Sultry and sunny by day, Florida turns up the heat at night as clubs, lounges and hot spots transform bedtime into party time.
If your group isn’t quite ready to call it a night at day’s end, local watering holes, late-night eateries and entertainment districts might be the right call. Just be prepared to do some major perusing because variety is the spice of nightlife in Florida.
“What I think is so interesting about Florida is there’s a little something for everyone, like the proverbial box of chocolates,” says Lily Etemadi, meetings and travel trade manager for VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. “We have the hottest nightclubs in the world, like LIV at the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach, all the way to fun honkytonks like Tootsies in Panama City Beach.There are beach bars and places where you can dance in the sand.”
But while clubs and lounges span the state—there are hundreds in Greater Miami alone—a good number also feature private rooms and other gathering spaces for groups who want to spend the night together…partying, that is.
“Plenty of places have private rooms and private tables,” Etemadi notes. “You can also make your own party here. We have some of the best DJs in the country right in Orlando or Miami, and they can be hired. All of this is right at your fingertips.”
Lounging Around
Shaken or stirred, the martini is a timeless classic and they come in nearly every incarnation—including pomegranate, Creamsicle, strawberry basil and cucumber—at Blue Martini, one of many hot spots in Mercato, a shopping and dining center in the Southwest Florida enclave of Naples.
Groups can do their sipping at private tables or private rooms, depending on their size, says Amber de Lisser, Blue Martini’s marketing and events coordinator.
“We have a VIP cabana and a VIP room or we can do a corporate buyout for 450,” she says. “We also coordinate theme parties. Really, the opportunities are endless.”
Heading north along the Gulf coast, downtown Sarasota has developed into a hub of nightlife choices, with the Ritz-Carlton, the Hyatt Regency Sarasota and the upcoming Westin (2016) minutes away. Among the options is Evie’s Tavern & Grill, which claims to be anything but your standard sports bar, then proves it with an on-site bowling alley that is available for group events.
“The max in the bowling alley is probably 50, but the party could spill into the restaurant or spill outside so we could do a hundred people,” notes Ali Davidson, catering and event coordinator. “I also have a private room with a TV if the group wants to do a PowerPoint… it holds 14 to 16 but again, the party can spill into other areas.”
Also in downtown Sarasota is the lounge at State Street Eating House, which has two private rooms as well as mixology classes for up to 12.
Just north of Sarasota in Bradenton, O’Bricks is a Manhattan-style martini bar and Irish pub set just across the Manatee River from the Bradenton Area Convention Center and boasting a new private meeting space that can seat 64 or host cocktail parties for up to 100.
“We opened December 1 and within the first month, we’d done 17 events,” reports Rick Willats, managing partner. “We’re booking into 2017.”
Willats says a mix of companies, including pharmaceutical and corporate groups, have used the venue.
“It lends itself to a variety of different ideas,” he says.
Town and Country
New on the nightlife scene in Fort Lauderdale is Burlock Coast at the Ritz-Carlton, featuring an indoor/outdoor specialty rum bar along with a private dining space and VIP private dining in the wine vault.
“We’ve hosted a lot of private dinners and handled private cocktail hours,” says Burlock Manager Jimmy Chio. “Our rums are available for purchase but we can also do rum flight tastings in a rum locker that can handle up to 12… we have upwards of 40 or 45 different types of rum.”
In the Northwest Florida town of Panama City Beach, authentic country is the flavor at Tootsies Orchid Lounge, an offshoot of the well-known Nashville night spot, which prides itself on being a training ground for up-and-coming country stars as well as a popular hangout for celebrities of the country music world.
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“There’s nothing hotter than Nashville right now, and we bring Nashville talent to Panama City Beach,” says media relations rep Jeff Eslick, who says that while the beach location doesn’t have the same amount of private space as in Nashville, groups are accommodated. “It’s easier during the summer because we have a patio, and with a little notice we can tent the area,” he says. “We’ve done concerts out there and VIP shindigs.”
