1. Get A Rare Close-Up Of Everyone's Favorite Ocean Friends
One of the area’s best-kept secrets is the fact that there’s a perfect place to see manatees in their natural habitat. Just like snowbirds, manatees love warm weather. The Manatee Viewing Center is where the tourists crowd, but the best bet for viewing is when the Big Bend Power Station at Apollo Beach cools down its units with cool water from Tampa Bay. The gentle giants are drawn to the warm water that flows from the discharge canal.
2. Big Momma’s Smokehouse BBQ Does It Right
You will not find Big Momma’s Smokehouse BBQ listed as a top Tampa restaurants. But it puts the soul in soul food! Cornbread, baked beans, fall-off-the-bone ribs, you name it. A little ways from downtown and out of the obvious limelight, everyday becomes a special event at the “bluesie” restaurant. The restaurant brings a little weekend to your week. Beginning with Monday Madness and ending on Freaky Friday, the restaurant offers tasty specials. Visit on Thrilling Thursday and receive a free piece of sweet potato pie with your lunch special.
3. Even The Bike Racks In Tampa Are Tricked Out
Lots of towns have bike paths for touring, but how many have bike site tours? Dunedin does. The city has several whimsical bike racks, and a train-themed rack is the latest addition. The train, with a working light and bell, is a loose copy of an authentic locomotive that ran through Dunedin at the turn of the century. The metal train is the eighth in a series of racks throughout the city blending function with art. It may take a little search and discovery to find all eight racks, but it’s worth it.
4. Recycling Goes Next Level At Hong Kong Willies
Source: Youtube user Brad Stager
You might not even know you can stop and visit this colorful residence. There are no signs to summon travellers to the little house covered with prism-inspired floats, lobster buoys and other recycled paraphernalia. But, appearing as if it was dipped in a rainbow, the little house is its own best billboard. The building is the home of the Hong Kong Willies Preservation Art Group, and visitors will also find sustainable art on sale so they can take a little piece of this hidden gem home.
5. Tampa Is Home To The Blingiest Dragon You’ll Ever See
Not quite seeing the connection between a giant dragon and a jewelry store? You will once you see it. It sparkles, it shines, it amazes when the sun shines on its silvery scales. The shimmering appearance makes it a great mascot for a jewelry store. The dragon reaches at least 30 feet long, but you might miss it on top of one-story, unremarkable row of stores. The dragon brings real class to this tiny strip mall.
6. Take A Big Ride On A Very Little Train
One would think that Largo Central Railroad would be more acclaimed; it’s the 4th largest in the Tampa area. Perhaps it’s the infrequent hours that lends to this train’s secrecy. Only open to the public on the first weekend of the month, the train ride provides a unique experience along a miniature track in Largo Central Park.
7. Do You Know The Muffler Man?
Unless your car needs repair, you’d probably miss the Muffler Man altogether, even though in theory he should be hard to miss. This guy is big, and until the city ordered it down he stood on the roof of Big Joe’s Air Muffler & Brake City. And it’s not required for you to have car trouble to gawk at him. The very studly, hard-hat-wearing, wrench-in-hand Muffler Man gawks right back.
8. Cypress Gardens Shows Are Gone, But Not Lost
This is definitely a throwback to those classic water shows of “Old Florida,” or movies like “Flipper” and “Sea Hunt”. Cypress Gardens, where skiers once performed, has been swallowed up by Legoland, but former skiers from the once famed gardens keep their craft alive every third Saturday of the month. The show is free to anyone who wants to sit or stand along Lake Silver, so bring a lawn chair and enjoy the show.
9. Go For The World’s Biggest Spare At Splitsville
No kidding, Tampa is home to the world’s largest bowling pin. You can see it if you look for it in the courtyard of the Channelside Bay Plaza, but it’s not actually visible from the street. It kind of looks like the Jolly Green Giant just bowled a spare. In reality the larger-than-life pin is a marker for Splitsville, an upscale bowling alley and bar.
10. The Brew Bus Is Every Tampa Party Hound’s New BFF
No coffee brewed here, though Brew Bus aficionado’s think beer is, “good to the last drop”. Brew lovers hop on the bus and are driven to area breweries. Real craft - brew evangelists run the Tampa Brew Bus, simply for the love of beer and to help everyone else love it too. All the breweries along the route are craft brewers, and while it may have some popularity among craft enthusiasts, it’s still an untapped secret to the masses of beer drinkers in Tampa, so get in on it before the secret’s out.
11. Get The Scoop On Saddam Hussein’s Secret Sweet Tooth
Do you know that the former and late dictator of Iraq had a penchant for chocolate? True story. You’ll learn this and other secret information at the city’s Armed Forces Museum. It’s a bit off the beaten path, and is home to tons of memorabilia from the United States armed service branches. But probably the most unforgettable feature in a life-size replica of Saddam Hussein, which would look menacing except for the Mars bar held in his right hand. Who knew?
Did we miss anything? Tell us your favorite secret spot in Tampa in the comments below!
