wahoo22

Going to the Tampa area for the weekend with a group of 10 guys, all in our mid-20's in about 3 weeks. We haven't booked accomodations yet and are trying to decide whether to make Tampa or St. Petersburg our home base.

Nightlife is definitely important but if we could figure out a place that has a nice beach as well that would be ideal. I have heard that Tampa essentially has no good beaches, but that the nightlife in St. Peterburg is lacking. If you have any good compromises or suggestions on which of the two to choose please let me know. Thanks!

nolefan1

You are correct. Tampa does not have a good swimming/laying about beach but IMO the nightlife would be way better there for someone your age.

St Pete is not far at all from Tampa. I would book accomodations in St. Pete and take advantage of Tampa entertainment.

If you are going this weekend though, I doubt you will find a lot of people your age hanging around the beach right now. Summer is the high season, so you might want to base in Tampa and just visit the beach during the day. That way you don't have to drive back to a hotel in St Pete.

nolefan1

Sorry, I re-read and saw your visit will be in 3 weeks. I still would get a hotel in Tampa just so I would not have to drive back to St Pete after a night of entertainment.

wahoo22

Thanks nolefan. That's helpful. Any suggestions on which might be the better areas of Tampa to book. I have heard that Ybor City has a lot going on but has gotten a little trashy over the years. Have also heard that the Hyde Park area has some fun establishments. Do you have any thoughts on that?

NewbE

I agree, you should base yourselves in Tampa so you can take cabs to and fro at night, and just go to the beach for the day. You can reach beautiful beaches in around 40 minutes, maybe a bit less or more depending on traffic. Fort DeSoto and Honeymoon Island are our favorites, but there are so many others.

Is there even a hotel in Ybor? Some of the bars there are fun, it's a romantically seedy atmosphere, but I wouldn't stay there, it would get old. Soho and Hyde Park have great bars and restaurants. Channelside has clubs, too. What kinds of places do you like--upscale, Irish pubs? I can come back with more specifics.

Sorry, I'm not expert on hotels, except to say that there really are none in Hyde Park or Soho, which is too bad. I would say stay downtown; Westshore and the airport would be too far from most of the good stuff. (On the other hand, if you really want to be between the beaches and the nightlife, the airport area fits the bill.)

nolefan1

Ybor isn't really bad, and you shouldn't miss it for some great cuban food and some fun clubs.

I have stayed at the Marriot Waterside on Florida Ave. It is near Bayshore Blvd, Channelside area. There are lots of entertaining things to do there also. Plenty of sports bars etc.. It is near the hockey arena, aquarium and the Port. You'll find plenty to do.

Have fun!

gmoney

Wahoo, You might want to look at Clearwater Beach. It has one of the best beaches in the Bay area and used to have plenty of nightlife as well (Used to go there a lot in my younger days and it was a blast). Check it out. St. Pete seems a lot more family oriented than Clearwater.

stumpworks73

Check out Clearwater Beach hotels for price. Clearwater has more young people and night life than St. Petersburg. To be honest, St. Pete is more of a retirement community than place for 10 guys to go, unless you are into 70 year olds.

NeoPatrick

Interesting comment, stumpworks. When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's going to the area, we always called St. Pete "the old people capital" and even laughed how they had sloped sidewalks at corners for wheelchairs (who knew the whole world would later copy that?). But I have a friend in Largo who claims that Clearwater Beach is generally now much more old people and St. Pete Beach is where the young folks hang out. I realize such generalizations are always difficult, but is she off base there?

wahoo22

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think given that we're just there for a quick weekend trip we will probably stick with Tampa as our base, though we are planning on fishing one day off Clearwater so I'm excited to check that out as well.

Any suggestions on good bars? Irish pubs would be our type more than the nightclub scene and imagine we'll end up staying near the airport. Thanks!

birder

You need to go to the only authentic thatched roof Irish pub in the United States -- Four Green Fields. Their website is http://www.fourgreenfields.com/

I wouldn't stay at the airport. There are some good hotels in downtown Tampa - the Sheraton, the Marriott, etc. I think the Marriott, close to Channelside, would be the best. Another option is Rocky Point, which is close to the airport but you've got the bay right there.

parisonmymind2

There is a Hilton Garden Inn in Ybor easily within walking distance of the nightlife. There are also some good restaurants nearby. We've never stayed at the hotel but it looks fine.

bachslunch

My two cents on Ybor City. I've been cautioned in past to stick within the immediate confines of the tourist zone, that straying off it (especially at night) is unwise from a safety standpoint. Having visited that area and seen both the touristed strip and its immediate surroundings, I'm thinking that's wise advice.

birder

Bachslunch, Ybor City itself is unsafe at night on Friday and Saturday night - there are fights, rapes, you name it. It's the bar patrons perpetrating the crime, not the neighborhood residents. I definitely would not go to Ybor City after dark on the weekend.

NewbE

wahoo, the three best Irish pubs in Tampa are Four Green Fields, MacDinton's and The Dubliner, in that order. MacDinton's has good food, too, but is a 20-something meat market on weekend nights.

The Kennedy (yep, on Kennedy Blvd) is a new upscale venue that aspires to be something you'd see in NYC or LA. Doesn't quite hit it, but has a flavor nonetheless.

Timpano in Hyde Park Village has a late-night crowd of 30-somethings going for a rat-pack vibe. Decent raw bar.

Ybor crime is not that bad. To say every weekend sees rapes and other crimes is a gross exaggeration--ridiculous, in fact. It has a strip of bars and nightclubs that are mostly peaceable, if raucous. You are not risking your life by going there on a weekend night, you'll probably have fun, but it does get raw near closing time.

On a different note, Jannus Landing in St. Pete is a great outdoor music venue, small and rough around the edges. Find the schedule online and see if any of the acts playing while you're here are to your taste.

birder

I agree with Newbe that there are not rapes at Ybor every weekend ... I wonder who said that?

But there are fights every weekend. It's rougher than many people would expect, especially because it's such a mild-mannered looking area during the day.

NewbE

Birder, you said <Ybor City itself is unsafe at night on Friday and Saturday night - there are fights, rapes, you name it.>
So did you mean there are multiple rapes every Friday and Saturday night, or not? I took you at your word--was that a mistake? Or was your original statement a gross exaggeration?

birder

In my original post, I did not say these things happen every weekend. You have put words into my post.

NewbE

So Friday and Saturday nights don't constitute weekends? What part of <Ybor City itself is unsafe at night on Friday and Saturday night - there are fights, rapes, you name it.> did I misinterpret, specifically?

joan

I'm a local in the beach area, and I'm going to suggest that you go to either Clearwater Beach or St. Pete Beach. There are beautiful beaches, lots of nightlife, and oppportunities to dine, fish, rent jetskis, go downtown (definitely St. Pete is hopping on weekends, they no longer roll up the sidewalks). In fact, my 24 yo daughter recently chose to rent in downtown St. Pete, loves going to Cafe Alma, Bay Walk, DeSantos, all the little places on Central Ave, Jannus Landing, State theatre for alternative music, etc.

The most happening hotel on St. Pete Beach is the Tradewinds Resort, actually a combination of four hotels in a row. Lots of volleyball, beach bars, etc.

I think you'd be happier there than in Tampa.

Ybor's not as bad as it used to be, but it's small and you can do it all in one night. I would not base my trip there.