America's Got Talent Tampa Bay Auditions

Do you have a whole lot of talent, but haven't had your big break yet? If so, then your big break may have just arrived. America's Got Talent will be rolling into Tampa on November 12th & 13th to see what the Tampa Bay area has to offer.

America's Got Talent is the only show on TV with no age or talent restrictions so if you feel like you are good at what you do you have no excuse not to enter! The event will be held at the Tampa Bay Convention Center and the doors will be open from 8AM - 7PM. People looking to audition are urged to pre-register and those that can not make the in-person auditions can submit a video audition.

Good luck and I hope to see some of you on the bid stage with Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel & Nick Cannon. Comment below if you plan on auditioning or send any videos of your experience to whatsuptampabay@gmail.com to have your video featured.

For any other questions about the auditions, visit the America's Got Talent Auditions site.

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa July Events

Looks like another great month at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa! Check out the events they have planned for July!


July 13
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will play at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, July 13th at 10PM.Tickets are available at all ticketmaster outlets and the Rock Shop for $45. For bottle service, please call the Cafe at 813-627-7755.

July 17
Comedy Night with Greg Warren
You've seen him on the CBS Late-Late Show, so now check out Greg Warren at the Hard Rock on July
17th. Dinner and a Show at 9PM. Free Admission.

Cruise into Summer Giveaway
Win up to $10,000 or a cruise to the Caribbean. Drawings every hour from 10AM – 4PM every Wednesday in July. Players earn entries from 7am July 1st to 3:45pm July 27th. Entries are earned on a promotional basis and there is no limit to the number of entries a participant can earn. One (1) electronic entry will be awarded to Player’s Club cardholders for each increment of fifty (50) points earned based on recorded machine play. Player’s Club cardholders may be awarded additional entries through machine play and other special offers. Participants may swipe his/her card once per day for their free entry. You must be a Seminole Player’s Club cardholder in order to participate in this promotion. Player’s Club cards are free to all visitors 21 and older. Winner must be present to win.

Earn $150 Gas Card Deal for Poker Players
Exclusively for poker players. Weekly drawing, every Sunday – Thursday in July. Accumulate 20 hours of live action play in a one week period and get a $150 gas card. Players are able to redeem one gas card per week, with a maximum of four over four weeks. Must be 18 years of age to play and a Seminole Player’s Club member. Promotional time is between 12:01am Sunday – Thursday from July 3rd to July 28th.

Toys of Summer Giveaway
Win a Boat, A pair of Jet skis with trailer, a Can-Am Spyder, a Motorcycle, $25,000 cash or $10,000 cash bonus, plus a chance to pick again. Drawings every hour from 1PM – 9PM for $1,000 every Tuesday in July. Grand prize drawings at 9:30. Players earn entries from 7AM July 1st – 9:15PM July 26th. One (1) electronic entry will be awarded to Player’s Club cardholders for each increment of fifty (50) points earned based on recorded machine play. You must be a Seminole Player’s Club cardholder in order to participate in this promotion. Player’s Club cards are free to all visitors 21 and older. Winner must be present to win.

Gas Money Promotion
Win $500 gas cards, a mystery car, or up to $2,000 in cash. Drawings will be between 12PM – 2PM & 5PM – 7PM on July 17th for the $500 gas cards. Grand prize drawing will held at 3PM & 8PM on July 17th for the mystery car and $2,000 cash. Promotion runs 7AM July 1st to 7:45PM July 17th. One (1) electronic entry will be awarded to Player’s Club Cardholders for each increment of 50 points earned based on recorded machine play. Player’s Club cardholders may be awarded additional entries through other special offers. Entries are earned on a promotional basis and there is no limit on the number of entries participants can earn. You must be a Seminole Player’s Club cardholder in order to participate in this promotion. Player’s Club cards are free to all visitors 21 and older.

40th Anniversary Memorabilia Tour
(Date: TBD) Features memorabilia from the world’s greatest rock legends and icons to take guests through some of the most memorable years in rock history. Hard Rock has chosen the top 40 most iconic pieces of music memorabilia, including clothes and instruments, from its collection. Honoring the lives and legends of rock’s greatest, like Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and John Lennon, as well as today’s hottest artists, including Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry. For more information, visit www.hardrock.com.

Items from legendary artists on display include: Buddy Holly’s signature glasses, Michael Jackson’s unforgettable jacket worn in the video for “Beat It”, the wedding dress worn by Madonna on the cover of her controversial “Like a Virgin” album, Jimi Hendrix’s custom Flying V, Ray Charles’ Braille Playboy Magazine, Johnny Cash’s handmade Grammer guitar and much more, Memorabilia from today’s top contemporary artists will also be on tour, from the dress worn by Katy Perry when she famously dove on a birthday cake; and a feathered jacket worn by Brandon Flowers of The Killers; to Justin Bieber’s skateboard; and a coat worn by Snoop Dogg in the movie “Starsky & Hutch.”