Where the Groups Are
When larger groups want to hook up with some down time, Florida has the space for them. In the seaside town of Seacrest on Florida's Northwest coast, The Hub on scenic 30A is the area’s newest hot spot, with great restaurants, entertainment and shopping and private space for more than 150. Planners can choose from among five different venue areas while a variety of food options include passed hors d’oeuvres, carving stations and drink packages featuring private bartenders.
“What’s so great about the Hub’s banquet program is that it’s a one-stop shop,” notes Jessica Plowden, director of sales for Comer Woodford, the Hub’s development and management company. “We provide an all-encompassing catering experience because we are the venue location, decor, food, beverages and entertainment.”
Speaking of entertainment, the Hub features a mix of local and national artists along with what Plowden calls “the largest LED Jumbotron on 30A, where we show movies, major sporting events and recorded concerts.”
Heading northeast to the state capital of Tallahassee, meeting space takes on another dimension at The Moon, where its multipurpose calendar includes club nights and major concerts that have featured such headliners as Willie Nelson, Hall & Oates and Bonnie Raitt. Private events here are hosted in a 1,500-person main room and the 200-person Silver Moon. Options for groups include dancing, music, live bands, banquets or buffet-style meals, plus multiple floor setups to accommodate all events, says Cora Yongue, director of events.
Entertainment Districts
From Pensacola’s vibrant Palafox Street to historic, hopping Duval Street in Key West, there are fascinating entertainment districts at every point across the peninsula, made all the more user-friendly by Florida’s year-round temperate temps.
On the central Gulf coast, Tampa’s National Landmark Historic District, Ybor City, where history goes back to the late 19th century when it was known as the “cigar capital of the world,” is a feast of sights and tastes as the day begins with the aroma of Cuban coffee and ends with the rhythms of Latin music playing late into the night.
“Ybor is huge with groups,” says Cristina Duschek, a spokesperson for Visit Tampa Bay. “Our groups here love the walking tours in Ybor City. They’re very popular. One of my favorites is the Cigar City Tour.”
Across the state in Daytona Beach, the thriving Seabreeze Boulevard Entertainment District—set steps away from A1A and the Atlantic Ocean—offers great eateries and dance clubs, including Razzle’s Nightclub, 509 Lounge and Robbie O’Connell’s Pub. Nearby and on the mainland, Granada Boulevard has some new upscale dining and dance choices, a fresh seafood market and a friendly, walkable vibe.
Heading southward into Palm Beach County, home of multiple entertainment districts, Clematis Street is the heart of historical downtown West Palm Beach, with copious dining, nightlife and cultural choices on hand for groups strolling the teeming streets.
“The appeal of a street like Clematis, or downtown in general, is that you have a lot of opportunities in a compact, walkable area, so you can roam as a group,” says Raphael Clemente, executive director of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority. “All of our businesses are local, so you have the authentic appeal of a main street. It’s vibrant. It’s exciting.”
Clemente notes there are psychological benefits to exploring the busy streets of a downtown or entertainment district.
“You’ve been in a meeting or keynote for hours, and at the end of the day you do not want to get on a bus… you want to get out and have some freedom,” he says. “A traditional downtown provides that kind of freedom.”
Even a nontraditional downtown offers the freedom to explore, as groups will discover at the new Disney Springs, an expanded version of the former Downtown Disney, with double the number of shops, restaurants and other venues, including the just-opened STK, which blends a modern steakhouse with a chic lounge and features a DJ in a high-energy atmosphere. Other locales in Disney Springs—including Morimoto Asia and The Boathouse—offer private group space, while Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar is an aviation-themed lounge where attendees can unwind after a day of meetings.
At the southeastern end of the state, the lights of South Beach keep the dark away as clubs keep going until sunrise, an indication not that the day has begun but that the night is over, and revelers emerge, blinking, heading for their first cups of coffee. Open 24/7, the News Cafe is waiting with strong java and an ocean view. True, “the city that never sleeps” is 1,300 miles to the north, but South Beach comes close.
