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April in Tampa is beautiful.  As the rest of the East Coast eases into spring, the weather in Tampa is already warm but not overly hot.  The beaches are in full season mode, but the Spring Break crowds have left.  In many ways it is the perfect time for a visit.

Our visit this time was punctuated by some great great restaurants and nice family time.   Regular readers won’t be surprised, but I’d like to begin by talking about food.  After a long lazy day around the pool, our party of nine hopped on the TECO Streetcar and headed for one of Tampa’s newer dining establishments, Harpoon Harry’s Crab House.  The five stop streetcar trip took us 20 minutes and then we had a short walk to the restaurant.  One really amazing thing about downtown Tampa is that these clean, easy to navigate streetcars are free!

I was impressed with the size of Harpoon Harry’s Crab House (it is huge), the furnishings and most of all the food.  Obviously, this is a seafood place.  Everyone in our large group enjoyed their food, but I can say that my hogfish (stuffed with crab and shrimp) was amazing!  They also had a selection of local beers beers which is always nice in a place that has a brewing culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this place though…  as most natives of the Chesapeake states are, I am very particular when it comes to crabs.  I was pleasantly surprised to taste the crab cakes here.  Though not the monster sized item you might see in Maryland or Virginia, they were very good.  Nice work guys!  Also worthy of mention is the nice steak menu and good kid’s menu.  This restaurant was a wonderful choice and I highly recommend giving it a try if you are in Tampa.

Based on a recommendation from a friend, we spent Sunday at Treasure Island.  None of us were very familiar with this small beach community that is nestled between St. Pete and Clearwater Beaches, but I am sure glad that we went!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This place is a taste of “Old Florida”.  The beach is long, wide and flat.  It is a nice gentle slope and you enter the ocean, perfect for families with children and on the beach is an endless line of garbage and recycling bins.  We parked at the municipal parking lot (at 104th and Gulf – across from Publix) where there is a restroom and shower for use, though you do have to pay to park (We paid $10 for four hours).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed the well maintained path through the dunes and decided to take advantage of one of the cabanas ($20).  The waves were big, so Liam and his uncle put the boogie board to use while some of the others built sand castles.  We also let the children try out the bungee jump on our way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After spending the whole morning here, we packed up and headed down the street to Caddy’s on the Beach.  Another great choice, you could easily spend the entire day at this beachfront bar/restaurant.  Again the food was good, especially the beautifully prepared grouper.  Caddy’s has their own beach, tons of chairs, some large, nice cabanas of their own, and some games.  In addition to the restaurant, they also have an outdoor bar and outdoor seating.  This would be the perfect place to while away the day without the hassle of packing food, relocating or having to worry about transitioning at all.  They literally have it all for a nice day at the beach (including breakfast).

Treasure Island is more of a family draw than other local beaches.  There is no alcohol allowed on the the public beaches, a long wide boardwalk, old style architecture, and lots of local establishments along the way.  It was a very peaceful, relaxing day for us.  All of the workers we encountered were friendly and helpful too.  It struck me as similar to Anna Maria Island, but closer to the city.  I can’t wait to return!

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