HOLIDAY WINTER 2019-2020 Florida’s #1 Visitors GuideTM DESTINATIOlNTM FLORIDA Full Steam Ahead! Port Tampa WASSUP? Takes You Places Hoggetowne Fair + 55 Other Holiday Winter Let’s Eat! Happenings Restaurants, Recipes, Sample Menus & More TAMPA ST. PETERSBURG CLEARWATER SARASOTA GAINESVILLE OCALA CEDAR KEY DestinationFlorida.com CRUISE IN 6 EXCEPTIONAL WAYS! New in 2020, choose from six of the world’s most popular cruise lines and a host of itineraries throughout the Caribbean and Mexico. Together with Ybor City, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, Downtown Tampa / Riverwalk and the world’s most beautiful beaches and theme parks, what are you waiting for? Book with us today! • 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 & 14 day cruises • North America’s second-best airport and fifth in the world in customer satisfaction1 • New Western, Eastern & Southern 1 Caribbean itineraries • Airports Council International • More than 4,000 safe and secure parking spaces steps from the cruise terminals 1101 CHANNELSIDE DRIVE, TAMPA, FLORIDA 33602 WWW.PORTTB.COM | 800-741-2297 HOLIDAY WINTER 2019-2020 3 p 8-18 What’s Up 17-22 Xplore p 25-39 Good Eats DESTINATIOlN what’s inside... FLORIDA TAMPA • ST. PETE • CLEARWATER 6 - 7 Concierge’s Top Picks 32 Everything Under The Sun SARASOTA • GAINESVILLE The best of Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater OCALA • CEDAR KEY Clearwater, Gainesville and Ocala. 35 Where Nature And Culture Meet 8 - 18 What’s Up Gainesville Fun happenings, special events & theater 36 - 37 Small Town Charm In Gainesville 13 Gypsies, Knights & Magicians! Haile Village Hoggetowne Medieval Faire 38 Bite 17 - 22 Xplore Founder & CEO Unique attractions for all ages 39 A Taste Of Old Florida Mark L. Wodlinger Cedar Key CO & Director Of Marketing 23 Full Steam Ahead! Marilyn B.Wodlinger Cruise Port Tampa Bay 40 America’s Happiest Seaside Town Sarasota Creative Director 24 So Much to See and Do! Pamela Childs Tampa At A Glance 41 - 43 What’s On The Menu? Sample menus from some of our Art Director Marsha Michaels 25 - 39 Good Eats favorite restaurants Cool spots to eat, drink and party Web Master 44 Extras Lance Belew 27 Local Flavor Services and Lodging Hyde Park Village Contributors Jenna Carina 46 - 49 Getting Around Hunter Jonathan 30 A Must See Local area maps Elizabeth McFarlane Surprising St. Pete C. Stone J. Christ M. Louis Maps Produced by: Creative Force Maps, creativeforce.com Published Tri-Annually ABOUT THE COVER Online Edition @ DestinationFloridaGulfCoast.com Port Tampa is now the leading homeport for six cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean To become a Marketing Partner International and Norwegian Cruise Line. Read more about it on page 23. or to order complimentary copies for your lodging property, please contact us at The official in-room visitors guide for the top lodging properties in GreaterTampa [email protected] Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota Gainesville, Ocala and Cedar Key. Also Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. distributed at local Chambers, restaurants, attractions and other popular locations. 4 DESTINATION FLORIDA Concierge TOP PICKS BEST ATTRACTIONS DEAL Tampa Bay City Pass With the Tampa Bay City Pass, you can save a whopping 53% off combined admission to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay along with four additional attractions in the Tampa Bay area including The Florida Aquarium, Lowry Park Zoo, Clearwater Marina Aquarium (home to Winter, star of the popular Dolphin Tale movies) and your choice of either the Museum Of Science and Industry (MOSI) or the Chihuly Collection. City Pass Booklets are valid for nine consecutive days beginning with the first day of use. Such a BEST RESORT FOR AGES 2 -12 deal! Find it at citypass.com/tampa. Legoland BEST CLASSIC BURGER If there’s anything that makes you Shula’s Steak House long to be a kid again, it’s this totally Mimi’s signature Baked Krispy Chicken. awesome 150-acre interactive theme If you love Don Shula’s famous steaks, Everything here is outrageously good! In park specifically designed for kids you’ll really flip over his fresh, juicy Ocala at 53 S Magnolia (352-622-5550); 2 -12 years old. With more than 50 char grilled burgers. The legendary NFL and in Williston at 106 NW Mail St (352- unique rides, 10 theme zones and all Coach raises the bar with a big beefy 528-5410). ivyhousefl.com. kinds of really cool attractions, it is the patty that is always made fresh from his absolute bomb! Lots of special events own signature blend of Premium Black here, too. FYI: The water ride, “Quest BEST SHARK ENCOUNTER Angus Chuck, Short Rib and brisket, For Chi” is an absolute blast! Find it The Florida Aquarium perfectly seasoned and served with at 1 Legoland Way in Winter Haven. lettuce, tomatoe, pickle and your choice