert was in st. pete, but looking at the tix, i see it's the st.. pete times forum in tampa (how's that for confusion when you're not from the area?) i see there are a few hotels right near it - is the grand hyatt near it? i am personally a big fan of hyatts - i've had some of my best stays at hyatts - and they treat you nice even if you buy on priceline. :-)

glad to know about the Grand Hyatt designation. It is still the top rated hotel in Tampa and has been in the Grand Hyatt class for quite a while even if it didn't have the name.

I have put Gulfport on my list to do next time we are in the Tampa/St. Pete area.

ps - and you would recommend the columbia restaurant? it sounded like fun but i didn't want to end up in a "tourist trap" - i thought my daughter might enjoy that - sounds like a day in tampa and a day in st. pete.

Terry, My husband and I sat down for dinner and I asked if he knew Fleetwood Mac was going to be in St. Pete (we were big fans). "How can that be", he asks...surely they are too big to play in Vinoy Park (small outside venue), and the only other place "on that side" of the bay that might accommodate them is Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. I hadn't given that aspect a second's thought, but he was right.

So...came back and did a google search to see if by chance it was the St Pete Times Forum, and sure enough, it is. Came here to post back to you, and see you've already discovered this. Yes, it IS confusing, even to those of us living here. This is relatively recent and I'm still not used to the new name. It was called the Ice Palace until just recently.

Anyway, that is downtown Tampa, and the most convenient upscale hotel to that venue is Marriott Waterside. You won't need to drive to the concert...a BIG plus, as traffic leaving can be nightmarish. You can also catch a trolley in front of the Marriott to take in Ybor City, the Aquarium is right there too and Hyde Park just across the river. Now, I hate to talk you out of our hotel, :> but...they truly are more convenient than we are. We are 15 minutes from downtown--not a hard drive at all and all interstate, but so much of what you want to see is downtown, not out here on the bay, and there is always that post concert traffic you do not want to contend with! You can stay downtown with Ybor, St Pete Times Forum, and Hyde Park all very close, or you can stay here, on the water, on a nature preserve, and very convenient to the airport, but 15 minutes from downtown. (How are you coming into town?)

Columbia is fun and an experience, particularly if you reserve so you can watch the flamenco show, but the food is only marginal. If you have any more time, try Oystercatcher's (I'm liable to catch flack for that but...). It's on the bay, beautiful view of open water, and an excellent seafood restaurant, separate from the hotel and set back within the nature preserve.

LilMsFoodie...my husband would agree with that of course, and thanks for the nice compliment. :> He's worked hard toward elevating it, always having felt it was "not your typical Hyatt", but a name change is a rather large expense so it was a great day when we learned it had been approved. Don't expect too much out of Gulfport yet...as I said...it can go either way, but it is definitely a town in major transition, and one of the very last vestiges in this area of "Old Florida" that remains.

Olive Oyl, et al ... Any thoughts on the Hyatt Regency Downtown? Is it as convenient as the Marriott? (Finding better rates for the Hyatt, as I guess a lot of the Fleetwood Mac fans agree with you about the Marriott). And, I've read a lot about Oyster Catchers - I think that may be on the agenda for Sunday brunch ... and tell your husband there are still some good seats for Fleetwood Mac.

Terry, just saw your note on BFT about the Wyndham, and its being the only 4* downtown. Ugh. This is a problem with PCLN and the hotel self-rating system. PCLN doesn't rate hotels, they rate themselves based on PCLNs guidelines, which can be very loosely interpreted! We were going to downgrade ourselves to a 3* just to retain some transparency, being the only 4* in our zone, but were talked out of it by PCLN. Instead our PCLN rates were adjusted upward. Marriott Waterside, IMHO, is far and away the better of those two hotels. They rarely come up on PCLN and seem to have little need to discount. Wyndham is good, but Marriott is better. The downtown Hyatt is probably about on a par with the Wyndham (though I can only judge from public spaces) and by far a better PCLN value than Wyndham! Both hotels do well on their own, but both take Marriott's overflow in citywides or evenings such as what you are facing, so reserving as soon as you can is a good idea. Hyatt is walkable still, but not *as* convenient as the Marriott.

My husband is away on business during that concert, unfortunately--we'd love to go otherwise. He's really keen on seeing the Eagles this week, but I'm a bit cooler on that.

OC's brunch is very very good, and very popular too, so it's best to get reservations in advance. We had a Mother's Day brunch there today and reservations sold out 3 hours after they were opened about a month ago! Be sure to ask for a window table--it's a beautiful view! Let me know if you do decide to come for brunch and good luck with getting a room!

thanks for everyone's help - we're on our way this morning - planning an afternoon at the aquarium, evening in ybor city and tomorrow in st. pete area going to the dali museum for sure. maybe some shopping thrown in.
looking for a brunch suggestion for tomorrow in st. pete area prior to dali (which doesn't open til noon). and a dinner idea prior to the concert - anything interesting downtown (staying at the hyatt regency)? maybe sushi or indian or just fun.

I will be spending a night or two in Tampa and going to see the Florida Aquarium. Any hotels within walking distance of it please? Also, any other things to see in the immediate area for after the Aquarium? Thank you.

If you are coming to Sarasota there's some great funky neighborhoods and the Ringling Museum. For different shopping I always recommend St Armands Circle between Sarasota and Longboat Key. Shopping there covers almost any and every price. Sarasota is a great place.

I second Sarasota and St. Armand's Key, much the most attractive and unique areas in that part of Florida.My family has had a place not far from Bradenton, so I have been going there all my life.

I think the closest hotel to the Aquarium is the Tampa Marriott Waterside or the Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel. I guess you could walk from either hotel to the Aquarium but Tampa isn't much of a walking kind of town (unless of course it's on the Bayshore) but the streetcar runs right in front of the Marriott and the Wyndham is an easy walk to where you catch both the streetcar and the In-Town trolley and the Aquarium is only 4 stops away on the streetcar. You can get a 1-day unlimited ride card for $3.00 for use on the streetcar, trolley or buses. One stop before the Aquarium is Channelside which has shops, restaurants, movies, bowling, etc. and the streetcar goes on to Ybor City which is the historical district of Tampa. There's a new crepe restaurant on 7th Avenue, La Creperia Cafe, which makes delicious crepes (as fabulous as the ones I had in Paris this summer).
I'm not sure, but one of the trolleys might go by the University of Tampa and the Henry B. Plant Museum. Hope you have fun in Tampa and the good news is, if you make it over to the beaches, the Red Tide seems to be gone at the moment.

Dali Museum
Tarpon Springs which is a Greek Sponge Fishing Village. They have wonderful restaurants.
Homosassa Springs which is a manatee rescue place.

All my guests have loved seeing the Dali Museum..it should be a definite part of your trip. Tampa also has an anphibian tour..Duck Tours which takes you around the Port Tampa area. I agree with the other posters regarding the Aquariam. And if possible you should try to at least see Plant Hall at the University of Tampa..if only from the outside.