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Tampa Guys - Zoo Tampa/Seminole Heights area (1 Viewer)

Joe Mammy

Footballguy
Tampa bros- we live 90 minutes to the north in Citrus Co. We love zoos and wildlife and just bought year passes to Zoo Tampa, it is a great deal $42 per person gives you admittance for the rest of 2021.

We plan on coming down at least once a month for the zoo. We've been watching the National Geographic specials on Zoo Tampa. Looks amazing!

Now my questions for the locals, best near to the zoo food and breweries? I see Brew Bus and Angry Chair are close (1 mile) and  and look very interesting. I am always seeking the best fresh grouper (usually fried) sandwich too. Someone told me about a great grouper sandwich in Tampa here and I can't remember where or which thread??

Help the aging memory challenged who must work the mandibles on fresh fish.

 
Tampa bros- we live 90 minutes to the north in Citrus Co. We love zoos and wildlife and just bought year passes to Zoo Tampa, it is a great deal $42 per person gives you admittance for the rest of 2021.

We plan on coming down at least once a month for the zoo. We've been watching the National Geographic specials on Zoo Tampa. Looks amazing!

Now my questions for the locals, best near to the zoo food and breweries? I see Brew Bus and Angry Chair are close (1 mile) and  and look very interesting. I am always seeking the best fresh grouper (usually fried) sandwich too. Someone told me about a great grouper sandwich in Tampa here and I can't remember where or which thread??

Help the aging memory challenged who must work the mandibles on fresh fish.
Ray’s Fish Camp is my favorite grouper sandwich (blackened), but I’m sure others will say different. You’ve got Circa 1949 right near the zoo which serves a lot of good beers. 7venth Sun and Southern Brewing and Winemaking are near Angry Chair. HTH

ETA: If you go to Ray’s Fish Camp, 81 Bay Brewing is nearby as is Cigar City. 

 
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We hit the zoo yesterday, very nice. Unfortunately, Angry Chair is closed M & T. We did have a great lunch at Social House at the corner of Fern and 41. But the real find was the new brewery in Wesley Chapel right off the interstate - FL Ave Brewery. Place is huge with a great outdoor garden with couches around the tables. Fancy bars with an amazing tap system. Beer is very good too.

 
We go twice/month with 2 young boys...love it.  Also love Bodega, just around the corner on Florida Ave...fantastic Cubans...but there are also quite a few great places in that same small area.

 
gump said:
We go twice/month with 2 young boys...love it.  Also love Bodega, just around the corner on Florida Ave...fantastic Cubans...but there are also quite a few great places in that same small area.
I get Cubans at the Bodega on Central in St. Pete before Ray's games. There is something about the cheese, it just seems creamier.

 
So many nice places (attractions, beaches, restaurants, etc.) on the FL gulf coast....more so north of Punta Gorda all the way up to Clearwater.

MOTE aquarium, St. Armands Circle, Siesta Key....awesome place to live/work/visit.

 
Joe Mammy said:
We hit the zoo yesterday, very nice. Unfortunately, Angry Chair is closed M & T. We did have a great lunch at Social House at the corner of Fern and 41. But the real find was the new brewery in Wesley Chapel right off the interstate - FL Ave Brewery. Place is huge with a great outdoor garden with couches around the tables. Fancy bars with an amazing tap system. Beer is very good too.
Double Branch Artisanal Ales is just right up the road. I’ve heard good things.   

 
gump said:
We go twice/month with 2 young boys...love it.  Also love Bodega, just around the corner on Florida Ave...fantastic Cubans...but there are also quite a few great places in that same small area.
Green Bench/Webb’s City Cellar one block north is a bonus too.

 
Ya'll talking about Lowry Park?
I have been boycotting ever since they changed the name.  It is a blatant sign of disrespect to Mike Lowry, especially after he did so much to stop the ecstasy trade taking down Johnny Tapia. 

If the OP wants the excitement of a zoo he can just take his family south in US 19.  You can see all kinds of wild creatures at the strip malls along the way lining up at vape, shops and XXX video cinemas.

 
I have been boycotting ever since they changed the name.  It is a blatant sign of disrespect to Mike Lowry, especially after he did so much to stop the ecstasy trade taking down Johnny Tapia. 

If the OP wants the excitement of a zoo he can just take his family south in US 19.  You can see all kinds of wild creatures at the strip malls along the way lining up at vape, shops and XXX video cinemas.
Maybe if I hopped into my time machine DeLorean and went back a few years. Way to damper...

 
Warning! These National Geographic's can be an emotional roller coaster. See what these animals go through, good and bad and the people who work with them:

Secrets of Zoo Tampa

We saw a couple of the zookeepers that were featured in the show at the zoo the other day. They love the recognition and are really nice people.

