Steve took me to Ybor City for the first time in Tampa, and it was a lot of fun! It's a small area, so you only need a few hours to visit. We had a good time, even if it was a quicky trip.
Since we were already heading up north, we visited Apollo Beach, where the Tampa Electric powerplant releases warm water into the bay, which attracts manatees. BUT we didn't see any; I think the natural water was already too warm, so they didn't need to congregate in this one place like they might during the winter. But we did see some birds and fish, and they have pretty gardens on site. I look forward to coming back next winter and seeing the manatees!
Previously called the Gasparilla Distillery, we went to this place to try their spirits after I found a Groupon deal for tasting flights. You feel like you're on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney as soon as you walk in the door. It's dark, pirate-themed, and you think a skeleton is going to jump out at you at any moment. But once our eyes adjusted to the light, the bar is actually quite spacious. Our server, Sammy, was very friendly, and she poured some HEAVY tastes with our flight; each of us nearly had four full shots! We tried a variety of alcohols, from fun-flavored rums like coconut and key lime pie, to more serious aged rums. I think I liked the spiced rum best; you could definitely pick up on the clove and nutmeg spices, and it was me think of Christmas-time. The banana bread rum was our least favorite. While the idea is a good one (I love banana bread!), the banana flavor was a little too fake, and it also had a weirdly medicinal taste to it (think banana flavored cough syrup). So we weren't going to buy anything, but it was still a cool place to check out.
Columbia claims to be the oldest restaurant in Florida, since it was established in 1905. The restaurant is HUGE: it has several separate dining rooms and can hold 1,700 guests. No wonder there are four separate parking areas around for this one establishment! The tiles and murals decorating the building are beautiful, and the rooms inside are also spectacular. Even if you don't eat there, this is such an amazing piece of history! I actually think the experience of eating there was better than the actual food.
After lunch we walked around for a little bit for a few more highlights:
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| I may not have been impressed with lunch, but dessert was spot on! |
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| This pretzel toffee ice cream is the perfect mix of salty and sweet. |
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| There are chickens (with their babies!) everywhere! I looked it up, and Ybor City is actually a bird sanctuary, so the chickens and roosters are protected from being trapped or hunted. Their historical significance comes from immigrants in the 1800's bringing the animals with them as a food source, pets, and source of entertainment (cock fighting, anyone?). Just a fun quirk of the city! |
We visited during the day, but Steve says the area really transforms at night with bars and clubs. Maybe we'll have to go back for dinner instead one time! But we WILL be back for sure!
