Nightlife

Good sources of nightlife information are the Thursday "Weekend" section of the St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.com), the "BayLife" and "Friday Extra" sections of the Tampa Tribune (www.tampatrib.com), and Creative Loafing Tampa (www.tampa.creativeloafing.com), a tabloid available at visitor centers and in many hotel and restaurant lobbies.

The heart of downtown's nighttime scene is BayWalk (tel. 727/895-9277; www.yourbaywalk.com), the shopping-dining-entertainment complex bordered by 1st and 2nd streets and 2nd and 3rd avenues north. Its 20-screen cinema and several restaurants and bars will keep you busy.

The Bar, Club & Music Scene

Ever since St. Pete started upping its hipster quotient, cool bars began appearing as quickly as Britney Spears changes her wigs. Among them are A Taste for Wine, 241 Central Ave. (tel. 727/895-1623; www.tasteforwine.net), an upscale spot with polished woods and a granite bar offering terrific by-the-glass vintages, appetizers, and a gorgeous outdoor balcony; the Haymarket Pub, 8308 4th St. N. (tel. 727/577-9621), the gay-friendly "Cheers" of St. Pete, where audible conversation and reasonably priced drinks aren't implausible demands; Janus Landing Courtyard, 16 2nd St. (tel. 727/896-2276; www.januslandingconcerts.com), a fantastic outdoor concert venue and bar where mostly alternative and rock bands perform; Ringside Cafe, 2742 4th St. N. (tel. 727/894-8465), a laid-back jazz and blues bar; and Martini Bar, 131 2nd Ave. N. (tel. 727/895-8558), where a crowd that looks as if it stepped off the set of Grey's Anatomy convenes for serious seeing and being seen.

A historic attraction, the Moorish-style Coliseum Ballroom, 535 4th Ave. N. (tel. 727/892-5202; www.stpete.org/coliseum), has been hosting dancing, big bands, boxing, and other events since 1924 (it even made an appearance in the 1985 movie Cocoon). Come out and watch the town's many seniors jitterbug as if it were 1945 again! Call for schedule and prices.

The Performing Arts

The Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S. (tel. 727/892-5767, or 892-5700 for information), houses the 8,100-seat Bayfront Arena and the 2,000-seat Mahaffey Theater (www.mahaffeytheater.com). The schedule includes a variety of concerts, Broadway shows, big bands, ice shows, and circus performances. Ticketmaster (tel. 813/287-8844) sells tickets to most events and shows.

Tropicana Field, 1 Stadium Dr. (tel. 727/825-3100), has a capacity of 50,000, but it also hosts a variety of smaller events when the Devil Rays aren't playing baseball.