What to do in Tampa?

[Freerbythesea]

We will have a day and half to explore Tampa after we get off our RCC cruise the Saturday after next.  We will have a rental car so would love to hear what is fun (we are outdoors kind of people) and some good eateries in the area.  Thank you in advance.

[saltshell]

Ybor city. Walk around, have coffee at the shop where they roast and grind it. Don't miss a meal at the Columbia restaurant.

[neptuno]

Bump!  There is a lot of fun in Tampa.  Not sure what you like, but there is a great Salvador Dali museum in St. Pete, and the beach at Pas A Grille is a nice  taste of old Florida.

[JohninDC]

Kids?  Busch Gardens is a great option.

 

St. Pete and Clearwater are fun to explore.

[Freerbythesea]

11 hours ago, JohninDC said:

Kids?  Busch Gardens is a great option.

 

St. Pete and Clearwater are fun to explore.

Thank you, no kids and was wondering about St. Pete's.  We are leaving a world that has been snowed in for over a week (we hardly ever get snow).  At this point the only white ground I want to see is sand 🙂

[JohninDC]

St. Pete is fun but can get crowded. Clearwater and South has great beaches. Enjoy 😎

[Capt_BJ]

YBOR is a nite time place - entertainment and food .... nothing during the day

 

Columbia Rest' is popular ... ressie recommended .... there is a downtown location (Columbia Grill) on the river near the port with a smaller menu but it hits all the main items .... they do LUNCH too

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/

 

Tampa is home to one of the steakhouses consistently rated in the US top 10.  I've been going since 1978 .... It also has arguably the largest wine list of any restaurant in the world. The print version I bought is over 6 inches thick.  A dinner can be a full night of entertainment since you can tour the kitchen and the wine cellar (a true cellar - altho much wine is held in off site locations) ... and don't forget the completely separate dining room for dessert  (you can go for dessert ONLY).  Reservations recommended.

https://bernssteakhouse.com/

p.s. given that a meal here includes soup salad and sides the price is NOT a bank breaker, and there is PLENTY of wine at very reasonable prices ..... but if you WANT to go BIG DOG .... the appetizer list includes 20 caviar choices and 3 steak tartar and the most expensive wine on the list?  They DO have chicken, fish and even veggie meals . . . . IMO this is worth every penny but schedule a FULL evening. <HINT: Bern's recommends you get one BIG steak to share with your group rather than 2 smaller individual .... and if you are 4 and 2 want medium and 2 want medium rare they will cook it that way .... without cutting the meat!>

 

Riverwalk is completely safe and quite nice running along side the river from the port area up to a big park about 3 miles or so.  There are rental bikes available - Columbia Grill is along this walk - and if you walk too far there is a water taxi that runs right along side. At the port end of Riverwalk is the former 'Channelside' now reopened as Sparkman's Wharf

https://sparkmanwharf.com/  with eating and dining and outdoor entertainment 'on the grass' weekends

 

 

[LBumb]

Great info

[tweety33]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 2:57 PM, JohninDC said:

St. Pete is fun but can get crowded. Clearwater and South has great beaches. Enjoy 😎

We are staying near the airport. No rental car. What is the best way to get to clearwater & cheapest? Would that be an Uber? Do you know the cost?  Or is there a bus or other. I am not familiar with the area or the distance, but thought it would be nice to check out clearwater beach. Thanks

[JohninDC]

Pull up Google maps to get an overview of the area - Tampa is inland on the bay, to get to St Pete or Clearwater you'll need to take the bridge over toward the gulf coast.

19 minutes ago, tweety33 said:

We are staying near the airport. No rental car. What is the best way to get to clearwater & cheapest? Would that be an Uber? Do you know the cost?  Or is there a bus or other. I am not familiar with the area or the distance, but thought it would be nice to check out clearwater beach. Thanks

Uber from near TPA to Clearwater will cost about $30+ each way; St. Pete is a bit closer.  A rental car might save you some bucks, but Uber will let someone else do the driving and avoid parking issues.  Your call.  

[tweety33]

1 minute ago, JohninDC said:

Pull up Google maps to get an overview of the area - Tampa is inland on the bay, to get to St Pete or Clearwater you'll need to take the bridge over toward the gulf coast.

Uber from near TPA to Clearwater will cost about $30+ each way; St. Pete is a bit closer.  A rental car might save you some bucks, but Uber will let someone else do the driving and avoid parking issues.  Your call.  

 

thank you

[Johnamac123]

...

Edited February 16, 2019 by Johnamac123

[DaveOKC]

On 2/10/2019 at 11:43 AM, saltshell said:

Ybor city. Walk around, have coffee at the shop where they roast and grind it. Don't miss a meal at the Columbia restaurant.

Second the Columbia.  They also have a place very near the piers (walkable) along the boardway.  Try the Cubano sandwich!

 

Also, Clearwater Beach is one of the nicest around.  Great spot to spend a day.  

[LC2626]

We love sailing from Tampa! New Sparkman Wharf area is great. Armature Works is supposed to be great but we didn’t have time to get there last trip. Ulele is an amazing restaurant. We usually stop by Cigar City brewing. And, Oxford Exchange is a must the morning of sailing! We usually use Uber while there.  There is also a water taxi. 

[LBumb]

Thanks for info

[Freerbythesea]

I want to thank everyone for their input.  We got home yesterday and had a wonderful time in Tampa.  I wasn't able to respond to CC on the trip but I was able to read all the posts.  We did go to the Columbia.  What an amazing place!  It really blew our minds.  Sadly there were so many amazing items to try and only one stomach to try them with!  So, I bought the cookbook!  Can't wait to try some of the recipes.  We also spent the day in St Pete's at the beach an in the little town.  The next day we spent the day at Honeymoon State park.  Amazing beach (and I have the sunburn to prove it 🙂 ).  

Sunday night we attended the Oscar Party at the Tampa theater. OMG!  That was quite the event and I highly recommend it.  We got our money's worth (50.00 each) and it is a fundraiser.

[JohninDC]

Thanks for the feedback.  Hope your cruise was just as enjoyable!