03.18.2025

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Take us out to the sports bar

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Once you’re finished grabbing drinks or eating at LightHaus, roam the rest of the Wharf. | Photo via @lighthaustpa

A new season just dawned. No, not spring. March Madness: That three week period of basketball bliss.

We’re sharing some of the best bars to grab a pint and watch a game across Tampa Bay:

Walter’s Press Box Sports Emporium | Tampa

Wing aficionados know this is one of the best spots to munch on Buffalo wings and chicken sandwiches. “South Tampa’s original sports emporium and eatery” has served the city a feast of Champa Bay games, wings, burgers, and brews for 40+ years.

Dead Bob’s Bar & Restaurant | St. Pete

Pull up a seat at the open-air bar for burgers, chicken parm, meatloaf, and weekend breakfast at the casual Sunshine City restaurant complete with a game or two on one of the 13 TVs.

Pups Pub | Tampa

Don’t leave Fido at home for that RedZone Sunday. The laid-back sports bar also doubles as an off-leash dog park. Sign up for a day pass or membership to bring your vaccinated canine along while you enjoy drinks and a game — or a few.

3 more sporty spots

Asked

How many times has USF women’s basketball made the tournament?

A. 16
B. 19
C. 7
D. 8

You've got this

Events

Tuesday, March 18

2025 Disaster Resilience Symposium | 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. | Stetson University College of Law | $75 | Learn how to make our community more resilient with presentations, interactive workshops, and discussions on disaster response, preparedness, and recovery.

St. Petersburg St. Patrick’s Day Escape: The Golden Shamrock | Tuesday, March 18-Sunday, March 23 | 11 a.m.-10 p.m. | Hatchet Hangout - Axe Throwing St. Pete | $10+ | Set off on a quest to 12 locations across St. Petersburg to retrieve all seven pieces of luck on your way to find the golden ticket.

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox | 1:05 p.m. | George M. Steinbrenner Field | $91+ | Watch players like Alex Bregman, Triston Casas, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger the field as the storied rivalry arrives in Tampa Bay.

Wednesday, March 19

“Beautiful Bohemia” | 11 a.m. | Ruth Eckerd Hall | $21 | Indulge in a midday performance conducted by Sameer Patel featuring Smetana’s “Ma Vlast: Vltava (The Moldau)” and Dvorak’s “Romance for Violin.”

Thursday, March 20

Sangria and Stories: Invisible Immigrants | 6-7:30 p.m. | Columbia Restaurant | $20 | Cool off with a glass of the Ybor City eatery’s sangria before listening to the untold stories of the Spanish American diaspora from the turn of the 20th century.

Bunny Yoga | 6-8 p.m. | Keel Farms | $25 | Flow on the farm with some floppy-eared and adoptable bunnies from Rescue Pets of Florida.

Candle Making with Moon & Mantras | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Armature Works | $65 | Begin your aroma journey by making a plant-based candle over a guided meditation and sound bath healing music.

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News Notes

Announced

It’s so on. The NCAA Tournament brackets have been unveiled — get ready to cheer on No. 12 University of South Florida women’s basketball as they face Tennessee this Friday, March 21. Check out the full women’s bracket.

Coming Soon

Speaking of the women’s NCAA tournament, we’ll get to watch the final few games play out right here at Amalie Arena. The Women’s Final Four weekend takes over Tampa from Friday, April 4-Sunday, April 6. Beyond the semifinal and final games, there’s a concert, Tourney Town, and other events planned. (That’s So Tampa)

Eat

Ideal Nutrition is bringing its prepped meal services to the Burg. The West Palm-based company is opening a new storefront on the ground floor of the Evo Apartments, offering customers tons of healthy microwave meals. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Biz

IQ Fiber is planning to launch a $50 million network in Pinellas County. The Jacksonville-based internet provider hopes its fiber optic service will cut down on internet outages during storms. Customers should be able to sign up by late 2025. (St. Pete Catalyst)

Watch

She might be slightly too tall to be a leprechaun, but Mayor Jane Castor brought some festive spirit to Tampa’s River O’ Green festivities. Watch the Cigar City’s esteemed mayor and other folks take to the bright green Hillsborough River for the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Plan Ahead

And yet another sports season has just begun. The Rowdies just kicked off their 2025 season. The team takes the field against Loudoun United FC at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday, April 12. There’s still season and single-game tickets available.

Sports

Nick Paul became the Lightning’s sixth player with 20 or more goals. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews, and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Lightning with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

Finance

Car insurance premiums are projected to hit $2,101 annually by 2025 — a record high. Switching providers might save you over $1,300 each year. Why leave money on the table? Get matched with a more affordable plan.*

Travel

The opposite of sticker shock? Going’s free travel membership, which alerts you when flights leaving your airport are 40-90% off. You’re welcome.*

Stat

0%. That’s how much interest this card offers into 2026 — no wonder experts call it “hands down” one of “the best balance transfer cards."*

Outdoors

With spring comes outdoor concerts + music festivals — luckily, these hearing aids are the world’s first with multi-stream processing, designed to help you engage in conversations effortlessly (even in noisy environments, like that must-see show).*

The Buy

A reusable, exfoliating soap bag. Slip any soap bar into this bag and use it like a body scrubber to get a rich, soapy lather fast.

More worth The Buy

The Wrap

In case you missed it, we dropped some colossal food news on you last week: TBAY scored four new additions to the Florida Michelin Guide.

I was interested to see how many of you have checked out the new kids in town. Interestingly, ~39% of folks said they’ve been to all or none of of the additions. I’m with you, and Big Ray’s is first on my list.

Otherwise, ~28% have tried Big Ray’s Fish Camp, ~26% Mad Dogs & Englishmen, and ~8% Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co.

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