Places to eat in Tampa area?

YodasBeast

YodasBeast

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Wife and I are going to be headed to Tampa for a few days in about 2 weeks. Mostly is to visit family back there and have a little memorial for my Mom with her remaining siblings. Looking to find some places to eat (she doesn't do seafood) or cool things to do (she's already got a manatee encounter booked). Any suggestions?
 
YodasBeast said:
Wife and I are going to be headed to Tampa for a few days in about 2 weeks. Mostly is to visit family back there and have a little memorial for my Mom with her remaining siblings. Looking to find some places to eat (she doesn't do seafood) or cool things to do (she's already got a manatee encounter booked). Any suggestions?
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@Madturk is fairly close to there but NIPS was the guy that lived there.
 
YodasBeast said:
Wife and I are going to be headed to Tampa for a few days in about 2 weeks. Mostly is to visit family back there and have a little memorial for my Mom with her remaining siblings. Looking to find some places to eat (she doesn't do seafood) or cool things to do (she's already got a manatee encounter booked). Any suggestions?
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Not sure where you are staying but Columbia restaurant in Ybor City is somewhat of an institution. If you want a steakhouse then Berns is very well known but a bit pricey.

There are some nice places out on Clearwater Beach. Probably your best bet. Lot of good places in downtown St Pete near the water but thats about a half hour for so drive from Tampa.
 
Staying in Brandon. She's already got a trip to the 2 Florida Buc-ees (she loves those places for some reason) planned on the first day we get there and just get to drive around. She's only been to FL once 20 years ago with me, so it's all new to her. I bounced around a few bases as a kid and then was stationed in Orlando back in 92 and then lived in the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area for a few years in 95-98, so not as big of a deal to me as it is to her. Driving distance is not an issue for her. She loves the adventure side of it all. We were just in Atlanta a week ago and she decided to drive over most of Georgia to A) Just look and B) Go to 2 of the 3 Buc-ees in the state.

2nd day is the manatee encounter and we just get to do what we want. 3rd day is mostly free and then meet with the family in the evening. Might be the last chance for me to see a few of them before their time comes, and the wifey gets to meet a couple of my cousins that she's already become Facebook friends with.

Columbia restaurant looks like Cuban food, so that one definitely works. We hit a place up in Las Vegas one time and she really liked it, so getting it in Florida almost from the source should be even better. I eat everything, so it's always about trying something new for me. I even ate cow tongue in the Soviet Union back in the late 80s.
 
Pf Changs!

Lets honor Mark and Fernando.
 
Beware of aggressive manatees.

 
Jayl said:
She better not touch it. Big fine in Florida. And why are you that far away from the boat in Florida?
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No shit. Shitloads of gators and other critters around. When I lived in Kissimmee in the late 90s, I used to go skurfing (skiing on a surfboard) with friends in the lakes and rivers all the time. One of the times after I bailed, felt what I'm pretty sure was a gator rub my foot. Got my ass back in the boat fast and was DONE with it. Another time going through the creeks, we spotted a headless gator and it was still close to 15 feet long. Fucking scary ass dinosaur motherfuckers.

I'm guessing this girl just happened to get into it's feeding zone or something. Manatees are chill as hell. Like your stoner buddy that just wants to chill on the sofa with some munchies.
 
May not be on your itinerary but Indian Rocks Beach is a great place to head to for an evening. Lots of chill restaurants in the area and less crowded than the main beaches. It’s what you picture when you think of going to the Gulf Coast or Florida. It’s basically a 1hr drive and nearly a straight shot from where you will be staying.
 
alteredst8 said:
May not be on your itinerary but Indian Rocks Beach is a great place to head to for an evening. Lots of chill restaurants in the area and less crowded than the main beaches. It’s what you picture when you think of going to the Gulf Coast or Florida. It’s basically a 1hr drive and nearly a straight shot from where you will be staying.
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I'll bring it up to her. I know she won't mind a beach. Every time we go to CA, she has to find at least 1 beach to stop at. When we go hit Vancouver and Seattle in early March, we'll find one as well. She was born, raised, and has always lived in the AZ desert and is spiritually tied to the sea and cold climates.
 
Just got back. AirBnB was a little place in Brandon. Drove to the 2 Bucees in FL. I forgot how many podunk towns are all across FL and it doesn't seem like there are any highways that go E-W across the handle, only N-S.

Indian Rocks Beach was beautiful. Much better than neighboring Clearwater, which was super touristy. Stayed in a little

Columbia in Ybor was beautiful old building and food was delicious. Apparently it seats 1700 people and takes up an entire city block.

Did a manatee encounter in Crystal Springs, although the water is murky after storms in 2024 destroyed the eelgrass that filters the water. Really cool seeing the calves swimming along with their mamas. If we get a return trip out there, doing an in the water encounter will happen.

Got to see a lot family that I haven't seen in about 20 years. My wife and 2 of my cousins are already planning other trips out there.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
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