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Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Priceless
  • Start date Start date
Ybor city was ok for us, lots of hockey fans staying at the Hampton with us. We had several good dinners there, loved the Greek Resturant. The only thing was when the hotel has shelves of pamphlets some of which tell you where the glory holes and dungeons are, that's a little eye opening for Maine folks:)
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Clearwater beach is the most touristy (is that a word?) and will have the most "attractions" of any of the gulf coast beaches...There a Pirate ship tour (http://www.captainmemo.com/) ..a speedboat tour (http://www.seascreamer.com/) Dolphins swim behind it and jump in its wake. Ive never been on the pirate one but the sea screamer is a blast..
We took the Sea Screamer, and give it a solid thumbs up. I wouldn't call this a thrill ride, but rather a fine excursion. At 290 hp, the Sea Screamer can certainly make some waves and cover distance efficiently. But you aren't out there doing stunts. It's a stable ride; motion sickness is a non-issue. It's about being on the water, enjoying the shoreline views and of course the dolphins.

On a related note, a couple of guys in our group went on the Jet Ski tour. They highly recommend it. Their advice is to pay the extra fee so that everyone has their own Jet Ski.

Finally, we didn't take the Pirate Ship either. But it appeared to be very popular with the grade school kids on board.

...South of Clearwater The sand gets darker (thus hotter on your feet) and there tends to be a lot of condos and retirement places.
In case you haven't guessed by now, we wound up staying in Clearwater Beach. The white sands were much appreciated. The Beach was well-populated but not overcrowded. I'm honestly thinking of returning for a family beach vacation.

...be sure to head into downtown Dunedin..its filled with eclectic shops and restaurants..I highly recommend Kellys Chick a boom restaurant (http://www.kellyschicaboom.com/kellys_home.html) There is also a bunch of pubs and bars in this area.
Well, upon arrival, we first noticed the "show bar" on the corner. Not an alternative we'd select. Not that there's anything wrong with it.;) But during a brief moment of distress, we wondered if we'd been seriously pranked.:D

Fortunately, we soldiered on to the restaurant. It was truly outstanding. I had the Maine Scallops in your honor. One of the best plates of seafood I've ever had.

Clearwater beach is very easy to get to from The airport (get on 60 west until you hit water) but its a hike from the arena.
Correct on both counts, and worth the hike IMHO. Thanks for all your efforts on this thread!
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Just spent the day down at Siesta Key beach down near Sarasota. About 80-90 minutes south, but easy to see why it is ranked the #1 beach in America. Some of the finest, whitest sand I've ever been on, water was 76 F, mid 80's air. Just about a perfect day.
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

well, we had a great time on the cruise. But I'm biased.

I know Mel had fun, too....

Staying downtown let us not have a cars, so we saw the art and photographic museum, saw the UotT across the river, and got to run well up the river Saturday morning.

I'm pretty sure if there was another FF in tampa, I would do another cruise. As I would farther south in Florida, or maybe even if we did DC again (out of Baltimore). But next time, we may try to find a car to get out of the city to see things, too.
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Glad to hear everyones positive experiences... Sorry for not warning you about the front of Kellys...I had forgot (blocked it from memory) :)
Wally... were there coupons???? LOL

Anyone who made it to opening day of the Rays that isnt a Yankee fan got to see a great game anyway...

Heard some rumors of Tampa being put in the rotation so hopefully its back again..
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Wally... were there coupons???? LOL.
No coupons that I saw:)
I had one of my customers rolling on the floor this morning telling him about the pamphlets:D
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Glad to hear everyones positive experiences... Sorry for not warning you about the front of Kellys...I had forgot (blocked it from memory) :)
Yeah, Yeah. The whole thing is just a blur, right?:p

But no worries. The excellence of the restaurant completely overshadowed the brief moment of distress. Brain cramp forgiven.

Anyone who made it to opening day of the Rays that isnt a Yankee fan got to see a great game anyway...
No kidding! I don't consider myself a Yankee-hater, but seeing the Rays come from behind to win in the bottom of the 9th was awesome. Great crowd, great game. Enjoyable to see an MLB stadium I hadn't been to before. Overall, an excellent use of the off-day. And, FWIW, Kelly's was the post-game dinner after baseball.

Heard some rumors of Tampa being put in the rotation so hopefully its back again...
I'm not in favor of a strict rotation, but I'm guessing there will be a next time. Here's to hoping!
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

stadiumjourney.com review. Note that you can spend a long time waiting in line to touch the rays on days when there are a lot of kids at the game; I have to figure Opening Day might qualify.

We touched the rays. Stood in line maybe 30 minutes. It was really cool. I was hoping to see Matt Joyce in the tank, but alas - just the underwater kind. :)

Not too impressed with the stadium, but I wasn't expecting much anyway. The ballpark food was a little disappointing - I had a Cuban sandwich and it was just OK. Tony Oliva's stand at Target Field had better Cubans. I didn't get a "craft beer", as the line was too long for my taste. The great game and touching the rays made the trip well worth it.
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

The ballpark food was a little disappointing - I had a Cuban sandwich and it was just OK. Tony Oliva's stand at Target Field had better Cubans.
I feel like the value proposition of getting a Cuban sandwich at the stadium is hugely diminished by the fact that you can apparently order a Cuban sandwich EVERYWHERE that serves food in that area.
 
Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

I feel like the value proposition of getting a Cuban sandwich at the stadium is hugely diminished by the fact that you can apparently order a Cuban sandwich EVERYWHERE that serves food in that area.

I didn't get it because I couldn't find a place to get a Cuban sandwich - I usually like to get something that's unique in the realm of ballpark food and somewhat regional, so the Cuban was really my only choice. I certainly didn't expect it to be the best Cuban sandwich in Tampa. The rest was typical ballpark fare. Hot dogs, burgers, pizza, nachos, some national chain restaurants, etc. I can get those at every single ballpark in the country. I also could've touched rays at the Florida Aquarium (probably), but doing it at the ballpark is much more unique (and, uh, we didn't go to the aquarium :)).
 
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Re: Things to do in Tampa (Preferably Before You're Dead)

Ahh, I see. We went to the Rays game right after a huge lunch at Columbia Restaurant (where we definitely saw some other people who were in town for the FF, though nobody we recognized), so all we had there was beer.
 
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