Best of Tampa 2008

Staff Picks
BEST WAY TO SOW YOUR OATS (AND TOMATOES, TOO) Bartlett Park’s Community Garden
BEST PLACE TO CAMP Pinellas Hope
BEST PLACE TO WATERBOARD A JOURNALIST Dale Mabry Highway
BEST WAY TO RAISE A RUCKUS WITH A RACIST EMBLEM Sons of Confederate Veterans’ giant flag
BEST WEEKLY PROTEST Dunedin Peace Cornering
BEST PLACE TO HOOK UP AT 5 A.M. Floyd’s Nightclub at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
BEST PLACE TO WATCH A LOCAL CELEBRITY FUCK UP Hyde Park Cafe
BEST MOVIE STAR SIGHTING John Travolta at Sunscreen Film Festival
BEST OVERHYPED BUZZ Salvia
BEST PLACE TO GROW POT Hernando County
BEST “BIG” NIGHT OUT Club Rubenesque
BEST PLACE TO FEEL OLD Any Skatepark of Tampa-sponsored rock show
BEST PLACE TO SWING WITH YOUR GRANDPARENTS’ FRIENDS Gulfport Casino
ULTRA-WORST NEW CLUB TREND Ultra Lounges in St. Pete
BEST PLACE FOR A FREE BEER (OR TWO) Yuengling Brewery
BEST WAY TO TAKE A TRIP WITHOUT LEAVING TAMPA BAY Gram’s Place
MOST ATTRACTIVE COLLEGE CAMPUSES TIE: Eckerd College and the University of Tampa
BEST HOOKAH LOUNGE 4U Coffee & Ice Cream
BEST INDIE COFFEEHOUSE Sacred Grounds
BEST MULLETS Florida State Fair
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL OUTING Kayak Nature’s Green Machine
BEST NATURE TOUR Paddling the Upper Hillsborough River
BEST REASON TO AVOID THE BEACH Live bar music
BEST PLACE TO TOTALLY UNLEASH YOUR DOG Honeymoon Island State Park’s dog beach
BEST CANINE-FREE DOG TRACK Tampa Greyhound Track
BEST AMATEUR FLYING COMPETITION Red Bull Flugtag
BEST HOMELESS HANDOUT Homeless Emergency Project’s Freewheel Program
BEST NEW BILLBOARD TIA’s Remote Waiting Lot’s Arrival and Departure Board
BEST NEW VIEW The Airport Overpass
BEST ATTEMPT AT TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT Overpass system on U.S. 19 in Clearwater
MOST TREACHEROUS MERGE The Fourth Street onramp to I-275 in St. Pete
BEST ADDITION TO THE ROADWAYS Electronic signs
BEST REASON TO NOT KEEP A GUN IN THE CAR Bridge traffic
BEST PLACE TO FIND A FIGHT First Fridays in St. Pete
BEST PLACE TO BE HARASSED Downtown St. Petersburg
BEST MAKE-OUT BEACH Sunset Beach, south of Caddy’s
BEST NIGHTTIME WATERFRONT WALK The Dunedin Causeway
BEST ROMANTIC EVENING STROLL Downtown Gulfport
BEST WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF EVERYONE Twitter
BEST CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY Evander Preston’s gifts of vice to the homeless
BEST SECTION OF TOWN THAT MAKES MONS VENUS LOOK LIKE A DAYCARE CENTER Drew Park
BEST PUBLIC MASTURBATION BY A STATUE The Kosciuszko Statue in Williams Park, St. Pete
BEST GAY MARKETING EXPLOSION The GaYbor Coalition