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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Tampa
Despite being one of Florida's biggest cities, Tampa isn't a huge tourist magnet. It lacks the glitz of Miami and the ritzy beach glamour of Naples, and most visitors who pass through are on a business trip or are doing the amusement park circuit. But there's plenty to do here, especially in the areas outside the city center such as colorful Ybor City and up-and-coming SoHo.
Attractions & Activities You'll need a car to get around Tampa, especially if you're planning to visit the nearby theme parks. For many other sights, though, you can use the TECO Line Streetcar System—replicas of historic trolleys that link popular spots such as downtown Tampa, Channelside, and Ybor City (813-254-4278; tecolinestreetcar.org). Nearby Walt Disney World® Theme Parks may get top billing in Florida's tourism brochures, but it is Tampa's Busch Gardens that attracts the real thrill-seekers. Eight miles from downtown, this Africa-themed amusement park has seven coasters, including the brand-new SheiKra, which starts by doing a 90-degree drop at 70 miles an hour. Throughout the park are more than 2,000 animals, from gorillas and lions to the famous Budweiser Clydesdales (888-800-5447; buschgardens.com). Adjacent to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island has 30 acres of watery activities, including a meandering half-mile tube trip and a 17,000-square-foot wave pool (888-800-5447; adventureisland.com). Downtown Tampa is still mostly business—there isn't great shopping or dining here yet—but there are a handful of sights worth seeing. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is a massive riverfront compound with five theaters, a rehearsal hall, and a restaurant. Traveling Broadway shows such as Rent and Chicago, as well as productions by the home company of Opera Tampa, often play here (813-229-7827; tbpac.com). Designed by famous movie palace architect John Eberson, the Tampa Theatre retains its original 1920s glamour, with a 1,200-pipe Wurlitzer organ and ornate Mediterranean-inspired decor. The landmark screens quirky independents as well as classics such as Casablana, Gone with the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz (813-274-8982; tampatheatre.org). Perched alongside the Hillsborough River, the Tampa Museum of Art is a nice way to escape the heat. Despite its small size, the institution mounts creative and interesting shows; one recent exhibition paid tribute to Keith Haring and another showcased progressive regional artists (813-274-8130; tampamuseum.com). In 1891, railroad baron Henry B. Plant spent $2.5 million to construct the opulent, terraced Tampa Bay Hotel, across the Hillsborough River from what is now downtown. Today, the preserved hotel houses the Henry B. Plant Museum, which focuses on the privileged life in turn-of-the-century Florida. It has many of the property's original Victorian furnishings as well as related exhibits (813-254-1891; plantmuseum.com). During the late19th century, Ybor City, or the Latin Quarter, was the center of Tampa's booming cigar industry. Many of the redbrick factories remain, although some have been refashioned as office or retail spaces, and there are still stores where you can see cigars being rolled by hand. During the day, older gents sit outside King Corona Cigars, puffing away and gossiping (1523 E. 7th Ave.; 813-241-9109). At night, the historic district becomes Tampa's rowdiest bar scene. Teens and families head to Centro Ybor, an open-air pavilion with a movie theater, casual restaurants, and Game Works, a bar/restaurant/arcade (Steven Spielberg is one of the owners). While the shopping is pretty bare-bones, a number of interesting boutiques have edged in between the cigar shops and tattoo parlors. Neo Trash has a huge collection of vintage clothes and accessories—sift through the marginal stuff and you might come across a pair of perfect 1940s pumps—and hosts live bands at night (1515 E. 7th Ave.; 813-241-8490). Situated on the Hillsborough River, Channelside is a one-stop shopping, eating, and entertainment complex. Unabashedly touristy, it has an IMAX theater and tropical tiki bars. In a residential section of the city, Old Hyde Park Village is an outdoor mall with up-market boutiques, national chains such as Anthropologie and Restoration Hardware, and gourmet food shops. In a scheme to increase their hip quotient, a collection of trendy shops and restaurants along South Howard Avenue have begun billing themselves as SoHo. Although it's not quite a walking neighborhood—South Howard is a major road with a lot of traffic, and its stores and restaurants are spread out—this is where you'll find unique clothing and the most cutting-edge food. Pick up traditional Cuban guyabera shirts and retro plastic jewelry at Squaresville (508 S. Howard Ave.; 813-259-9944). Deborah Kent's is known as the area's chicest boutique; owner Deborah Skyrms stocks young local designers' creations and European labels that she finds on frequent trips to Paris (2120 S. Dale Mabry Hwy.; 813-259-1150). Lodging In addition to the steady stream of vacationing families, Tampa attracts travelers who come mainly for conventions and major sporting events. As a result, there are plenty of reliable and affordable branches of national chains but little in the way of luxury or designer options. One of the city's fanciest hotels is the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, about 15 minutes from downtown, near the airport. The huge 445-room hotel caters to business travelers but is also a good choice for families headed to Busch Gardens or Adventure Island. The downtown Hyatt Regency Tampa is within walking distance of the Museum of Art and the convention center. No surprises here: The efficiently run property is clean and modern, with all the amenities you'd expect from a successful national brand. On Harbour Island, a small island off downtown, the Westin Tampa Harbour Island has fantastic views of the bay and the city. Dining Tampa has never been known for its hot dining scene, but there are plenty of ways to eat well here. Despite an unassuming exterior, Bern's Steak House serves first-rate aged beef and 24 types of caviar. Dessert lovers can retire to the Harry Waugh Room for dancing, champagne, and more than 30 decadent treats (1208 S. Howard Ave.; 813-251-2421; entrées, $21–$65). The restaurant's younger, hipper sibling, Side Bern's, takes a global attitude toward food: The bread selections include curry-sesame flatbread, kalamata-olive fig loaf, and spicy harissa sticks. The menu skips from continent to continent, but the best dishes rely on local ingredients—try the hog snapper with coconut ginger lump crab mojo, served with palm hearts, avocado, mango, and tempura plantains (2208 W. Morrision Ave.; 813-258-2233; entrées, $25–$60). The first Columbia Restaurant—there are now seven throughout the state—opened in Ybor City in 1905. The once-modest Spanish/Cuban cafe now occupies an entire block, with 15 extravagant, Versailles-inspired dining rooms. Graze on tapas such as queso fundido or empanadas or try the paella "à la Valencia," served in the traditional style with mussels, clams, scallop, shrimp, calamari, grouper, chicken, and pork (2117 E. 7th Ave.; 813-248-4961; entrées, $16–$30). One of the city's hottest new restaurants is in upscale Hyde Park Village. Chef-owner Trina Nguyen-Batley's Restaurant BT is a Saigon-inspired daydream, with yellow walls, terrazzo floors, and a loungey sound track. French-Vietnamese dishes taste as good as they look and achieve a perfect balance of tastes and textures. Don't miss the appetizer of roast sea eel on chilled cucumber salad or the hot pepper squid entrée (1633 W. Snow Ave.; 813-258-1916; entrées, $16–$27). Locals say that the best place to catch the sunset is at Armani's. An elegant Italian restaurant atop the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, it has huge picture windows overlooking the bay and the airport. Skip the pricey entrées and concentrate on your martini and the view (2900 Bayport Dr.; 813-207-6800; entrées, $24–$40). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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