There was yet another raid at Fantasyland in Tampa on Friday 8/28/09. The good Dr. recommends highly that you stay away from Tampa adult theaters until further notice.
This is the first part of an ongoing series on the adult theater scene in Tampa, FL. For many many years, this was Shangri-La for fans of adult theaters. There was variety, there was a constant stream of hot couples patronizing the theaters, and there was convenience.
For the unitiated, the "Big 4" adult theaters in Tampa are all located in the Drew Park area of the city. This area is located by the Tampa airport, and also close to Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Bucs) off of Dale Mabry Drive. Each theater is within a 2-3 minute drive of each other, which was another factor in Tampa's reputation as an adult theater "mecca".
The Big 4:
The Playhouse
Fantasyland
Thee Love Shack
Grady Avenue Adult Theater
(more details on the theaters in future articles)
Then a funny thing happened...The city of Tampa allocated a portion of their city budget to code enforcement of adult businesses in the spring of 2008. I will not get into the details of the various incidents, but they are out there for your reading pleasure.
In recent days, I have asked a few people with knowledge of the current situation in Tampa for their take on the situation. The Playhouse and Fantasyland are considered a risky propositions right now. Thee Love Shack and Grady Avenue are considered low risk currently, but keep your eyes open. Your mileage my vary.
In Part 2, reader feedback, a couple's perspective, and updated recommendations for Tampa.