Tampa: What to do? Where to eat?
Aug 19th, 2008, 10:58 AM
#2
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The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is great. Its an old Spanish style restaurant. Ybor city is the old cigar making area of Tampa and it is filled with restaurants, shops, bars, etc. At night part of it is traffic free and you'll see a full array of folks from young to ld strolling, dining, etc. I'm sure theres lots of other great restaurants too, but The Columbia is one of my favorites.
Aug 19th, 2008, 02:13 PM
#4
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Will second Ybor City in general and the Columbia Restaurant in particular, but take care if you stray any distance off the main drag in this area of town, especially at night.
Other attractions worth seeing in Tampa would include Busch Gardens, Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and the Henry Plant Museum.
Other attractions worth seeing in Tampa would include Busch Gardens, Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and the Henry Plant Museum.
Aug 20th, 2008, 04:47 PM
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Definitely spend some time in Ybor City, it has a wonderful, if slightly shabby, old world feel with a tropical twist. Keep an eye out for the feral chickens! Visit the Ybor City "museum", which is minute but will provide a map for a good walking tour.
The Columbia is an institution, worth visiting for the beautiful tilework and atmosphere; food is good, not great, so have the delicious sangria!
Also in Ybor, The Bunker is a nice coffeehouse, La Creperie is lovely for--ta da!--crepes, La Terazza next door and Acropolis nearby are very good for Italian and Greek, respectively. Samurai Blue is good for sushi.
More later...
The Columbia is an institution, worth visiting for the beautiful tilework and atmosphere; food is good, not great, so have the delicious sangria!
Also in Ybor, The Bunker is a nice coffeehouse, La Creperie is lovely for--ta da!--crepes, La Terazza next door and Acropolis nearby are very good for Italian and Greek, respectively. Samurai Blue is good for sushi.
More later...
Aug 22nd, 2008, 07:41 AM
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Check out Bayshore Blvd and take a stroll. The Colonnade Restaurant is an institution that has been around since the 30's. wwwthenade.com
Shopping in Hyde Park just around the corner is very nice. Get devil crabs and cuban sandwiches in Ybor...they are a specialty as is the cuban coffee, spanish bean soup and sangria.
Yum, I'm officially homesick now.
Shopping in Hyde Park just around the corner is very nice. Get devil crabs and cuban sandwiches in Ybor...they are a specialty as is the cuban coffee, spanish bean soup and sangria.
Yum, I'm officially homesick now.
Aug 23rd, 2008, 05:17 AM
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Aug 23rd, 2008, 06:13 AM
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I agree that seeing the Ray's is a good idea if you're into baseball but don't forget, they are actually in St. Pete, not Tampa. It's about a 30 or so minute ride from downtown Tampa to the Trop I think.
Also, Stubhub is a good source for tix but check the Ray's website first as you may find decent seats at a better price than an agent.
Your post indicated that you were going to be here in a couple weeks which would put you here right around Labor Day. If so, the Yankees are in town for a 3 game series. The Yankees are no longer a very good team and the ticket prices are higher for the "premier" teams like NY and Boston but it will still be fun to watch our guys beat the holy cr*p out of the pinstripe gang.
Also, Stubhub is a good source for tix but check the Ray's website first as you may find decent seats at a better price than an agent.
Your post indicated that you were going to be here in a couple weeks which would put you here right around Labor Day. If so, the Yankees are in town for a 3 game series. The Yankees are no longer a very good team and the ticket prices are higher for the "premier" teams like NY and Boston but it will still be fun to watch our guys beat the holy cr*p out of the pinstripe gang.
Aug 26th, 2008, 05:17 PM
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The Columbia gets one of my votes. Streetcar Charlie's in Ybor City (as are the others)is fun. It can be an over-the-top sort of place, but they have great burgers and salads. Bernini's is another favorite - the Bernini salad rocks!. The Green Iguana and Acropolis are good, too. We enjoy La Creperia for Sunday breakfast, occasional lunch and dessert. La Tropicana is a Saturday morning place for us and lots of Tampenos. Tre Amici@ the Bunker is a fun coffee shop/ wine bar. We go there for the music on Friday nights and use the wi-fi, too.
We enjoy Ybor and spend most weekends there (recently bought a condo to cut back on the driving). The Saturday market is fun. The walking tour on Saturday mornings is good. Willy is our favorite guide and you can sign up at the museum gift shop. The first Saturday of the month is the Ybor Art Walk.
Mermaid's Slipper is a cute shop and the owner a fun person with interesting stories.
You can always take the streetcar to Channelside and see if there's anything going on there.
Tarpon Springs is fun, too. Hellas for lunch and bakery. Mama's is not bad. There is a new spice shop next to the aquarium that is a pleasant experience.
We enjoy Ybor and spend most weekends there (recently bought a condo to cut back on the driving). The Saturday market is fun. The walking tour on Saturday mornings is good. Willy is our favorite guide and you can sign up at the museum gift shop. The first Saturday of the month is the Ybor Art Walk.
Mermaid's Slipper is a cute shop and the owner a fun person with interesting stories.
You can always take the streetcar to Channelside and see if there's anything going on there.
Tarpon Springs is fun, too. Hellas for lunch and bakery. Mama's is not bad. There is a new spice shop next to the aquarium that is a pleasant experience.
Sep 4th, 2008, 07:53 PM
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Hope this isn't too late...if you have a car you can see lots of manatees at no charge at a power plant south of Tampa across from St Pete. Check out http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/. There's a manatee exhibit there and guides to answer questions. Not sure if it's open all year round.
