Tampa - night before cruise, what to do?

[jessandpaul]

Hello! I am taking suggestions for things to do/places to go etc. when we arrive in Tampa on Saturday August 2nd for our Legend cruise. We are travelling with our DS, 16. We arrive by 11:00 am and will probably hang out at the hotel pool for a few hours.

 

Restaurants? Ybor City ok with a teen?

 

Ball game? Does the TECO line go to the stadium? If not how do you get there without a rental? cab?

 

Thanks in advance!

[TampaJules]

Where are you staying? The area you are in might dictate where to "send" you, especially since it appears you don't have a car. What would you like to see? Beach? Sports?

 

I don't think I'd take a teenager to Ybor for Saturday night. Bars, dance clubs, etc and 18 + or 21 + rules. Its basically a strip of bars and the people that go with it. Channelside is nicer, more upscale I suppose. And you have more options with a teenager. But if you are staying in the Rocky Point or north Tampa areas, it would be a long trip in a taxi.

 

The only game that would be at Raymond James Stadium on a Saturday night would be the USF Bulls, but the beginning of August would be too early for that. Unless there is a Bucs preseason game... not sure of the schedule.

 

If you had a car, I would suggest driving to Clearwater beach or driving down through St Petersburg and over the Sunshine Skyway. Night time around the bridge is gorgeous! All the lights, and boats...

[thatlauragirl]

I would recommend dinner at the Columbia in Ybor City... it's a fantastic Spanish restaurant that dates back 100 years. Wonderful food and beautiful ambience. The website is www.columbiarestaurant.com if you want to check it out.

 

My other suggestion would be Channelside, which is a complex of restaurants and such near the port. There's also a lot of little boutiques and a cool bowling alley, Splitsville.

 

If you don't feel comfortable in Ybor after dark, you can always spend some time there during the afternoon then take the trolley to Channelside.

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions about places and I hope you have a wonderful trip. I absolutely loved the Legend!!!

[signman]

J&P, you guys look way too young to have a teenage son.

 

I second the idea of dinner at Columbia. See the Flamenco show, details on the website.

 

The Rays are home with a 6 PM game vs. Detroit Tigers. But the games are played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, a good half hour or more drive from downtown Tampa. If you really want to go, you should consider renting a car. I can't even imagine what a round trip cab ride would cost.

[jessandpaul]

Laura, Jules and Howard - thanks for your input! Right now we are reserved at the Residence Inn Downtown, but I am still hoping for a better price on any downtown hotel through Priceline. I was thinking about Channelside, but I didn't know if its atmosphere was much like Ybor City after dark. It does seem like that is a better option for us.

 

Howard - thank you so much!!! LOL.. Our cruise is to celebrate Paul' s 40th! Sure it was difficult having a child so young, but now as our friends are running after toddlers and young adolescents, we just smile and know that in two years we will be empty nesters! I didn't realize that the Rays played in St. Petes. Perhaps I will look into renting a car from the airport, returning it to the airport the same night and then getting a cab back to the hotel. We are huge baseball fans... but its a mixed bag. I love the Mets, DH loves the Red Sox and DS is a Yankees fan. ouch!

[SeaPA1]

Yikes, a Sox fan & a Mets fan get together and produce a yankees fan? Did you drop him on his head (repeatedly) when he was an infant?;)

 

As others have said, Ybor is very "bar" atmosphere on Saturday nights. While a 16 year old boy might it, the parents of a 16 year old boy might not enjoy his enjoying it.

 

Channelside is generally a much tamer atmosphere than Ybor. I'm confortable there with my wife & 2 young boys (age 5 & 2), though we don't stay late into the night (the boys are raring to go, but I'm usually too tired). Marketed towards/geared to a more upscale, older clientele. There are nightclubs there too, but it's typically much more laid back. They usually have someone playing light music in the courtyard, and one of the clubs upstairs has an outdoor area where they typically have someone performing (usually Jimmy Buffet style tunes).

[jessandpaul]

Howard LOL... I have wondered the same thing... Did the doc drop DS after birth? was he switched? We are the same for football.... DH loves the Pats.. I'm a Jets fan... DS loves the Giants!

 

I think that Channelside will be our best bet!

[pkw1966]

If you take the street car over to Ybor earlier in the day, there is a place called Game Works (all sorts of video games, pool tables, etc.) They also serve food there. Nice place. I took my 17 yr. old son there and we had a great time.

 

As for Channelside, I believe there is a bowling alley, movies, restaurants, etc.

[jessandpaul]

PKW - Thanks. Gameworks sounds right up DS' alley!