We hope you’ve got an escape in mind this holiday season to the warm sunshine and palm-tree vistas of the Tampa Bay area, decidedly on the other end of the spectrum from blizzards, ice storms, and bone-chilling cold. And for a lavish home base here, look no further than Saddlebrook Resort, offering 480 acres of paradise and the utmost in Sunshine State hospitality.
While sitting in the lap of luxury here in our car-free Walking Village—complete with standout golf courses, tennis facilities, restaurants, and much more—you might wish to tackle that holiday-shopping list of yours. Well, here’s some more good news: You’re beautifully situated to explore the huge range of markets, shopping districts, and malls that can be found in Greater Tampa. Here’s a run-through of a few of your options on that front!
Holiday Markets
You’ve got a slew of seasonal markets at your fingertips this time of year while staying at Saddlebrook Resort. They include the Junior League of Tampa’s Holiday Gift Market from November 10th through the 13th at the Florida State Fairgrounds, which draws better than 20,000 attendees each year, as well as the Tampa Bay Holiday Market at The Coliseum in St. Pete on November 19th and 20th. These and other regional holiday emporia offer a unique opportunity to load up on all sorts of gifts at events specially organized for the yuletide stretch of the calendar.
Shopping Malls
Malls of every size and description pepper the Tampa Bay area. They include The Shops at Wiregrass (28211 Paseo Dr, Wesley Chapel, FL), an 800,000-square-foot open-air mallscape mere minutes from Saddlebrook Resort. Here you’ll find such retailers as Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, Hollister, Kay Jewelers, Pottery Barn, JCPenney, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle Outfitters, Sunglass Hut, and Bath & Body Works, among numerous others.
Not much farther away lies Tampa Premium Outlets (2300 Grand Cypress Dr, Lutz, FL), host to Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and many other stores. Near the Tampa International Airport, meanwhile, you’ve got the huge, upscale spread of International Plaza & Bay Street (2223 N Westshore Blvd, Tampa, FL)—host to 200-plus shops and department stores, among them Nordstrom’s, Gucci, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton—plus Westshore Plaza (250 Westshore Plaza, Tampa, FL), home to Macy’s, The Gap, JCPenney, Old Navy, and more.
Outdoor Markets
Year-round outdoor markets also make excellent stops for holiday shopping in Tampa this time of year. To take but one example (and the biggest continually running one in the area, in fact), the Ybor City Saturday Market (1901 N 19th St, Tampa FL) tempts with a slew of local gifts, crafts, and art alongside food and other products. It’s underway every Saturday, with winter hours of 9 AM to 3 PM.
Tampa, FL Holiday Shopping as a Guest at Saddlebrook Resort
Needless to say, what we’ve spelled out above doesn’t come close to exhausting your holiday-shopping opportunities on a Saddlebrook Resort getaway in Greater Tampa. But these markets and malls can definitely get you started—and may be genuine one-stop shops for your purposes.
Come join us for a holiday getaway here at Saddlebrook Resort, and get some snow/ice/cold-free shopping done while you’re at it!