Ok, Ok, so maybe going nose-to-nose 877-350-5346; legoland.com/Florida of cheese on a brioche style bun. Once with a 600 lb Great White is not your Legoland Properties - Legoland Hotel, you’ve tackled one of these bad boys, idea of a great day at the beach, Legoland Beach Retreat and opening you’ll never suffer another “Mac-Attack” Awesome Aespeciallyw whenai itt flashess! those pearly in 2020, Pirate Island Hotel. again. Two locations: Westshore Grand whites at you. But fear not. At Tampa’s Hotel, 4860 West Kennedy Blvd, Tampa Florida Aquarium you can actually Visit your Guest Services desk (813-286-4366); Hilton Univeristy of BEST SOUTHERN COOKING swim or dive with sharks as well as with Florida Conference Center, 1714 SW Ivy On The Square 1600 other colorful fish including sting 34th St., Gainesville (305-664-2321). for discount tirays,ck barracudas,ets. sea turtles and more Southern food is synonymous with comfort Info: shulas.com.LEGOLAND.com/Florida food so it’s not surprising that great — all without being a certified SCUBA 1 LEGOLAND Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884 Southern recipes, passed down from one diver! It’s all part of the Aquarium’s generation to the next, are cherished and special “Shark Swim”program — an protected. And that brings us to Marjorie in-water reef experience that is truly an ”Mimi” Hale - the matriarch of the adventure of a lifetime (must be age 9 award-winning “Ivy House Restaurant & or older to participate). The Aquarium’s Catering” in Williston® as well as the new, Coral Reef Gallery simulates an actual hip “Ivy OnL ETheG Square”O N inI downtownNJA GO WreefO inR theL DryD Tortugas just off of Ocala. Two restaurants, two different vibes Key West. While you get up close but both shareO theP sameEN authenticING Southern EAR LYand 2personal017 with the fishes, friends specialties created from Mimi’s cherished and family can watch from the exhibit family recipes. You’ll find perennial pathway. How cool is that! 701 favorites like homemade Pimento Cheese, Channelside Dr., Tampa, FL 33602 Fried Green Tomatoes, Shrimp & Grits and (813) 273-4000; flaquarium.org 6 DESTINATION FLORIDA LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, the Minifigure and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2016 The LEGO Group. BEST OF BROADWAY STRAZ Center If you love Broadway musicals, the STRAZ Center is just the ticket. This extraordinary 335,000 square foot performance center stages some of Broadway’s greatest hits Including Cabaret, Wicked, An American In Paris, and other Tony Award-winners, as well as grand opera and a variety of concerts, performances and events. With five halls, three restaurants, a coffee shop and the Patel Conservatory, it’s the second largest performing arts center in the U.S. Find it at 1010 N.W. C. MacInnes Place, Tampa. Info 813-229-7827; strazcenter.org. BEST SUSHI WITH A VIEW BEST CIGAR EMPORIUM Jackson’s Bistro Bar & Sushi Davidoff Of Geneva Amazing sushi, fantastic water views With 5,000 square feet of humidified and a large outdoor dining patio/ tiki space, this smoking-hot cigar emporium bar make this happening harbor front showcases a unique collection of spot the perfect place to click your premium cigars, must-have accessories chopsticks and revel in an extensive and curated pieces. But what really puts lineup of fresh sashimi, sushi appetizers it over the top are the added amenities and all kinds of signature specialty which include multiple indoor-and-out rolls. Some of our favorites: the Maine smoking lounges, private lockers and Lobster Tempura Roll with eel sauce an elegant full service bar with top and spicy mayo along with the Happy shelf libations. Yowza! Find it at the Sumo Roll (blue crab, spicy tuna, cream Metwest International Shopping Center, cheese & cucumber topped with eel and 4142 Boy Scout Blvd. near Tampa’s tempura chips - yum!). There are plenty International Mall and Airport. Info: of American options, as well, including 813-513-7560; davidofftampa.com. succulent Point Judith Calamari Rings with sweet chili spicy mayo and some of the biggest and tastiest coconut shrimp on the planet. Find it at 601 S Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa. Info: 813-277- 0112; JacksonBistro.com. BEST RIB EYE BEST FRENCH Bascom’s Chop House RESTAURANT It’s hard not to love everything on La Cuisine Bascom’s menu. The seafood which is Located in historic delivered daily and beautifully prepared, downtown Ocala, this is always top drawer and the center charming French restaurant is cut prime chops are as good as they like taking a trip to Paris without get. But it’s the glorious, 16 oz bone-in having to pack. Owners Patrice and Ribeye that has us hooked. Hand cut Elodie Perron source super fresh, high quality from Certified Angus midwestern grain- ingredients for their sensational European creations.