My time at Hyde Park Village was essentially an elite level window shopping experience with my…read moremother, and honestly, I would not trade that day for anything. She was with me for my hair appointment, so we turned the whole thing into a full blown mother daughter day, which made it special regardless of what we did or did not buy. Hyde Park Village is absolutely perfect for strolling, wandering, lingering, and people watching because if you want to observe how the well heeled set moves through life, this is your front row seat. You will see retirees with serious jewelry sitting at cafés for hours, young professionals dressed like they have brand partnerships, and valet attendants casually opening doors to cars that cost more than some people's homes. It is fascinating in the best way. As for shopping, I will say this with humor and humility, it is way outside of my budget. I can admire the displays, appreciate the tailoring, and mentally style outfits I am not purchasing, but when I look at the price tags I am reminded that I am there for the ambiance and not the transactions. That does not make the experience any less enjoyable because there is something wonderful about walking through a beautifully curated space without the pressure to buy. For me, Hyde Park Village works as a place to enjoy a gorgeous Florida day, grab a bite, observe the scene, and spend quality time with my mother, which is what truly mattered. I may not have left with shopping bags swinging from my arm, but I left with a memory of a really lovely day, and sometimes that is the better purchase anyway.

Hyde Park is about a mile and a half away from downtown Tampa and we were excited to get a walk in…read moreto go explore. My first Impressions was that it reminds me of a mini Rodeo Drive. Cute little shopping area with name brands as well as local shops. There are a few restaurants to pick from as well. A fun way to spend a few hours if you have time to kill in Tampa.

The "We Don't Do Sales" Mall…read more Yesterday was Mother Daughter Day and after not seeing my mother for over 30 days I wanted to give her a proper Tampa day. The bay, the walkways, some shopping, and a stop at Columbia Restaurant which honestly was not good. Then we went to International Plaza and Bay Street thinking we would do what we always do. Browse, hunt, and find something great on sale. That is how WE shop. We walked into Altar'd State and asked where the sale section was. We were told they do not do sales there. Not even a small rack in the back. .. thought maybe it's just that store Then we went into Dillard's and asked the same question. The woman looked us up and down like we had three heads and gave us the same answer. Finally I made the realization . . This mall is built for people who pay full price and do not question it. To be fair, it is beautiful. Clean, polished, very well put together. A strong mix of stores and a surprising number of high end brands. Completely different than what I expected and it threw me off my game. But there is no thrill here. No hunt. No digging. No moment where you find that one piece that makes the whole trip worth it. Have fun shopping at full price here. I am not one of those people. I do not pay full retail ever and I am not starting now. And I know plenty of wealthy people who can afford to pay full price and they will not do it either. They know better.

We stopped to visit Easter bunny at international Plaza and also to find a coffee shop that a…read morefriend recommended near Nordstrom. We definitely got some steps in walking around the mall. It's been a while since I've been here and they definitely have a wide variety of stores. We did stop by and see the Easter bunny. The staff was super nice. They were doing a little dances and keeping the kids entertained. Also, we did find the coffee shop called E bar near Nordstrom. Which was pretty good actually. For lunch, we did stop at the food court, but I wouldn't eat there again. The food was terrible at wok o holic. There is better food outside the food court.

I went to Indie Flea for the first time this past weekend because I wanted to check out the new…read moreArmature Works. Parking was a disaster; between the outdoor church services in the nearby park, and all the exercisers, I was just driving down the street to leave when somebody pulled out and I got their spot. After walking around to the back of the building, there were four vendors set up. I thought - is this all there is? - and then finally I noticed people were using a different back entrance to gain access to the actual flea market. Directional signs would be a major plus next time! Inside there was an excellent selection of vendors, piled far and wide into narrow rows. I would have loved to have spent more time perusing, but it got so crowded so quickly, it was impossible. One trip through and I was done. If you don't like crowds, this is NOT the event for you. One final thought - please, for the love of all that is holy, leave your strollers and your pets at home. Carry your babies, or don't bring them, but there was certainly not enough room for the overwhelming number of carriages and the mass of humanity that filled this tiny space.

The holiday Flea Market of December 2015 was pretty packed with a great turnout. I enjoyed the…read moreopportunity to visit the historic Rialto Theatre and the chances to see inside it. I also liked historic neighboring buildings that are starting to get repurposed as the area starts to blossom. Next door is a custom woodwork and furniture shop. They also do laser engraving and stencils. Woodshop classes. Hidden Springs Ale Works is next door on the other side. It is a newish brewery spot and tasting room in a warehouse space. The Heights YMCA, Carnegie library building, Waterworks Park and Ulele Restaurant, Cafe Hey, Oceanic Oriental Market, and Cafe Hey are also nearby. The indie vendors are the main attraction at the Indie Flea. Several crafters of leather goods, belts, purses, bags, a lovely smock and bag maker, Dark Cycle and other local t-shirt and clothing design companies, some cake and donut vendors, a few food trucks, candles, soaps, wreaths and succulents, cards, vintage items and such as well as good people watching. Disney Springs / Downtown Disney this ain't. These hipsters are fashionistas!!! I wore my best Americsn Apparel vintage tee. This is a great project by community minded peeps. Buy local. Love local. Live local. And fight Mayor Buckhorn's TBX highway expansion that will decimate, destroy and divide these historic neighborhoods once again in favor of suburban commuters and Buckhorn's big business construction buddies.

