Events & parks

1. Centennial Park. It isn't much on the eyes, and it isn't the biggest public space in town, but Ybor City's public gathering spot hosts many great events each year, including Festa Italiana (March 30, leave the gun; take the cannolis); International Beer Fest (Oct. 18, getting beers and beer drinkers together since 2004); Cigar Heritage Festival (in November, online at cigarheritagefestival.com); and Guavaween (Oct. 15, and all over Ybor City, the area's largest Halloween party). Every Saturday, the park hosts the Ybor City Fresh Market with fruits and veggies and crafts. Corner of Eighth Avenue and 19th Street, Ybor City. yborfreshmarket.ypguides.net.

2. Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. A juried art show along much of Tampa and Franklin streets. The first weekend in March annually, gasparilla-arts.com.

3. Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Races. Ornate boats and muscled oarsmen on the Garrison Channel. Best viewing: from the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park. May 3, tampabaydragonboats.com.

Arts & entertainment

4. Concerts at New World Brewery. The kind of place where you can get stinking drunk on great beer and see someone like '80s R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter live, all on a patio that looks like you are partying at a cool friend's house. 1313 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City 813-248-4969, myspace.com/nwbybor.com.

5. Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. From big Broadway road productions in its 2,000-seat Carol Morsani Hall to regular productions from Jobsite Theater in the smaller performing spaces, TBPAC is the top destination for live performances downtown. 1010 N.W. C. MacInnes Place, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.

Food & drink

6. Acropolis. Eat stunning Greek food as a bouzouki plays and waiters break plates. Opa! 1833 E. Seventh Ave., 813-242-4545, acropolistaverna.com.

7. Café Dufrain. Eating at this Harbour Island contemporary fusion bistro — with its views of downtown across Garrison Channel and tucked down a canyon of condos — makes you think you are living in a real city. Bring your fave bottle of wine; Monday night is corkage-fee-free. 707 Harbour Post Drive, 813-275-9701, cafedufrain.com.

8. FirstWatch. Downtown's best breakfast. 520 N. Tampa St., 813-307-9006, firstwatch.com.

9. Fly Bar and Restaurant. Inventive meals combine with an urban vibe and beautiful people in this pioneering outpost on the north edge of downtown. Try a drink on the rooftop at sundown. 1202 N. Franklin St., 813-275-5000, flybarandrestaurant.com.

10. Jackson's Bistro. Sure, it's got good food and stunning views of downtown and its waterways. But Jackson's is more famous as the hot happy-hour destination for hooking up with office-working honeys and hunks. 601 S. Harbour Island Blvd., 813-277-0112, jacksonsbistro.com.

11. Jerk Hut. A bit of Jamaican heaven in a tiny, cramped downtown space, serving jerked meats, including goat, oxtails and amazing curried chicken. On Friday evenings, they clear a corner and rock steady. 207 E. Twiggs St., 813-223-4473.

12. La Terrazza Ristorante Italiano. Authentic Italian trattoria without the hyper-mark-up often found in some of its brethren. 1727 E. Seventh Ave., 813-248-1326, laterrazzayborcity.com.

13. Laughing Cat. Killer Italian food that its chef calls "new progressive." The lunch buffet demands a two-hour nap afterward. 1820 N. 15th St., 813-241-2998.

14. Mise en Place. One of Tampa's culinary trendsetters is just across the river from downtown. 442 W. Kennedy Blvd., 813-254-5373 miseonline.com.

15. Samurai Blue Sushi and Sake Bar. Tucked above a comedy club on the second floor of Centro Ybor, Samurai Blue is a popular destination for couples. As our food critic Brian Ries wrote, "There are a lot of reasons to pick Samurai Blue for a date: central, easy-to-find location, movie-theater adjacent, food that is interesting and ethnic but not too interesting or too ethnic, and a casual atmosphere." 1600 E. Eighth Ave., 813-242-6688.

16. Splitsville. It's a bowling alley. It's a pool hall. It's a hip drinking and eating spot. Bowling as only the founders of Hooters could envision it. 615 Channelside Drive, 813-514-2695, splitsvillelanes.com.

17. Zelda's Café & Deli. This BP gas station car wash was converted into dining space to serve as an independently owned option for a quick meal for the new residents of the Channel District. 1239 E. Kennedy Blvd., 813-226-0257.

Cool shops

18. King Corona Cigar Bar and Cafe. A big selection of stogies, an excellent cup of café con leche, wine and beer, and a barber shop tucked in the back of the store make King Corona an eclectic must-hang. Get there early in the afternoon to secure a table along the sidewalk for Ybor people-watching. 1523 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 888-248-3812, kingcoronacigars.com.

19. La France. The best place for vintage clothes in the Bay area, hands down. 1612 E. Seventh Ave., 813-248-1381.

20. Old Tampa Book Company. The way bookstores used to be: cozy and packed with hard-to-find and out-of-print books, run by David and Ellen Brown, who lovingly care for them all. 507 N. Tampa St., 813-209-2151, oldtampabookcompany.com.

Back to Urban Explorer

This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2008.