Doc here, a man who some say once took first place in blueberry pie eating contest. This contest also resulted in The Good Doctor having his nose dyed blue for 2 months in the summer of 1986.
There was a time in the not-so distant past that Tampa, Florida was the epicenter of the country's adult theater scene. The mid-late 1990s yielded some amazing reports on the nascent internet messaging services like Yahoo Clubs (late Groups). A dedicated Tampa adult theater board brought weekly reports from a user by the of HungGang of that past weekend's activities at the biggest of Tampa's porn houses, The Playhouse (primarily), as well as from Fantasyland.
Fast forward to 2021, and the scene has changed substantially, and the recovery from COVID has certainly left some scars (and in one case, a corpse).
Senior Journal scribe Raygun visited Tampa in March 2021, has has provided a wealth of fantastic updated intel from this thing of ours from the Drew Park section of Tampa.
Here is his excellent report...
***
Doc:
Your long-lost roving reporter has returned with something slightly better than nothing:
Tampa Spring Break
It wasn't exactly spring break, but I found myself in Florida again, so close enough. It gave me a few days to check out some of the adult theaters in Tampa, returning to a couple more than once to get a better feel for the places and, hopefully, finding a little action.
There are four adult theaters and a bookstore all within a few minutes of each other in the Drew Park neighborhood of Tampa just east of the airport.
Thee Love Shack is the winner in the budget category. For $7 you can come and go as you please for 12 hours. It's open until midnight during the week and all night Friday and Saturday. The first floor has a bookstore and two video arcades, but the second floor is what it's about. There you'll find a labyrinthine series of rooms, booths, and dark corners with an assortment of well-worn plush sofas and chairs. There's even what looks like a bar. Based on the glass block, I'd say it's from the 1980s, likely the most recent remodeling.
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| Thee Love Shack, Tampa |
I loved Thee Love Shack for its utter sleeziness, a real throwback to adult theaters of the past. I didn't see any action, but whatever happens there must be nasty. I doubt it ever sees couples, and it may not be for the faint of heart, but it's the kind of old-style sleeze I can't resist.
Adult World is next in order of bargains. I reported from there once before so I won't go into details again, but it has a good layout with three theaters (straight, gay, trans) and several semi-private rooms. The arcade and theater are only $5 each for a single entry. You can use both the arcade and theater all day for $10 with the purchase of a reusable key fob for $9.
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| Adult World, Tampa |
The night I was there, there were two CDs and a couple. Unfortunately, the couple were just amateurs not ready to play. This place may be my favorite of the group. I still haven't been in the arcade, but if I go again, I'll probably give in and buy the damn fob.
Fantasyland I and Fantasyland II are just a couple blocks from each other. Why they have two stores is a mystery to me. These are definitely more expensive than the others with single guys paying $25 Mon-Wed and $35 Thu-Sun. Couples are $19 Mon-Wed and $25 Thu-Sun. Both stores are open 24/7.
Fantasyland I has a large theater with several rows of sofas and an adjacent "fishbowl" room with glass walls and a bed. There are four fairly large semi-private booths with gloryholes that can be opened or closed from each side, a larger private room with mirrors on the walls, and a little-used arcade with gloryholes. Somewhat out of character with the rest of the place is a big room with four pool tables and a few TVs showing sports and porn. The pool tables were covered and not available to use, but guys stopped in now and then to catch up on the game.
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| Fantasyland I, Tampa (2010) |
I was there on a Tuesday night and saw two couples who played by themselves in the booths. I'm not sure whether they used the gloryholes, but the guys camped out in the hallway were certainly hoping they would.
I went back around midnight on Friday and the place was dead. I was sitting in the parking lot when a couple arrived. Reluctant to drop $35 for nothing, I waited until they had been inside for about ten minutes before going in myself. As I stood there money in hand waiting to pay, the couple walked out of the theater and left. I turned and left right behind them. It must have looked funny to the clerk, but at least I hadn't thrown away my money.
Fantasyland II looks about the same, but there were never enough cars in the paring lot to make it worth checking out. I read some negative comments online complaining about the price increase (apparently, couples used to be free), so that may have hurt attendance at both places, especially on top of the hit everyplace has taken from COVID.
