I visited Tampa, Florida for a weekend girls trip with one of my closest friends, Tara. We certainly didn’t have time to see and do everything that Tampa had to offer, because of our limited time. But we definitely visited a few really cool places that I wanted to share here on the blog, in case you are also planning a trip to Tampa and want some fun things to see, do and experience.
Bella’s Italian Cafe
We ate dinner here one night, and the food was wonderful. It was Italian food (pastas, pizzas, salads, breadsticks, etc.), and the types of things that you’d expect. But the quantities were large, and the food was hot and fresh, and delicious. I recommend this place if you’re visiting, as we both really enjoyed it.
Ciro’s Speakeasy
When Tara and I decided to visit Tampa, Ciro’s was put on the list to visit right away. I found out about this place through Pinterest, and absolutely wanted to visit when I saw it. This is a speakeasy, in that you’ll need to go on their website and obtain the password, or they won’t let you in. You can make a reservation if you’re planning to visit at a particular time or if you had a group. Because it was just the two of us, and we weren’t sure what time we planned to arrive, we didn’t make a reservation, which meant that we were hanging around in the very cool retro bar area.
They serve specialty cocktails that would have been made in the speakeasy era, so they are different than what you would expect from a bar, and much pricier. But they were delicious, and featured fun and unusual flavors. The staff is all in costume and playing a speakeasy character, so it was fun to just observe everything that was going on around us.
While there, we started visiting with a couple sitting next to us in the bar. The couple had fairly recently moved to Tampa so it was fun to hear about their experience. When we were all getting ready to leave, they invited us to join them at a rooftop bar before heading back to our hotel for the night, and we agreed. I mean, how can you say no to a rooftop bar?
Edge Social Drinkery
We visited this rooftop bar with some new friends that we met while at Ciro’s Speakeasy. It is located in the Epicurian Hotel in Tampa. The view of the city was incredible, and there were wonderful little seating areas to have conversations. They had heaters and fire tables to keep the chill off at night. The drinks were normal bar drinks, so nothing particularly notable. It appeared to be quite the place for wedding parties and other large groups to go after events, but because of the setup, they weren’t annoying or obnoxious to smaller groups also enjoying the space.
Ybor City
Ybor City is a neighborhood in Tampa. It is known as the Cuban neighborhood, and has a whole host of different restaurants and boutiques. When we were there, the live music in the area was incredible. The whole neighborhood is designated as a National Landmark District, which I think is wonderful, in that it should help to ensure that it remains as cool as it is now.
The Beach
A trip to the Tampa, Florida wouldn’t be complete without some beach time. We visited a couple of beach (sorry I don’t remember which ones). It was much needed time in the sun, at time of year when it’s pretty cloudy, cool, and gloomy in Nebraska and South Dakota, where we live.
For Next Time:
Because we were only in Tampa for a weekend, and had some other plans for places to visit in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, we didn’t have time to do all of the things that we wanted to. For my next visit to Tampa, I have some ideas of where else I’d like to go.
Have you been to Tampa, Florida? What did you do, and where did you go while in town?