Hotels near Tropicana field... (Tampa, St. Petersburg: how much, home, restaurants)

[sundrop]

We are coming to Tampa for a couple of Rays games in April. I have been looking at hotels near the stadium and came across the Madeira Bay Resort. Anyone familiar with this hotel or one similar? The views here look beautiful! TIA

[jambo101]

Unless they've built a new stadium Tropicana Field is in St Petersburg not Tampa.

[sundrop]

I am going on a search of hotels close to the stadium. Do you have any helpful suggestions?

[jambo101]

You could try the Vinoy https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...and-golf-club/

[TBMorgan]

There's a nice Staybridge Suites in walking distance.

[theurbanfiles]

How about the Avalon and/or Hollander Hotels? Boutique, with really cool atmosphere and amenities, and nice, park like location just north of downtown. The Madeira Bay Resort that you mention is close, but not super close... Of course, I can totally see why you might want to stay on beach at least one night and I'm sure that place is nice, but you would need a car, it's probably a 20-30 minute drive depending on traffic to the stadium. The Hollander or Avalon are roughly a mile from the Trop but it is a relatively pleasant walk and feels safe during the day and even to me at night generally speaking. It's about a 30 minute walk, 10 minute bike ride, or like a 2 minute drive. Saint Petersburg's downtown is nice and underrated in general. Great waterfront park system, independent shops/restaurants along Central and high profile art/cultural venues across the city such as the Dali Museum.

Depending on how much baseball interest you have, there are several other venues that might be cool to see during your time also. Inside the stadium is the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame, generally empty and great to see before, or for an inning or two break during the game. The St. Petersburg History Museum has an exhibition on baseball in the area, and in Ybor City (historic area of Tampa across the bay), you can tour the childhood home of Al Lopez as part of the Ybor History Complex, at the UT campus you can see where Babe Ruth hit his longest home run, and there are several Grapefruit League parks as well as minor league venues in the area (within an hour, and with the exception of Lakeland, significantly less, you have the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Dunedin Blue Jays, Clearwater Threshers, Tampa Tarpons, Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League).

This is probably more info than you wanted, but hopefully some of it is helpful!

Edit: Also, if you have any interest in baseball or sports at all, IMG Academy is in Manatee County/Bradenton, and you could probably combine a trip to the quieter beaches down here with a public tour, which at least when I tried a few years ago were free and open to the public if you signed up in advance. Here is a list of their alumni: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...Academy_alumni

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by TBMorgan

There's a nice Staybridge Suites in walking distance.

I second that on the Staybridge Suites. Your next closest option would be the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, followed by the Hampton Inn St. Petersburg/Downtown. The latter two are closer to the bay. That whole area of St. Pete around Tropicana Field is pretty walkable. If you're looking for a good burger in the area around the stadium, definitely check out Engine No. 9.

[TBMorgan]

Originally Posted by FLKitties

I second that on the Staybridge Suites. Your next closest option would be the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, followed by the Hampton Inn St. Petersburg/Downtown. The latter two are closer to the bay. That whole area of St. Pete around Tropicana Field is pretty walkable. If you're looking for a good burger in the area around the stadium, definitely check out Engine No. 9.

If you stay near the marina ie Hilton, there's a free trolley that takes fans from the downtown area to the Trop and back.

[sundrop]

Thanks everyone!