Shopping

Hyde Park and Ybor City are two areas of Tampa worth some window-shopping, perhaps sandwiched around lunch at one of the fine restaurants.

On the mall front, there's the upscale International Plaza (tel. 813/342-3790; www.shopinternationalplaza.com), near Tampa International Airport, where the headliners include Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

Cigars -- Ybor City is no longer a major producer of hand-rolled cigars, but you can still watch artisans making stogies at the Gonzalez y Martinez Cigar Factory (www.gonzalezymartinez.com), 2025 7th Ave., in the Columbia Restaurant building (tel. 813/247-2469). Gonzalez and Martinez don't speak English, but the staff does at the adjoining Columbia Cigar Store (it's best to enter here). Rollers are on duty Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. You can stock up on fine domestic and imported cigars at El Sol, 1728 E. 7th Ave. (tel. 813/247-5554), the city's oldest cigar store; King Corona Cigar Factory, 1523 E. 7th Ave. (tel. 813/241-9109); and Metropolitan Cigars & Wine, 2014 E. 7th Ave. (tel. 813/248-3304).

Shopping Centers -- Old Hyde Park Village, 1507 W. Swann Ave., at South Dakota Avenue (tel. 813/251-3500), is a terrific alternative to cookie-cutter suburban malls. Walk around the little boutiques in the sunshine and simultaneously check out Hyde Park, one of the city's most historic neighborhoods. The cluster of 50 upscale shops is set in a village layout. The selection includes Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Brooks Brothers, Crabtree & Evelyn, and Godiva, to name a few. There are also several restaurants there, including the Wine Exchange, Timpano Italian Chophouse, and our favorite, Restaurant BT . There's a free parking garage on South Oregon Avenue behind Jacobson's department store. Most shops are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm. A farmers' market (at Swan and Dakota aves.) is held every Saturday from 9am to 2pm, offering local produce, seafood, and assorted tchotchkes.

The centerpiece of the downtown seaport renovation is the massive tourist trap known as Channelside at Garrison Seaport, on Channelside Drive between the Garrison Seaport and the Florida Aquarium (tel. 813/223-4250). It has stores, restaurants, a dance club, and a multiscreen cinema with an IMAX screen.

In Ybor City, Centro Ybor, on 7th Avenue East at 16th Street (tel. 813/242-4660; www.centroybor.com), is primarily a dining and entertainment complex, but you'll find a few chains here, such as American Eagle, Urban Outfitters, and Victoria's Secret.