While my sister was visiting from Upstate New York we spent a morning at the Florida Aquarium. During the month of September they were allowing members of
Tampa's MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) and/or Lowry Park Zoo reciprocal entry privileges. They called it
"Swap-tember". Clever idea to increase traffic in all three venues. At least it worked on us.
www.flaquarium.org/
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| My recently retired spouse, Vicki, sister Donna and me out front. |
We have held a family membership to the zoo ever since we moved here and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. Even without the membership it is a great value for the price. One of the best in the area.
After the mid-day tour of the Aquarium it was time for a late lunch. Being so close to Ybor it seemed like the best idea to scope out a place to eat. We spotted "The Bunker" on our last visit and wanted to check it out. Its mainly a coffee and tea house with a menu too limited for our tastes, so it was back in the car to cruise 7th Avenue.
7th is the main drag of Ybor and has a healthy selection of shops and bar restaurants. One that has a fairly broad exposure to the street, with patio areas on both sides of the actual building, is
Gaspar's Grotto. Gaspar's is self-billed as a
Notorious Pirate Bar. www.gasparsgrotto.com/
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| The main building entrance. |
This place just cries out PARTY! I'm sure it is a hot night spot with regular live music and activities in the center of all the parades and revelry that is Ybor.
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| The hostess and a handful of pirates at the main bar. |
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| Our front window seats were adjacent to the start of what is an endless collection of memorabilia. |
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| Picture does not do it justice |
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| Menu offers a good selection of specialty drinks, dishes and desserts. |
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| Blackened Mahi, tasty. Fries, well not so much. |
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| Cheeseburger |
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| Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich w/plantain chips, w/o bread |
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| Buffalo chicken (as a wrap) |
The kind of place you go to for the entertainment factor more than the scrumptious eats. However our server was very attentive and the food did make a lump where needed. We were having a very good day so it fit in to our theme of exploring Tampa quite nicely.
On our scale of
YUCK to
SUPER I would have to give it a
Mini pass. Nothing to rave about but nothing to go the the ER over either.