Love Ybor. Different world in the day time with a cigar and a coffee. Can be a little sketchy at…read moretimes but as long as you know how to fight and or protect yourself you will be ok. Beautiful Cuban history and views. Always a growing place

That new place upstairs, is garbage. Got the taco order wrong 3 times, and soon will be another…read moreratchet ass place. You can already tell..

If you are into vintage and antique shopping at all, the Vintage Roost is a must visit. They're…read moreonly open certain weekends as they inventory things so if you check their social media or website you can find the dates to check it out. I have come the last few years for their Christmas market and am obsessed. It's not the biggest space but they jam pack things in here so it takes at least 30-40 minutes if you want into every pocket and really look through everything. Of course there are some things that are a little pricey but for vintage items I think a lot of it is pretty affordable. You can get all kind of knick knacks, jewelry, clothes, home decor, utensils and much more. There's a little something for everyone here and it's the most fun.

Love to browse and shop around this place so many nice things that you can't find anywhere you'll…read moreenjoy yourself immensely. Take your time and browse around.

Overpriced junk (I'm a high end furniture buyer, I know prices and quality.)…read more Also, what the heck is with all the bad reviews for towing and not paying the people who consign goods to you? That's theft. Check out Margarita's review- wish I'd read her review before I stepped foot in here.

This place is an absolute must! So many items that were so nice and unique. The pricing for items…read morefelt reasonable. Nice variety and selection. Everything was also nicely displayed! Staff were great with helping with a few items I had questions on. They take cash and card. Parking available in the front and in the back.

There's always so much going on here from cruises to bowling to eating to the beer garden, live…read moremusic, and in general lots of people watching. I come over here all the time on my nightly walk and people watch. I also have been to Splitsville a bunch for bowling and eating. The LightHaus Beer Garden is at the middle of the wharf and is a nice place to watch a game, catch a beer, and enjoy the Tampa weather. Sundays are usually the best day to come here because then you can watch the cruise boats sail away. The Tampa sign is right next to here. There's not a giant Sparkman Wharf chair that you can get your picture at. Oh, and don't sleep on JoToro. I like getting Mexican food over there and it's very cheap. Once again, another great spot to people watch.

I had some time to kill before heading to the airport, so I took a walk over to Sparkman Wharf…read more It's conveniently located not far from the cruise terminal in Tampa and was very easy to find. There were quite a few food places to choose from and a nice grassy area to sit outside and eat, which gave it a relaxing atmosphere. The downside for me was that there really weren't many shops; actually I believe I only saw one shop and it was for dogs. I think it would be much better if they added more shops and a souvenir shop would be awesome so visitors and cruise travelers could pick up some unique treasures while they're there. Overall, it's a decent spot to grab a bite and relax for a little while, but I was hoping for a bit more shopping and entertainment.

Midtown is such a cute place to grab a bite to eat or coffee/tea with friends. This past weekend, I…read morestopped by to grab a bubble tea at Midtown Boba and I stumbled upon the Sunshine Market at Midtown. Of course, I had to walk around to see all of the amazing vendors. The market takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month. There was live music, so many vendors selling gorgeous dresses, local produce, jewelry, and so much more. I fell in love with the cutest handmade seashell jewelry from the Shell + Stone's pop-up tent (she also runs a shop online). I ended up picking out a few rings, and the owner was actually running a 27% off sale for St. Pete's 727 Day. Stumbling upon this market was the perfect surprise to kickstart my Saturday morning. I love that parking is easy and accessible too. I definitely have some more exploring to do at Midtown, so I can't wait to stop by again soon.

Great selection of restaurants and services! Family friendly, great for groups, date nights, and…read moreeverything in between! You'll definitely get a decent value for your money! I usually hit up sunda, sal y mar, or Ben and Jerry's! They also have exotic car shows, and vendors markets, which are my favorites! Definitely check this spot out for fun stuff to do!

We stopped by here to kill time after landing early in the morning to grab some coffee before going…read moreto our hotel. We loved walking around and relaxing it was during our exploration time there. Lots of spots to take pictures around here and very walkable. Since it was about 9am we didn't have any issues finding parking, it's all paid. I believe we paid just under $6 for 2 hours. I hope we get to come back here again to try the foods next time since everything was still closed when we went!

Parking is too expensive. Restaurants are nice but very expensive in this area and can be a great…read moreburden on locals; they should valet the ticket or give discounts on parking for certain hours. In addition It can be quite noisy on weekends.

This was a very unique oddities shop. I don't think I would necessarily identify it as an antique…read moreshop. It has a lot of of interesting and fun curious pieces but everything is very highly priced. It was fun to walk through and check out all the unique items but it's not really a stop for those who are looking to encounter a full antique shop with a large stock of items. Very pricey.

Wow. I've never seen anything like it, ever. This is the most amazing collection of oddities I've…read moreever seen. The weird, the wonderful, and beyond. The store owner was also really sweet and took time to talk to us about her collection.