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Just as the weather turned from refreshing to cold at home, the TripsWithKevin family headed south to Tampa.  The last Tampa entry was well received, so here is another nice way to spend a day in Tampa.  I’ve said this before, but Tampa really is a nice option for families with children.  It is easy to get around the city, the airport isn’t hectic and the weather is, of course, consistently warm.

Tampa is known for is sizable Cuban population and the Ybor City section of the city.  For many that means Cuban food, not cigars.  I also decided that it was time to share in this Tampa right of passage and sample the city’s signature food, the Cuban Sandwich.  I have the fortune of having family that lives in the city, which means free guides to both recommend places and drive me around.

My sandwich request was met with one suggestion, the famous West Tampa Sandwich Shop.  Though there is fierce debate over who has the best best/oldest/everythingist Cuban sandwich in Tampa, West Tampa Sandwich Shop is typically at the top of whatever list you will find.  A-lister types tend to make appearances here.

Since you don’t get more “A-List” than us, off we went went for a lunch on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  We arrived a little after 1 PM at this neighborhood restaurant.  If you’ve never seen a picture of the place you might drive right past.  It is an unassuming, unimpressive neighborhood business that has only a basic sign out front and no indication of how famous a restaurant this place is.  As we drew closer though, its reputation was indicated by the fact that there was absolutely nowhere to park the car.

Fortunately, our guide had two back-up plans.  A brief (a couple of blocks) drive down the street brought to another easy to miss neighborhood stop, Arco Iris Café.  While not as well known outside of Florida, Arco Iris is run by a Cuban native and has a good reputation for having authentic Cuban food and top-notch Cuban sandwiches (according to Foursquare, West Tampa is the best in town and Arcos in #9).  The reputation is good enough that the governor has been known to stop in when he is in town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully, we were able to find the last parking spot in the small parking lot.  Located on the corner of Habana and West Tampa Boulevard, the outside looks like the real deal and the inside looks nice, bright and clean.  A great way to start.  We didn’t bring the children today as we weren’t sure they would really want any of the food on offer.

For the adults, we were impressed.  I ordered a Cuban Sandwich (pressed and “All the Way”), fries and Café con leche.  It was all very good and very affordable!  The Cuban Sandwich here is $3.95 and large, the fries were $1.95 and the Café con Leche was delicious ($2.95).  Most of the table went with the Cubano, but Sarah got the chicken sandwich (pressed and “All The Way” and it was also delicious.  Full of sandwich and coffee, we headed back out to see what else Tampa had to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I loved my sandwich (we took an extra with us to go), the highlight of the trip for the children was a recently built park named Water Works Park.  Though the day was not warm by Tampa standards (it reached into the 80s) we still took advantage of this wonderful city park.  Tampa has recently created a extensive River Walk that runs alongside the Hillsborough River though the city.  It is a nice addition and the people have really taken advantage of this amenity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For us though the park was our goal.  The park is divided into two sections, a large oval green with a pavilion at one end, with the river (and River Walk) on one side.  Next to the outer area is also a short pier that is home to a River Taxi and a nice bridge that will take you over Ulele Spring (a natural spring that was once used to provide drinking water to local residents) and the upscale Ulele Restuarant.

There is also an enclosed play area for children that is wonderful.  There is a more traditional playground (with the ever more common cushioned  flooring) and a splendid water play area.  We arrived a little before noon and the park was not very busy at all.  As the day went on though, the park became more and more busy but never crowded.

There are also some nice brick restrooms, picnic tables (inside and outside the children’s area) that are covered from the sun and plenty of trashcans.  It really is a wonderful place to spend a morning or afternoon.  Sarah and I even took advantage of the day to go for a walk down the River Walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About a block away is a nice shopping complex built out of a beautiful, old warehouse named the Heights Armature Works.  We walked over to get a look at it but the property was closed.  It does look like a nice addition to the neighborhood though.  We enjoyed our stay at the park and continue to be impressed with the number of well maintained, safe and creative parks that the city of Tampa operates.  The children are able to go to a different park almost every visit and it only requires a brief car ride from where we stay Downtown.

Until next time Tampa!

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