From building a boat to walking a tightrope, there are myriad activities for groups to explore in Central West Florida, in addition to its variety of dining and entertainment options.
Karn Clark, CMP, has advice for anyone coming to the region, and specifically Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater and Sarasota: Get on the water.
Clark, owner of Tampa-based BayArea Destination Management, which stages events for groups in all these cities, has a number of water-based activities up her sleeve.
Tampa
“We do Tampa by land and water tours and use a few Pirate Water Taxis to cruise up and down the Hillsborough River,” Clark said. “We go by historic homes, the Tampa Museum of Art, Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the unique buildings of the University of Tampa, with a stop at Ricks on the River for lunch. Our groups love it.”
One unique venue visitors will be able to reach by boat, bike and car or via the new Tampa River Walk is a 43-acre mixed-use development in the Tampa Heights neighborhood, featuring a repurposed Armature Works Building. Armature Works at the Heights, opening this year, will house the Heights Market with communal seating surrounded by restaurants.
“It will be the answer to the latest trend in food halls,” said Kevin Wiatrowski, media relations, Visit Tampa Bay. “Meeting groups will experience this new collective eatery featuring our top local chefs and mixologists,” he said.
In addition, The Heights Market will include an interactive kitchen, which can host cooking classes and pop-up dinners in collaboration with Heights Market tenants.
In Tampa’s historic Hyde Park area, the Harry Waugh Dessert Room at Bern’s Steak House offers a unique spot to have dessert. Constructed of California redwood wine holding tanks, the 48 enclosed booths have piped-in music where guests can order one of more than 50 desserts accompanied by one of 1,000 dessert wines and spirits.
Across the street from Bern’s at the hip Epicurean Hotel, groups have been known to have cooking competitions at the Epicurean Theatre, replete with a chef’s kitchen.
“Groups can ‘rent’ one of our chefs and we bring in all the food for an Iron Chef-type event. There’s nothing like it in Tampa,” said Shawn Routten, front office manager of the Epicurean.
For a good cigar after dessert visitors go to historic Ybor City, “The Cigar Capital of the World”, where tabaqueros have been rolling cigars by hand along Seventh Avenue since the late 1880s. Groups can sample a Cuban sandwich invented in Ybor City, or try the paella at Florida’s oldest restaurant, Columbia—great for groups.
For those who want a bit of exercise, the 2.4-mile Tampa River Walk is an ideal spot for walking or biking. All along the walk there are myriad restaurants, museums and parks. Coast Bike Share bicycle rental has stations along the River Walk.
Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, overlooking Tampa Bay, offers a waterfront setting for outdoor teambuilding along with its 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seeing Tampa and St. Pete, its southern neighbor, in one day is now easier. New this year is the 149-passenger Cross-Bay Ferry, which links the Tampa Convention Center to St. Petersburg’s historic Vinoy Park Hotel marina from November to May.
With reference to the Vinoy, Clark said she likes to give groups a taste of the city’s history.
“We do plain old historic tours of St. Pete, including a tour of the 1920s-era Vinoy Hotel. There’s a historian on-site who provides interesting tidbits about the hotel,” she said. “There are also lots of wonderful old photos near the Tea Garden, a beautiful spot to hold receptions.”
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For art buffs, downtown St. Pete is known for its murals. Recently, the city’s own mural festival added another 20-plus murals, bringing the total to more than 70. Clark said one of the excursions she likes to do with groups is hire a trolley or take a walking tour to see these original murals by local artists.
For shoppers, especially those who love antiques, St. Pete’s Grand Central District, west of downtown, offers an array of restaurants, art galleries and antique and collectible shops scattered along Central Avenue.
Also available by trolley tour is Gulp Coast, exploring the St. Pete/Clearwater Craft Beer Trail.
“It is one of the biggest things to happen to St. Pete with the craft beer craze,” said Suzanne Scully, CDME, director of sales, meetings and conventions for Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater.
While groups can kayak or paddleboard in downtown St. Pete, many groups prefer to head to St. Pete beach for watersports.
For example, the TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach offers a boat-building regatta using minimal supplies provided by the resort. Teams design and build a human-powered boat capable of racing a designated circuit in the pool. Each team names its boat, designates a captain and first mate, introduces its vessel and performs a team cheer.
“No matter what the activity or group size, the programs always succeed in bonding groups and bringing out an incredible amount of creativity,” said Meg Czambel, director of recreation.
North of St. Pete is Clearwater Beach, named No. 1 in the U.S. on Trip Advisor’s list of Top Beaches for 2016.
“It’s all about the beach when you come to Clearwater, where boating, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and other watersports abound,” Clark said.
Using the Gulf of Mexico and Clearwater Bay as a backdrop, the Opal Sands Resort, which opened last year, can arrange an outdoor casino on the 5,500-square-foot Gulf Lawn. After roulette and blackjack, groups can enjoy a sunset seated dinner.
Other area attractions include the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Pier 60 for fishing, dining and nightly sunset celebrations with crafts vendors and street musicians. The Clearwater Marina offers sunset sails, dinner cruises and dolphin encounters.
Groups can also take in Gulf views at the newly opened, 343-room Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, offering 22,000 square feet of meeting space.
Sarasota
As a nod to meeting attendees who want to bring their families to Florida before or after the meeting, there are many fun-filled activities for guests of all ages, according to Virginia J. Haley, CDME, president of Visit Sarasota County.
“As it gets harder and harder for business professionals to spend time with their families, meeting attendees are more likely to bring spouses and families to meetings held in a vacation destination,” Haley said. “Visit Sarasota has expanded its promotions and incentives for meeting planners to focus on providing new and novel experiences for meeting attendees.”
Sarasota has excellent birding, boating and bike tours in Myakka River State Park, where visitors enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over Upper Myakka Lake. Visitors can also take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway.
On Sarasota Bay, “kayaking through the mangrove tunnels is one of the nicest things for families and groups to do,” said Lynn Hobeck Bates, APR, communications manager in Visit Sarasota County.
And, as Sarasota County is a historic circus town, visitors can spend a day teambuilding at the Circus Arts Conservatory.
“The Circus Arts Conservatory offers a variety of corporate teambuilding events customized to fit the needs of any organization,” said Beth Graves, marketing manager for the Circus Arts Conservatory. “Our workshops provide a fun way to get a group of people to work, play and learn together. With over 65 years of professional circus arts training experience, nobody’s better at teaching your organization to climb, flip and fly circus-style.”
