Tampa Bay Local Recs: Hot Spots From The Market’s Power Players

We’ve asked some of the Tampa/St. Petersburg market’s power players their favorite spots in town. While some predictably picked their own venue of interest, there are some hot takes and good advice for anyone looking to do business in or enjoy the sights and sounds of this bustling market, which has been extensively profiled in Pollstar and VenuesNow’s first Market Focus deep dive.

I can’t really just call one out. There’s nothing like seeing Elton John play Amalie, and then you’ve got the intimacy of a place like Ruth Eckerd Hall where you could see somebody like Van Morrison do three nights. And then to be at Jannus Live and have the feeling of the open floor, GA vibe there – they’re all very different in their own way.

Ruth Eckard Hall in Clearwater is a beautiful, state-of-the art venue that stays in close touch with the contemporary popular music scene and books a wide variety of musical acts. Its smaller sister venue, the Capitol Theater, in Clearwater is also a popular local music venue that provides the Tampa Bay area with a beautiful destination for live music.

The Independent Bar & Cafe. I really love going out there.

Jannus Live – the unique and intimate setting among downtown buildings, bars, and restaurants feels like you are watching the show in an urban living room.

 

Raymond James Stadium. No feeling like 50,000 plus live fans in one of the best outdoor environments in the world.  

 

Amalie Arena, of course. (Elsewhere), the weather in Tampa Bay is so good, especially from September through April, anything outdoors, no matter where it’s at, is great. 

Bill Wickett

 

I do have a fondness for Tampa Theatre in Tampa, because I met my wife there in the lobby 30 years ago. I was at Fantasma, promoting a Cowboy Junkies show.

 

2. Your favorite place  o take in a sporting event there and why? 

 

Tropicana Field – home to memories of some of the best sports moments I’ve ever experienced, including Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, Game 162 in 2011, and the 2019 ALDS, the Trop rocks like no other venue during when it’s packed with fans for big moments.

The Yankees baseball spring training facility, George Steinbrenner Field, is a great place to see big leaguers and have a hot dog and a beer. The grapefruit league is the best bang for your buck and a Florida tradition dating back to 1913.

Still love Amalie Arena for a hockey game. Grew up playing hockey and the design and layout of Amalie is perfect for a game. With all the added amenities and promotions, one of the best in game experiences in the NHL. 

I really enjoy attending events at Amalie Arena. They’re very professional. Amalie’s really got some top-notch talent there. They do a great job delivering on the fan experience.

With no offense to the major league stadiums, here is one of the few places where you can get the old time spring training baseball. I’m a massive Yankees fan, so Steinbrenner Field in Tampa obviously is very dear to me.

A lot of people will tell you Bern’s Steak House. If it’s a formal meal, it’s got to be at Bern’s. I’m a beach guy, so anything with sand and a sunset (such as) Salt Rock Grill. Great spot. They catch all their seafood fresh daily. 

There’s a great little community called Tarpon Springs which has a place called Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, which is the local favorite that we go to.

 

An El Cap cheeseburger (all the way, LTMPO) is the ultimate comfort food. 

Rooster & The Till. Chef Ferrell Alvarez was nominated for a James Beard award – he’s pretty great.

 

For the experience, either Sparkman Wharf or downtown Ybor.

Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish. It’s a little fish shack out on the beach that has the best cheeseburger in town – go figure.

 

The Columbia Spanish Restaurant in Ybor City, and Bern’s Steak House in South Tampa, are the two crown jewels of fine dining in Tampa.

Le Méridien downtown is a cool spot. It used to be a courthouse. It’s a neat space.

The Opal Sands in Clearwater Beach is my personal favorite hotel in the area.

 

The JW Marriott that just opened in downtown Tampa and it’s beautiful.

The Don Cesar Hotel sits on the Gulf Of Mexico in the quaint South St. Pete beach town of Pass-A-Grille. It was a boarded up abandoned property as recently as the early mid-’70s. Since then it was sold to a caring developer, renovated and has become the premier hotel destination in the Bay Area.

 

Clearwater Beach’s Sandpearl Resort is the one that we we love to go for our special occasions. It’s a really good quiet escape.

 

 

St. Pete’s Salvador Dalí museum has the second largest collection of Dalí work in the world. I remember doing a show with Pearl Jam, touring the first album [in 1992]. They got there and they’re like, “We want to go to the Dalí museum. Who can take us to the Dalí museum?” They spent the afternoon there and they were just happy as they could be.

 

The water – in any form. Rent a boat, grab some paddles, or hit the beach and make sure to stick around for sunset over the gulf – it’s the greatest show on earth.

 

Downtown Riverwalk. If you haven’t been to Tampa in a while, you don’t know what you are missing.

 

 

Ybor City – it’s an old historic district. That’s where the Crowbar is located, a really great little loud space to see punk acts.

 

For things fun to do, Busch Gardens is a really cool place to have in your backyard.