Email
Print
Fun Fare For The Common Man
National Football League
The NFL Experience is coming to Tampa in conjunction with the 2009 Super Bowl.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: January 22, 2009
Related Links
From the NFL Experience to the Madden Bowl, there's plenty of Super Bowl activities for the locals.
It's all well and good for civic leaders to tout hosting a Super Bowl. We think it's pretty cool, too.
There are downsides, however. Parties we can't afford to attend, for one thing. Bad traffic, for another. Then there's the people: Everywhere you turn, throngs and throngs of them. What's a weekly entertainment magazine to do?
Well, we want to be good hosts, naturally. We like visitors. We also — wink, wink — like the money visitors spend, being as capitalistic and American as the next publication. So, next week, we'll run down all the parties you can attend the weekend of the Big Game as a service to all our guests.
This week is for you, fellow Tampa Bayites. Or Tampa Bayians. Whatever. What follows are some of the events happening this week before the crowds arrive and you can't find a place to park.
The NFL Experience at Raymond James Stadium: Every year, the NFL opens the Experience up on the weekend before the Super Bowl so the host city can enjoy its many activities. The coolest things are still the oldest things: You can kick a field goal (or try to) through a real goal post, or try to throw an accurate pass (it will give you renewed respect for quarterbacks). There are also opportunities to get player autographs, video game tents where you can take on opponents and a cheerleader competition. For a complete list of events this weekend and in the coming week at the NFL Experience, which we assure you is very long, go to www.nfl.com/superbowl/43/events/nfl-
experience. The event is at the Raymond James Stadium parking lot, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Highway. The cost is $18.50 for adults, $12.50 for children (12 and younger).
Stadium tour: For the first time ever, the NFL is offering a tour of the stadium hosting the big game on Saturday and Sunday. The $25 ticket also gets you into the NFL Experience, but what's even better is that the NFL will donate the money to the NFL Youth Education Towns of Tampa Bay, which are centers in Mort Park and Jackson Heights that serve hundreds of at-risk children (they were opened here after the last Super Bowl in Tampa, in 2001). Go to the NFL Experience Web site for information.
Jordin Sparks charity events: The "American Idol" winner is coming to town the week before the Super Bowl to hold two charity events. The first, on Tuesday night, features Sparks and Chef Roy Yamaguchi appearing at Roy's restaurant to auction off a private dinner for 12 with the pair. The cost is $250. The second event, on Wednesday night, is a concert at Grace Family Church in Lutz. Those tickets are $35. Both events benefit Sparks' charity organization. Go to www.sparkscharities.org for more information.
Champions of the good life: Starting Thursday night, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Deion Sanders will attend a series of "good life" parties at The Venue, 2675 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater. Guests will pay $200 a night, up to $1,500 for a three-night pass to the party, depending on what level ticket(s) you buy. Call (727) 571-2222 or visit www.thevenueclub.com.
The Par and Poker Celebrity Challenge for Charity: Former NFL great Seth Joyner will host a golf tournament and No Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament to benefit charity. Participants get to play with celebrities and "hang out in the VIP tents," which is never a bad thing. Even better: all proceeds benefit Joyner's charities, which help high school and college students with life skills to prosper and be self-sufficient. The event is scheduled for Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TPC Tampa Bay, 5300 W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road, in Lutz (for golf) and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Tampa Bay Palms' The Silk Poker Room, 11225 Race Track Road, Tampa (for poker). Visit www.parandpoker.com for details.
NFL Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash: Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Lifehouse will perform on the first night of the bash, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday. Tickets cost $20 to $45; Ford Amphitheatre, 4802 N. U.S. 301, Tampa. Call (813) 740-2446.
Martinis with Martin Gramatica: The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer kicker will attend a special opening of the "NFL History From Getty Images" exhibit Friday at 6 p.m. at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in St. Petersburg. You have to make reservations, and the cost is $100. Call (813) 221-2222. The museum is at 200 N. Tampa St., Tampa.
The Madden Bowl: Football stars will convene to battle it out, gamer-style, when they play in the Madden Bowl at the Honey Pot at 1507 E. Seventh Ave. in Ybor City. The battle is set to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday. Call (813) 247-4663 for details.
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. | Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
