Drinking Made Easy: Tampa Bay

Zane Lamprey, host of HDNet's Drinking Made Easy, just announced on his Facebook page that he will be filming an episode of his show in the Tampa Bay area and is looking for suggestions on where to film. Drinking Made Easy is a show in which Zane Lamprey and his friend Steve McKenna travel all over in the US in search of the best and most original bars, pubs, beers, spirits, wines and mixed drinks each city has to offer. This is my attempt to highlight some of the best drinking experiences that the Tampa Bay area has to offer.

Cigar City Brewery
The Cigar City Brewery is an up and coming, GABF award-winning brewery located in Tampa. This brewery has a small bar and offers tours of the facility where they create their year round and seasonal beers. One great feature of this brewery is that you get the chance to try prototype beers before they are mass produced for public consumption. Cigar City Brewery is growing so fast in Florida and other areas in the region that they are currently working on a new brewhouse. My personal favorite beer that they carry is the Pale Ale IPA named Jai Alai.
Cigar City Brewery

Bern's Steak House
This world famous steakhouse is not a place that the average Joe typically goes for a drink, but it is worth noting that they currently have the largest wine list of any restaurant in the world. Their wine cellar is so large that they recently stumbled upon a $30,000 bottle of 1947 Chateau Latour that they didn't even know they had.
Bern's Steak House

Ceviche Restaurant and Tapas Bar
Ceviche makes my favorite Sangria in the Tampa Bay area. Their sangria (red or white) is not only very tasty, but it is also very strong! The original location of this restaurant is in Tampa, but I personally like the St. Petersburg location better. It is located right off the bay and is only walking distance to other great restaurants and bars. Nothing beats sipping on this sangria on a nice lazy Sunday or while dancing to Spanish music in the downstairs flamenco bar.
Ceviche

The Independent
This St. Petersburg beer hall serves over 100 different beers. Most of their selection is European, but they also carry some domestic micro brews. This bar is for people looking for a real beer experience. The bartenders are especially good at taking your current beer tastes and finding the perfect new beer for you to try. The atmosphere is typically very chill and the crowd is normally pretty young/trendy.
The Independent St Petersburg

Ybor City
This area of Tampa holds the nightlife that Tampa Bay is probably most famous for. It is in this area that you can find a plethora of bars, clubs and even the Tampa Bay Brewery. Ybor City is known as the Cigar Capitol of North America and also has Florida's oldest restaurant (Columbia Restaurant). In my experience, Ybor City is something different for everyone so the best way to experience it is to take a stroll down 7th Avenue and see where the night takes you.

If anyone else has advice for where Zane Lamprey should film the Tampa Bay episode of Drinking Made Easy, please leave your comment below.

Hot Date in the Hot Shop

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it is the perfect time to plan for the perfect date. After visiting the Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg, I found out about the glass studio & hot shop at the Morean Arts Center. At the hot shop, you can witness local glass artists demonstrate how to blow glass into original pieces of art.

If you are hands-on or artistic, then the Hot Date in the Hot Shop series by the Morean Arts Center would be a great date to try. This series gives you the opportunity to observe special demonstrations and participate in glass blowing activities. You also get the chance to create your own piece of glass art! If you are interested in making a reservation, do so quickly because there is only space for 5 couples per date and I hear the slots go quick.

Program Dates (Fridays)
Dates: January 28, February 11 (Perfect for Valentine's Day) & 25, March 11 & 25, April 8 & 29, May 6 & 27 (Use link below for future dates)
Time: 6-9 PM
Cost: $75 per Couple
Click here for more information or to book.

If you want to have this experience without the date, the Morean Arts Center Hot Shop also has a Personal Glass Experience.

See more date ideas.

Tampa Bay Bucket List

This is my Bucket List of things YOU HAVE to do in the Tampa, St, Petersburg, Clearwater area. If you think something is missing, comment below and I will add it.

Splitsville Tampa, FL

• Walk the world's longest sidewalk.
• Visit the world's largest bowling pin.
• Eat at Florida's oldest restaurant (also world's largest Spanish restaurant).
• Take in the Gasparilla invasion and parade.
• Win some money at the Hard Rock Casino.
• Watch a home game for all of Tampa Bay's major pro sports (Ray's, Bucs & Lightning).
• Watch a home game for all of Tampa Bay's minor pro sports (FC Tampa Bay, Storm, Breeze).
• Watch a minor league baseball game (Yankees, Threshers, Etc.).
• Watch a home game for all of Tampa Bay's College Sports (USF, UT)
• Eat at Bern's Steakhouse.
• Visit the new Dali Museum.
• Visit the world's largest shuffle board club.
• Visit the spots where movies were filmed in the Tampa Bay area.
• Visit the St. Pete Pier.
• Ride Sheikra at Busch Gardens.
• Learn something new at MOSI.
• Tour the Lowry Park Zoo.
• Shop the Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete.
• Get close to the sharks at the Florida Aquarium.
• Jump out of a plane.
• Fish off the world's largest fishing piers.
• Have a cigar in Ybor City.
• Visit the big white tower that you can see from I-275.
• Tour the Yuengling Brewery.
• Walk the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks.

Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks

• Bet on Dog Racing and Horse Racing.
• Visit Fort De Soto Park.
• Sun bathe on one of the area's many beaches.
• Bike the Pinellas Trail.
• Look at some fancy glass sculptures.
• Stroll the Sunken Gardens.
• Watch the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
• Watch the Outback Bowl and Beef O'Brady's Bowl.
• Take in the Plant City Strawberry Festival.
• Take a ride on a pirate ship.
• Dance to Thriller on the St Pete Pier (Annual Event).
• Visit the Manatee Viewing Center.
• Visit the world's smallest park.
• Eat at the Original Hooters Restaurant.

Tampa Bay Sweepstakes, Contests & Giveaways

Feeling lucky? If so, there are hundreds of contests & sweepstakes going on every year in the Tampa Bay area. The beauty of entering local contests is that fewer people enter them and the odds are very much in your favor to win. It is also a good idea to Follow and Like all of your favorite local businesses on Twitter and Facebook because many of them often have special contests, discounts and giveaways for their fans.

Below is a comprehensive list of contest pages from all around Tampa Bay. New contests start all the time so make sure to check back. Always remember that "if you don't play, you don't win"!



ABC Action News
Bay News 9
Creative Loafing
CW Tampa Bay
Fox News Radio 970
Magic 94.9
Hot 101.5
Mix 100.7
MOR TV
My Fox Tampa Bay
My TV Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Times
Q105
US 103.5
Wild 94.1
10 News
620 The Sports Animal
92.5 Maxima
93.3 FLZ
95.7 The Beat
97X
98 Rock
98.7 The Fan
99.5 WQYK
102.5 The Bone
105.5 WDUV
107.3 The Eagle
Tampa Bay Rays Contests

If you know of any recurring contest pages that are not on the list, please comment on them below.

Tampa Bay Date Idea: St. Pete Shuffle

If you're looking for a fun and affordable date idea, you have come to the right place! The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club (The World's Largest) was once the social center of St. Petersburg and is now reemerging as a great source of entertainment in the city on Friday nights. Many people I talk to have the preconceived thought that shuffleboard is a game for "old people", but I believe that one trip out to St Pete Shuffle would change your mind.

St. Pete Shuffle is free to the public every Friday from 7-11PM. You are also allowed to bring your own food and drinks into the facility. With music playing in the background, it provides a great atmosphere for you to chat with your date while you play this simple, yet fun, game. Even if you do not know the rules, there are plenty of people around that are happy to help (even the volunteers that work there). The game is also double date friendly!

The other great thing about a date at St Pete Shuffle is that once you are done playing, you are at a prime location to take advantage of everything the St. Petersburg nightlife has to offer.

When: Fridays from 7-11PM
Where: 559 Mirror Lake Drive

See more date ideas.

The Rays Stadium Debate

With the stadium debate heating up between Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster, I thought it would be a good idea to quantify the voice of the people on this subject. Since the fans are the real voice of the team, I have created two Facebook pages in order to see where the real support lies. The pages are as follows:

Keep the Rays in St Pete

This page is for fans that think the best place for a new stadium would be in Downtown St Petersburg, the Derby Lane property, the Airco Golf Course, or other proposed locations in the St. Pete area. To show your support for this idea, go to the Keep the Rays in St Pete page.

Move the Rays to Tampa

This page is for fans that think the best place for a new stadium would be near Raymond James Stadium, in Downtown Tampa, or near the Fairgrounds.To show your support for this idea, go to the Move the Rays to Tampa page.

Feel free to share your opinions on these pages and invite others to do the same. The more that we make our voices heard, the better the odds are that we get a stadium that would best support our team. Go Rays!

Tampa Bay Date Idea: Dinner and a Psychic

For many of us, dating can be something that is difficult. Many times it is hard enough to get a date, let alone come up with an idea for what to do on that date. My plan is to make things easier on everyone and share some creative date ideas for the Tampa Bay area. This weeks idea is:

Dinner and a Psychic

I feel like this type of date would be a great ice breaker for those just getting to know each other. I suggest going to the psychic first in order to get to know your date a little better and to give you something additional to talk about at dinner. There are many psychics all over the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas. I "tested" this date idea on my girlfriend and we went to a psychic named Theresa Mitchell on 49th St in St Pete. I was a little scared that maybe one of us would get some "bad news" that could ruin the date, but Theresa was great and we had a lot of fun. We even had a few things from our readings come true!

After the psychic we went to dinner. I suggest going to a Japanese Steakhouse with a hibachi grill. This is a great way to get some great entertainment as your chef cooks and it is also in an intimate atmosphere that allows you to interact with your date. We went to Arigato's in St. Petersburg but I also suggest Hiro's. The food is great in both locations and the chefs are a lot of fun!

Overall, a date like this is a great way to get to know someone new and have a good time without having lots of pressure to entertain your date. It also does not leave a lot of room for those dreadful awkward silences. Feel free to try this date idea out and make it your own. Stay tuned for more Tampa Bay date ideas coming soon!

See more date ideas.