 
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I can't remember if Lion country safari was there or near Orlando but that place was fun, drive through zoo
We were attacked by ostriches there. West Palm Beach. It is an awesome experience. I have a beer bottle opener refrigerator magnet that reminds me of my safari daily.

 
So many nice places (attractions, beaches, restaurants, etc.) on the FL gulf coast....more so north of Punta Gorda all the way up to Clearwater.

MOTE aquarium, St. Armands Circle, Siesta Key....awesome place to live/work/visit.
We visit the FL Wildlife Park in Homosassa regularly, it is great! They even have a state adopted hippo, Lucifer- they have a birthday party for him every year and toss a huge cake into his mouth to celebrate. "HEY LOU!"

 
We were attacked by ostriches there. West Palm Beach. It is an awesome experience. I have a beer bottle opener refrigerator magnet that reminds me of my safari daily.
Our car got completely surrounded by zebras which was pretty cool to see them so close up but a little intimidating to be surrounded by an animal I really know nothing about.  The crew came bombing over to us in a pickup with food in the back and started throwing it out to them and they went flying after it. 

Afterwards I realized that they have totally trained the zebras to swarm cars so they can make the food truck come. I wonder how much of that is planned and how much is just keeping the guests safe. 

 
Our car got completely surrounded by zebras which was pretty cool to see them so close up but a little intimidating to be surrounded by an animal I really know nothing about.  The crew came bombing over to us in a pickup with food in the back and started throwing it out to them and they went flying after it. 

Afterwards I realized that they have totally trained the zebras to swarm cars so they can make the food truck come. I wonder how much of that is planned and how much is just keeping the guests safe. 
Zebras are very interesting and very wild. In one of those Nat Geo Zoo Tampa episodes they had to anesthetize one to clean his hooves. When he started to come to they ran for cover. When we were in Animal Kingdom Lodge last week I watched 7 zebras race for a fresh bale of hay like it was the Savannah Derby!

 
Makes me miss the Chimp Farm on Alt-19 in Tarpon Springs,

Nothing funnier then chimps smoking cigarettes, spitting and throwing their poop on the tourists, 

 
So we've been taking 2 night trips around FL keeping it fairly close to the house. Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge last week. Next week St. Augustine for some history and Cinco de Mayo partying. Dinner at Llama scheduled, we've never had Peruvian fare.

I told a friend we were going to St. Aug next week and he said, "be sure to go to the alligator farm." I've been there before and I don't really care for alligator farms. What I do like is mass alligator sightings in the wild:

1. Bird Rookery Trail in Naples. We rode our beach cruisers through the 12 mile loop and saw a bear, a bobcat, numerous raptors and literally 100's of gator some sitting right on the trail and saw a 13' named Goliath by the locals.

2. LaChua Trail in Gainesville part of Payne's Prairie. Here you'll see 100's of gators, some feeding on fish by a spillway. Wild bison and horses meander through the gators. We went last May during nesting season and they growl very loud at you from the bushes, mostly unseen.

3. Myakka State Park. Take the boat ride. The gators were so thick in the water and on the banks you could have walked across the lake James Bond style without getting wet.

It's mating season now. I can hear the males bellowing at night now from the backyard. Cool man!

 
I can't remember if Lion country safari was there or near Orlando but that place was fun, drive through zoo
That's between Lake O and West Palm....my wife's grandmother used to live in the Acerage over there and you could hear the lions every morning and every evening from her house.  Been through that thing many times.  

 
I'll be in the Tampa and Clearwater areas the next week.  Any restaurant or brewery recommendations?  Will read through the thread but thought there may be new suggestions.

 
I'll be in the Tampa and Clearwater areas the next week.  Any restaurant or brewery recommendations?  Will read through the thread but thought there may be new suggestions.
Tampa Breweries (in no particular order):

Coppertail

Bastet

Cigar City

Hidden Springs

Woven Water

Magnanimous

7venth Sun

Bay Cannon

Tampa Restaurants (also in no particular order):

Bern’s ($$$$)

Ulele ($$$)

Datz ($$)

Big Ray’s Fish Camp ($$)

Hula Bay ($$)

Cafe European ($$)

Ella’s American Folk Art Cafe ($$)

Oxford Exchange ($$)

HTH

 
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re: Clearwater restaurants- We usually vacation in nearby Indian Rocks Beach.

IRB (mostly seafood) restaurants that I'd recommend -

Keegans(strip mall atmosphere but food is good enough for Diners Drive ins and Dives)

Guppy ( a little nicer atmosphere and across the street from the beach for an after dinner walk)

Salt Rock Grill (date night material with Intercoastal waterway deck)

 

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