For more information, visit the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa website.

Red Bull Flugtag Tampa 2011

On October 8th, Red Bull will be back to bring their wacky & zany Flugtag competition to Tampa. The Red Bull Flugtag is an event that challenges competitors to build their own human-powered flying machine. Participants must then pilot their contraption off a 30 foot platform in an attempt to "fly" for the longest distance. Teams will also be judged on creativity and showmanship.

Also:

• Teams consist of one fearless pilot and four "pushers".
• Pilot must be 18 years of age.
• Aircraft must have a wingspan of less than 30 feet and weight less than 450 pounds (including pilot).
• Flugtag applications are due on July 8th and must include a sketch of your flying machine.

A little inspiration...


Event Location: Tampa Convention Center
For More Info: http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/

CuervoGames Tampa 2011

On Saturday June 18th, the CuervoGames will roll into town to bring a unique "Wipeout meets American Gladiators-style" competition to the people of Tampa Bay. In the CuervoGames, local teams of four will compete in a challenging obstacle course with the goal of getting the best time. The team with the best time from the Tampa stop of the tour will win a trip to compete in the National Championships. This FREE event (Adults 21+) will also include the Cuervo Girls, the Maxim Hometown Hotties Competition, plenty of bar stations, a concert by B.O.B & many other surprises.

The competition will consist of:

Waterfall Climb - Scale a 20 foot wall while being drenched by rushing water.
Barrel Roll - Ascend the Mayan pyramid & capture flags all while being bombarded by falling barrels.
Agave Gauntlet - A collection of various obstacles.
Highwire Harvest - Capture agave leaves 30 feet in the air.



Event Times
3:30 PM – Qualifier Round Begins
7:30 PM – Event Doors Open
8:00 PM – Maxim Hometown Hotties Competition
8:20 PM – Cuervo Games Finals
9:30 PM – Performance by B.o.B

Location
7th Ave and 14th St
Tampa, Florida 33605

For more info or to enter your team, go to the CuervoGames Facebook Page.

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.

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.

Free Fun & Things To Do In Tampa Bay

This is a list of ongoing free attractions or things to do in the Tampa Bay area. Feel free to contact WhatsUpTampaBay@gmail.com with suggestions for other free events in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and other surrounding areas.

Free Birthday Fun Tampa Bay

Yuengling Brewery Free Tour

Dance Lessons St. Petersburg

Redbox Free Movie Mondays

St Pete Shuffle

Tampa Bay Contests

Win Tampa Bay Bucs Tickets

Win Tampa Bay Rays Tickets

Columbia Restaurant: Ybor City

A couple weeks ago I was showing some friends from Austria around the Tampa area and was very lucky when we stumbled upon Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. I had heard a little about how good the restaurant was but had no idea how great it would actually turn out.

Columbia Restaurant was founded in 1905 when Colombian immigrants were making their home in Tampa's Ybor City. It is the oldest restaurant in all of Florida and has grown to become the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. The large dining rooms are extremely beautiful and very authentic. It did not take long before the atmosphere had me feeling like I was vacationing in Spain again as I sipped on my Sangria.

I know that I normally blog about attractions in the area that are cheap or free but this dining experience is worth every penny! I ordered the Boliche "Criollo" which is "Roasted eye round of beef stuffed with chorizo and roasted in flavorful gravy." The food was absolutely amazing! The beef practically fell apart in my mouth and was so full of flavor. I was very surprised by how much I loved something as simple as the black beans, rice, and plantos that came as a side dish with my meal. I also had the chance to try the Pampano en Papillot. The dish is described as a "boneless fillet of Pompano with seafood stuffing of shrimp, crab meat, artichoke, butter and white wine, wrapped in parchment paper and baked". I will admit that I am not a big fan of seafood, but I would order this dish in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. If the entrees were any indicator of how good the deserts would turn out to be, then I definitely wish I would have saved room for desert!

For those that are looking for more than just a dining experience, Columbia Restaurant Ybor also touts a cigar bar, live music and nightly traditional Flamenco Dancing shows Monday through Saturday. If you can't make it out to Ybor, Columbia also has locations in St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Celebration, St. Augustine, and Clearwater Beach.

If you are coming to visit the Tampa Bay area and are looking for things to do or live in the Tampa area and have never experienced this "Gem of Spanish Restaurants", I highly recommend doing so! Your taste buds will thank me...

You can find more information at the Columbia Restaurant Website.