Basically Tampa's mini version of mardi gras (really mini, as in four blocks mini) this is pretty much the go-to bar/shopping district in the Tampa Bay area. The bars here are a bit on the obnoxious side (think lots of bead tossing), but some of the cafes are cozy and I had a spectacular Cuban sandwich here as well. One of the neatest parts of Tampa in general is the streetcar that runs from Ybor City, past the Channelside Bay Plaza to downtown.
Things to do
The major attraction of Squaw Valley is the skiing in the wintertime, which is some of the best in the entire US. However, I was there in July, long after the snow had melted. But I still thought the place was amazingly beautiful. Take the cable car ($24 round trip) up 8,500 feet to the High Camp Bath and Tennis Club and see where the 1960 Winter Olympics, the first on US soil, were hosted. There's a museum of press clippings and artifacts from the event on site.
Las Vegas for country music enthusiasts and their kids. That's the best way to describe Branson to somebody who has never been before. This tourist trap is where country music stars go to die. Everybody from Dolly Parton to Andy Williams has their own theater here. An urban dwelling twentysomething will have to have a high tolerance of bible belt mentality to have fun here, but who doesn't enjoy funnel cakes, mini golf, and high-speed go-cart racing?
Yeah, it had a dress code. Yeah, there was a cover charge. And yeah, there was too much techno music. But this was hands-down the coolest bar (aesthetically) I visited in Tampa. The huge outdoor patio was relaxing and not nearly as pretentious as what goes on once you step foot behind a closed door in the place. The drinks were a little on the pricey side, but that comes with the territory of an up-scale club like this one.
