Five Things I Didn’t Know About Tampa

Author Roxanne Wilder

June 30th, 2020 8:22 AM

I’m a proud Tampa native. Born at St. Joe’s. The Christmas Eve dinner menu for our family is always: a pork roast, black beans and rice, plantains…True Tampa.

I was excited to check out this list that was recently put together by Mental Floss: 25 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Tampa. I put myself to the test.

Because I’m a Tampa sports junkie, I actually knew most of the fun sports facts:

~The Tampa Bay Lightning got the name from our lightning storms.

~It took the Bucs 25 years to return a kickoff for a TD.

~Babe Ruth hit his longest home run in Tampa Bay during an exhibition game.

Yep. I knew all those fun facts. And I also knew the weather stats, like the fact that we’ve never hit 100 degrees in Tampa. (We got close on Friday…99. Whew!) I knew all the questions about pirates, Rough Riders, Cuban history, port history, MacDill Airforce Base, Big Cat Rescue. (Well, everyone knows about Big Cat Rescue now, whether you do or don’t live in Florida.) Overall, I scored myself 19 out of 25. Not bad, but could be better for someone born and raised.

Here are the fun facts I did NOT know about Tampa. And boy are they interesting.

1. Tampa is a Calusa phrase that means “Sticks of Fire.”

2. The Salvador Dali Museum (not actually in Tampa) was built years ago, and to test the strength of the cool freestanding staircase, rugby players (two teams of them) danced on the stairs while listening to disco music.

3. Tampa was thought of as the death metal capital of the music world in the eighties.

4. Tampa was one of the top sellers of illegal liquor across the nation during the Prohibition years.

5. In 1914, the world’s first scheduled passenger flight was from St. Petersburg to Tampa.

6. Tickets were only $5 roundtrip!

You can test your Tampa knowledge here.

#GenoAteTampa: Geno’s pizza tour of Tampa Bay

Let me show you around Detroit, New York City and Chicago… without leaving Hillsborough and Pinellas County.

• Arte Caffe in Bradenton

  Share

  The newest addition to my list is a close runner up to my favorite pizza in Florida. The crust has a perfect texture. The sauce is out of this world. The cheese has the perfect level of saltiness. I don't get to Bradenton often but every time I go, this tiny intimate Italian restaurant will be a new stop for me. The penne pasta was excellent but the pizza was insanely good.

• Lee’s Grocery in Tampa

  Share

  This place is rated best by many Tampa pizza lovers. I like it. It's better than Tampa's other favorite Eddie & Sam's (which I find really average). It's in a quiet neighborhood so you have to seek it out. It's close to the 275/I-4 merge on Central. If you're in that part of town, it's a solid choice. Not my favorite in Florida, but in the Top 10 for Tampa area for sure.

• Pizza Haven in Brandon

  Share

  I unfortunately discovered this place just as I was moving away from the Brandon area. Not the top of my list, but far from the bottom. Nothing fancy. Just good pizza from a local mom and pop shop. I love those.
• Cappy’s In Riverview

  Share

  This was one of my first great pizzas I discovered when I moved to Florida. Pizza lovers argue about New York vs. Chicago style pizza. Cappy's has both. Their NY style is good, but the Chicago version is excellent. They also have other locations, including one in St. Pete I've tried a few times. But the Riverview restaurant seems to do it best. It's definitely not an everyday pizza. Deep dish pizza is an event or an occasion. You will not leave hungry.

• Paul’s Chicago Style in St. Pete

  Share

  I know many who swear by Paul's being the best around. It's good but I think Cappy's does deep dish way better. However their deep dish isn't bad at all. Call way ahead because deep dish takes a while to make. Paul's loyalists will tell you the REAL Chicago style pizza is the super thin crunch crust.

• Due Amici in Ybor

  Share

  There are plenty of pizza spots in Ybor City. There's one on a side street off 7th that I can't remember the name of at the moment. But it's frustrating because depending on who's working, some nights it's awesome and some nights their pizza is terrible. But Due Amici is pretty consistent. The game changer for me was when I tried their Sicilian style.
• There’s such a thing as Detroit style pizza?

  Share

  I honestly had no idea Detroit had their own style of pizza until I discovered Pizza Squared near Busch Gardens in Tampa.

• But sadly…

  Share

  I am sad to report that Pizza Squared is no longer with us. They started going downhill and eventually went out of business about 3 years ago. They had fantastic wings too. It was my Super Bowl go to spot for years.

• Fortunato’s in Pinellas Park

  Share

  Listeners insisted I try this place. It's good pizza, but not great. Thing is in Florida, we have so little great pizza that places like this tend to stand out. It's not a bad pizza, just not great... nothing special to make it unique.
• Little Italy in St. Pete

  Share

  I felt I should include it since so many have told me it's their favorite. To me it's not really all that flavorful. It's thin and light. I'm a fat guy. I like something hearty. But it's good.

• Mama Rosa’s Italian Touch

  Share

  This spot was once held by Italia Mia. I was crushed when I saw that Italia Mia closed. What I didn't know is the original owners moved to a new place - Italian Touch near Kenneth City.

• My New Jersey favorite came to Florida…

  Share

  I'll never forget when I first heard that Grimaldi's, a legendary pizza spot in NYC and New Jersey, had chosen Florida for its first franchise locations. For a few years, there was none better for me.
• Grimaldi’s…

  Share

  I normally am not a chain pizza person, but they captured the magic of the pizza from Grimaldi's locations in NYC at their Florida locations.

• Sorry Grimaldi’s….

  Share

  So is that it? Is Grimaldi's is my #1 pick? Nope! Grimaldi's style of pizza, coal oven, was eclipsed when listeners insisted I try a similar pie in Clearwater and I never looked back.

• Cristino’s In Clearwater

  Share

  I saved the best for last. I won't even let you argue. I've lived from Maine to California. There's no better pizza in the Tampa area than Cristino's. There's not a lot of parking. It's a pain for most who live in Tampa Bay to get to. But you get rewarded with that first bite.
• Look at this thing… it’s art.

  Share

  Cristino's, I love you. You make national lists for a reason. You're a pain in the butt to drive to but that's probably for the best. Otherwise I'd be there weekly. And I'm fat enough.

• Sorry New York City…

  Share

  The first time I had pizza at Cristino's was right before a New York City trip. The pizza was so good that I didn't even seek out pizza when I was in NYC. That's a crime. You can not go to New York City and not have pizza. It's just wrong. But Cristino's is that good.

• Keep it simple.

  Share

  To get the best experience at Cristino's, go with the basic and just tell them you want TheMargherita with extra sauce. It does have cheese, but like most elite pizza spots, they know to put the cheese below the sauce. This tends to weird out many amateur pizza eaters. But trust me. It's the way pizza is supposed to be done.

Get The Q Factor Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Stay up to date on the latest from your favorite artists, Tampa/St. Pete happenings, exclusive contests, games, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

Author Roxanne Wilder

Category:

• Roxanne Wilder

Tags:

Tampa,Tampa Bay Lightning