Tampa, Florida
Enjoy a walk along beautiful Bayshore Boulevard and Tampa Bay from Downtown to the Tampa Yacht Club. Bayshore is 4.5 miles long and runs along beautiful Tampa Bay.
Visit Historic Hyde Park Village for some great shopping and dining at the many restaurants and bars in this stylish open-air village. Restaurants include some of our favorites like Forbici for Italian, Bouzy for champagne and tapas, Irish 31 for lunch and drinks, Timpano for Italian, On Swann, RO for sushi and Bar Taco for Mexican.
Grab some lunch at Armature Works Food Court and take a walk along the two and a half mile Riverwalk and the beautiful Hillsborough River. There are beautiful sites and great restaurants all the way from Armature Works to Sparkman Wharf including Oak & Ola, Ulele, Rocca, Stones Throw light fare and cocktails, Matt’s Fish Camp for a delicious Florida grouper sandwich, the many permanent Food Trucks and beer garden at Sparkman Wharf, American Social sports bar and the Columbia Restaurant.
Along the Riverwalk, you can also plan your day on the water with a kayak or paddleboard rentals at Urban Kai by Armature Works 813-598-1634 or enjoy a mini powerboat or colorful retro boat rental at the Riverwalk Boating Company by the Tampa Convention Center at 3335 Franklin Street. Their contact number is 813-641-4612 to reserve ahead or you can just walk up to rent and enjoy a boat ride along the beautiful waterways of the Hillsborough River.
Downtown Tampa and the Channelside areas are great places to dine in Tampa. There is everything from pizza to fine dining on Water Street. Some of our favorites are Boulon French cuisine, The Pearl Seafood, 3 Corners Pizza, Yard House sports bar, Small Giant bar, Wagamama Asian, Crisp and Green, Bizou Brasserie in the Le Meridien, Ash Italian coming early Spring 2024 and Naked Farmer for our gluten free friends. Don’t miss the view overlooking beautiful downtown Tampa and beyond from the 9th floor rooftop of the Edition hotel, Tampa's newest hot spot, at the Azure restaurant where you could be lucky to get a seat at the bar for some delicious Greek food.
Some of our other favorite restaurants are just a short walk-up Howard Street from The Epicurean or an easy Uber ride away from Le Meridien or your VRBO. Along Howard Street (also known as Soho) there is Italian and a delicious chopped salad at Bella, tapas at Bulla, Mexican at Green Lemon, pizza at Ava which is a good spot for a group, Haven for delicious burgers and a charcuterie and 717 South for good fish and risotto. Daily Eats for brunch, Fresh Kitchen where you can build your own bowl, edge rooftop bar and Elevate Soho Kitchen & bar at the Epicurean are also along Howard Street.
There are so many favorite places to go and great food here in Tampa! Caffe’ Paradiso on South MacDill Avenue tops the list along with Olivia for Italian, Pane’ Rustica for delicious fish dishes, Salt Shack on the water for an orange crush, homemade Mahi fish dip and a grouper sandwich, Wrights Gourmet for a BIG and yummy sandwich for lunch, Bocelli for delicious Italian and pizza, Oxford Exchange and also Counter Culture for a fabulous brunch These restaurants are at the top of our favorites list outside of the downtown area but not far from either hotel. WITH ALL OF THIS SAID, RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST! SO PLAN AHEAD.
If you are up for a fun adventure, you can visit Downtown St. Petersburg which is a short 25-minute drive, or you could take the Crosstown Ferry 50-minute ride from Downtown Tampa. Along Ocean Drive in Downtown St. Pete, you will find the wonderful Salvador Dahli and Chihuly Museums, a Saturday morning market with great restaurants and shopping. Parkshore Grill and Cassis are among our favorites. There is also a beautiful Pier with vendors, a small beach, a beautiful playground and splash pad and several restaurants on the Pier including Fresco’s Waterfront, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Teak at the end of the Pier.
If you are looking for delicious food and to dine on the beach in the Florida sunshine, you could visit the famous Don CeSar Hotel for lunch on beautiful St. Pete Beach. You could also visit our friends at the Brass Monkey right down the road in Pass-A-Grille Beach for some delicious and authentic Maryland seafood and an Orange or Grapefruit Crush! We would recommend trying a mix of the two!
We hope that you enjoy the beautiful City of Tampa and surrounding areas as much as we do!!