First Time Visiting!!! (Tampa, Orlando, Clearwater: hotels, living, restaurant)

[FL4ME]

Hey everyone!

So I just got back from 3 days in the area after reading these boards over the past year and learning all I can. There seems to be A LOT of variety with all the various cities/towns. And of course, the weather is very nice. Unlike Orlando, it's a better-looking area w/a nicer skyline and more than just palm trees, which was pleasantly surprising.

Best of all, being surrounded by water is amazing and the drive over the Bay for the very first time was unforgettable!!! People were pretty friendly too, but there was much more traffic, esp. around Tampa, than I expected. And drivers are crazy down there!!! I've never experienced as much aggressive driving/tailgating before. Aren't FL folk supposed to be all laid back, lol?!

St. Pete Beach was nice, and that's where I stayed. But it seemed like an older crowd, generally speaking. Likewise, for the other small beach towns like Gulfport, Treasure Island and Pass-a-Grille. On the other hand, Clearwater had a surprisingly tacky feel...I was expecting something much nicer. Spending limited time in Downtown St. Pete and South Tampa, those were both pretty cool. So next month I'll be focusing on them and doing some further exploring.

[ApolloBeachRetiree]

Originally Posted by FL4ME

Hey everyone!

So I just got back from 3 days in the area after reading these boards over the past year and learning all I can. There seems to be A LOT of variety with all the various cities/towns. And of course, the weather is very nice. Unlike Orlando, it's a better-looking area w/a nicer skyline and more than just palm trees, which was pleasantly surprising.

Best of all, being surrounded by water is amazing and the drive over the Bay for the very first time was unforgettable!!! People were pretty friendly too, but there was much more traffic, esp. around Tampa, than I expected. And drivers are crazy down there!!! I've never experienced as much aggressive driving/tailgating before. Aren't FL folk supposed to be all laid back, lol?!

St. Pete Beach was nice, and that's where I stayed. But it seemed like an older crowd, generally speaking. Likewise, for the other small beach towns like Gulfport, Treasure Island and Pass-a-Grille. On the other hand, Clearwater had a surprisingly tacky feel...I was expecting something much nicer. Spending limited time in Downtown St. Pete and South Tampa, those were both pretty cool. So next month I'll be focusing on them and doing some further exploring.

When you say "South Tampa", how far south? We're in Apollo Beach near the Bay and love it.

[FL4ME]

Hmmm...maybe I'll add Apollo Beach to the list of places to check out too!!! I was just referring to Soho/Hyde Park area.

[Tim Tim Tim]

Apollo Beach is nothing like Soho so dont go expecting that lol.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by ApolloBeachRetiree

When you say "South Tampa", how far south? We're in Apollo Beach near the Bay and love it.

Apollo Beach is definitely not considered "South Tampa" but more south of Tampa .....South Tampa is the Bayshore BLVD/David Islands/Harbor Islands/Hyde Park areas if I'm not mistaken.....

[DUNNDFRNT]

Brandon and south of that is called the "south shore".

[bobisinthehouse]

When you say tacky for Clearwater, do you mean the city of Clearwater or the direct beach area of Clearwater?

The beach area still remains stuck in the 1980's. all the motels are family owned. The city made a mistake by building side walks on the east side of coronado drive. The motels lost all the free parking spaces and as a result lost all their guests. Not everyone can afford to pay 200 plus dollars a night at the newer Hotels.

[UKWildcat1981]

I was just down in St. Pete Beach for the X mas and New Year's. It was a great place to stay, its a really cool laid back beach town, very safe and not tacky like a lot of Florida beach towns like Daytona and Panama. Lot to do in Tampa/St. Pete area. I went to Busch Gardens on New Year's Eve and there was a shooting at the park. Clearwater was pretty cool, I went to that place where the movie Dolphin Tale the movie was filmed because I went with my nieces. The food is amazing on St. Pete Beach best places we eat at Veruducci best italian restaurant in the St. Pete area, Snapper's, Skidder's, Beverly's and the Frog Pond for breakfast. Its a really great place to vacation, I had a blast.

[FL4ME]

I only drove through the downtown beach area, and it was surprising b/c of all the good things I've heard about Clearwater. SPB, Gulfport, etc. all seemed nice/quaint, although maybe a bit boring for my tastes. So I thought Clearwater would be perfect: beach living w/more action. It's hard to explain, but Clearwater seemed very touristy, one of the main reasons I decided against the Orlando area last year. Maybe I'll give it another try though if you're saying the city of Clearwater is better???

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Apollo Beach is definitely not considered "South Tampa" but more south of Tampa .....South Tampa is the Bayshore BLVD/David Islands/Harbor Islands/Hyde Park areas if I'm not mistaken.....

Close. The islands are considered part of downtown. South Tampa is south of Kennedy, north of Gandy, west of Bayshore, and east of the Howard Franklin.