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We are fortunate enough to have some family in Tampa.  This allows us to visit frequently and relatively cheaply as we don’t need to worry about a place to stay.  Tampa is a great place to spend a few days.  It has nice weather, beautiful beaches, very little traffic and is easy to navigate.

On our latest trip, we arrived on a morning flight into the wonderful Tampa Airport.  Upon our arrival we were greeted by family and whisked away to begin our weekend.  Even though I have been to Tampa many times before, our first destination was something new to me.  Our host had a place they wanted to show us and I sure am glad that they did.

We began our day in Tampa at Alessi Bakery and Deli on Cypress Street.  Alessi is a 100 year old family run Italian bakery and deli that sells predominantly Italian foods but also the ever present Cuban sandwich.  On our late morning stop we bought some brushetta pizza, cupcakes, cookies and coffees.  The deli is jam-packed with mouth watering foods and desserts.  If you want to visit a true local institution, this is a good choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday was our “Tourist Day”.  In the morning, Sarah and I were interested in checking out the market in Ybor City.  Ybor City was established in the 1880s by a Cuban cigar maker and soon became a lucrative cigar hub.  Today it is Tampa’s signature historic neighborhood along the lines of Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Fells Point (Baltimore) or Temple Bar (Dublin, Ireland).  The neighborhood is known for its restaurants and night life mostly, but has more to offer than that.

On Saturday mornings the Ybor City Saturday Market takes place in Centennial Park (on the corner of 8th Ave. and 19th Street).  The market consists mostly of crafts but also has a few stands selling food (pretzels, gyros, hot dogs, kettle corn etc.) and drinks as well as a produce stand.  We stopped by Hahn’s Kettle Corn and Tea Time where we purchased some popcorn and peach flavored iced tea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we finished checking out the market we walked along 7th and 8th Avenues to take in the main drags of Ybor.  Strolling these two streets is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.  You can really get a nice feel for the area before the heat of the day kicks in and the streets are full of restaurants and shops to give you the opportunity to browse a wide variety of shops.  We enjoyed a cafe con leche while we did a little bit of shopping.  The children really enjoyed the market and browsing in the interesting shops.  All in all we spent an hour an a half wandering around before heading back to the house for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we headed out to the Glazer Children’s Museum.  Outside the children there was the annual Oktoberfest celebration going on in Curtis Hixon Park.  It looks fun and everyone seemed to be having a blast, but we had already decided on the Children’s Museum.  The Museum is wonderful.  It is very much like the Richmond Children’s Museum except newer and cleaner.  We spent about 2 1/2 hours here before coaxing the children out so we could prepare our evening meal.   I think that they would have stayed all day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, Tampa is nice place to spend a few days with children.  The weather is usually nice (though can get hot in the afternoon), the city is easy to navigate and the airport is really easy as well.  In the downtown areas there is affordable public transportation and plentiful parking (even in Ybor City).   That doesn’t even include the beautiful beaches!

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