Is Tampa safe in downtown? (Christmas, Hampton: rent, crime, how much)

[rangersgiants210]

I'm from New York. I am planning on spending late December in Tampa to see the Rangers vs the Lightning. I'm planning on staying in a hotel within 5 miles of the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Is that area safe? Also, I am also planning on visiting Busch Garden and Ybor City. Are those areas safe?

Since I will be going after Christmas, will Busch Garden be packed like Disney?

[gulfer]

Yes the Forum, Busch Gardens and Ybor City is safe. But areas within walking distances around all three are not. Be vigilant, stay in the open/lighted areas and get to your venue and get out of town.

Not sure where you are staying but there are some nice places and there are some dives. You go for the cheap places and you are probably getting a dive.

I always stay Hampton Inn when I travel now. A little more expensive, but the price seems to keep it in a safer area. Not guaranteed mind you, but I just feel better. Plus they have free internet and they feed me in the AM.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

Here's some mapping RAIDS Online: Regional Analysis and Information Sharing of three months thru Nov 30th of personal crime (murders, robberies of persons, various assaults), the stuff you'd be concerned with as a pedestrian.

Here's Ybor (stay on 7th--or park on 8th) and you'll be just fine--it can be lot of fun there, especially during festivals)....



Here's downtown....



Here's Busch Gardens (particularly south and west of there get's a bit rough), not actually considered a resort area. You could very safely stay at any hotel up on Fowler, by the university, just north of the Gardens, however.




And I thought it would be fun to include for comparison some random upstate NY town...



So if you might be able to handle some little town north of Albany, then you've got the streetsmarts to survive Tampa.

[tinytrump]

((I'm from New York.))
that tells me everything - walk it like you know it -stay alert and map out your locations. JUST dint look like a lost tourist~

[rangersgiants210]

Originally Posted by gulfer

Yes the Forum, Busch Gardens and Ybor City is safe. But areas within walking distances around all three are not. Be vigilant, stay in the open/lighted areas and get to your venue and get out of town.

Not sure where you are staying but there are some nice places and there are some dives. You go for the cheap places and you are probably getting a dive.

I always stay Hampton Inn when I travel now. A little more expensive, but the price seems to keep it in a safer area. Not guaranteed mind you, but I just feel better. Plus they have free internet and they feed me in the AM.

Thanks for the information. Ya I am only staying there for 3 days (December 28-December 31). I am planning on staying in Howard Johnson Plaza, which is about 3 miles from Florida Aquarium and Tampa Bay Times Forum. I heard there is a van service that will take me from the hotel to Ybor City. But other than the hockey game, Ybor, Busch Garden, and the Aquarium, I don't plan on roaming around too much. But in terms of bars and restaurants, is the area where Howard Johnson Plaza is good and safe to get to?

I just looked on Google maps, and the distance from the hockey arena and the Aquarium is only .8 mile. Is it a good idea to walk from the Aquarium to the arena?

[housingcrashsurvivor]

You're in a very nice area. That's the riverwalk right there. I've never been at night, I'd imagine safe. But during the daytime, certainly safe. Enjoy it. The museum is right there, they do a very good job (if they still have those huge photos, go see it, very cool). Just over the river is the U of Tampa, check it out, gorgeous architecture. See if you can rent a bike from the hotel or take a cab ride around Hyde Park just blocks away. Wonderful craftsman style and mid century moderns in there. And from right around the convention center just south of your hotel, you can catch the trolley into Ybor, a short but fun ride. Enjoy.

The aquarium is also quite good. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by rangersgiants210

Is Tampa safe in downtown?

No, you might get bored to death.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by rangersgiants210

Thanks for the information. Ya I am only staying there for 3 days (December 28-December 31). I am planning on staying in Howard Johnson Plaza, which is about 3 miles from Florida Aquarium and Tampa Bay Times Forum. I heard there is a van service that will take me from the hotel to Ybor City. But other than the hockey game, Ybor, Busch Garden, and the Aquarium, I don't plan on roaming around too much. But in terms of bars and restaurants, is the area where Howard Johnson Plaza is good and safe to get to?

I just looked on Google maps, and the distance from the hockey arena and the Aquarium is only .8 mile. Is it a good idea to walk from the Aquarium to the arena?

We stay at the Howard Johnsons on Fortune st. out by the interstate and walk to the arena for hockey games, its usually a 30 minute walk and we leave around 6;30, as its after business hours the streets are mostly empty and all businesses have closed for the night, walking back to the hotel after the game at around 10;30 is positively eerie as there is no one about and absolutely nothing open, its a ghost town..
You can take the trolley or walk from the arena over to the Aquarium and then hop on the trolley to Ybor City.
That van service the hotel provides will take you anywhere you want to go whether Arena, cruise ship terminal, airport, Busch Gardens.

[downtown donna]

The area is safe. There are several nice hotels within walking distance. Embassy Suites Marriott Waterside and Westin Harbour Island are the closets. The next nearest are Hilton Downtown and Sheraton Riverwalk. And not much further are the Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn Downtown. And then a couple blocks further is the Howard Johnson the last post described. There are sections of downtown that have late night destinations/restaurants so it is not a ghost town depending on where you go. There are pockets, just like you'll find in any city. Great restaurants to try out in downtown are Anise Global Gastro Bar, Taps, Crumb&Cork, Cena, Malio's, Fly, and Café Dufrain to name a few. The first three I named are nearest the Howard Johnson.

[jambo101]

Donna thanks for the tips. attached is a map of our normal walking route to the arena, how could we change that walking route to encompass these restaurants you speak of?..
http://goo.gl/maps/GSoaW