Adventuring in Downtown Tampa
Recently, my husband and I spent some time together in downtown Tampa. It’s funny how the place you grew up in can still offer something new and fun. Around town, we tend to go out to eat, go to a wine bar, see a movie, sometimes decide we need to walk around Target for a little while. What we always fail to remember is that Tampa also has some really great outdoor spots, and by that I don’t just mean those restaurants with prime outdoor seating although there is that, but also there are parks and people and (usually, or actually, if you’re lucky) a breeze coming in off the river.
On a random Saturday afternoon we had lunch at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants around, gave our leftovers to the first homeless person we encountered, and then spent some time exploring what the used bookstore had on their shelves. After, we walked around the new(ish) Curtis Hixon park, the site of public yoga, concerts and other events, took in a game of cricket, and went through the exhibits in the Tampa Museum of Art.
Our afternoon ended with a garlic knot and cup of black cherry gelato.
Do you spend your weekends doing something new in your city?
I wondered how a day could end with just ONE knot, but now I see why, Holy moly, and YUM! When we came back from vacation a few weeks ago, I had a similar thought about actually getting out in Tampa and discovering its layers, and not just the regular ish we tend to stick to out of habit, and time. Great photos, friend!
Yeah those garlic knots were insanely huge! I liked walking around Downtown Tampa and just enjoying ourselves. We’ll be doing it again soon!
Did you say gelato? Where did you get it? How was it? I haven’t had decent gelato since I was in Italy? Please please let me know.
Hi there, Jason. The gelato was really good, better than most I’ve had. But then again, I’ve never been to Italy. 🙂
GORGEOUS photos of downtown!! Living in New Tampa, going downtown is like a day outing, and when my boyfriend visits we always try and get to new restaurants (not just downtown, SOHO and areas like that too!). Everything around where I live is all chain restaurants, so I love going south where all the good eats are!
Yes, I completely agree with you! My husband and I live in Temple Terrace so it can be a trek. We’ve both lived in Tampa our whole lives so we’ve been to tons of restaurants, but I feel like there’s so many more cropping up, which is a great thing!