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| Fantasyland II, Tampa |
The X-Mart Adult Supercenter is located midway between the two Fantasylands. It has a nice (by which I mean dark and sleazy) arcade but no theater. The arcade is free but they expect you to keep money in the booths, or at least that's what the sign says. It was empty when I visited except for a guy who whipped out his dick in the hallway to entice me. Unfortunately, that was not what I was looking for. A local CD told me it has its busy times, but I doubt it's ever a place to find couples.
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| X-Mart Supercenter, Tampa (2018) |
I had high hopes for the Playhouse Theater in the same area, which looks like a big old barn of an adult theater, another holdover from a different time. Unfortunately, it appears to be permanently closed. Time to strike that one from the list.
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| The Playhouse, Tampa (2010) |
I also visited one other location about an hour north of Tampa on US-19 called 8th Avenue Exotic Video. As far as I know, there's no 8th Avenue anywhere nearby. The store itself is nondescript and easy to miss, but it's neighbor, Lollipops, a low-key tittie bar, is easy to spot.
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| 8th Ave. Exotic Video, Hudson FL |
8th Ave is a friendly enough place with a bookstore, arcade, and theater. It's bigger than it looks from the outside. The theater is a single good-sized room with two curved rows of sofas focused on a larger than average projection screen. It's open until 10:30 Sun-Thu and 11:30 Fri-Sat. Admission is $8 for a single entry or $10 for an all-day pass.
There were half a dozen guys spread out among the sofas jerking off when I stopped by on a weekday afternoon. I heard a few guys talking about a couple that had been there recently, but I think that may be a rare event. I got the impression that the women who occasionally visit are there on vacation and not regulars. If any women are thinking of retiring to Pasco or Hernando County, I know a theater that needs you.
I still can't figure out when any of these places are busy, but Journal readers know you have to play the long game. These quick in-and-out visits of mine are not the best way to find what you're looking for. It's like trying to time the stock market. You're far more likely to miss than to hit it big. Still, I'm always interested in checking out new places even if only for a quick visit. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.
Meanwhile, I'm still looking for those Florida "Girls Gone Wild" (or maybe their mothers).
Until then,
Raygun
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Thee Love Shack
3910 W Osborne Ave, Tampa, FL
ABS/Arcade/Theater
$7 for 12 hours
Open til midnight Sun-Thu
Open all night Fri-Sat
Adult World
5225 N Lois Ave, Tampa, FL
ABS/Arcade/Theater
$5 single entry for theater or arcade
$10 for both all day with $9 key fob
Open 24/7
Fantasyland I
4715 N Lois Ave, Tampa, FL 33614
ABS/Arcade/Theater
Single guys $25 Mon-Wed, $35 Thu-Sun
Couples $19 Mon-Wed, $25 Thu-Sun
Open 24/7
Fantasyland II
5006 N Grady Ave, Tampa, FL 33614
ABS/Arcade/Theater
Single guys $25 Mon-Wed, $35 Thu-Sun
Couples $19 Mon-Wed, $25 Thu-Sun
Open 24/7
X-Mart Adult Supercenter
4829 N Lois Ave Ste 6519 Tampa, FL
ABS/Arcade
Open 24/7
Playhouse Theater
4421 N Hubert Ave, Tampa, FL
PERMANENTLY CLOSED
8th Avenue Exotic Video
18329 US-19, Hudson, FL
ABS/Arcade/Theater
Single entry $8, all day $10
Open til 10:30 Sun-Thu, 11:30 Fri-Sat
***
Doc here once again... A huge thank you goes out to Raygun for a fantastic report, bringing us up to speed on the Tampa adult theater scene post-COVID. FYI, I have updated the adult theater dB based on Raygun's terrific details & findings for you, loyal readers.
The Playhouse Theater mentioned above is a legendary adult theater. The Drew Park area of Tampa during World War II was known as Drew Field, a US Army Air Force training and replacement center. The Playhouse was actually the base's movie theater during the war, and after the area was turned back over to the city of Tampa, transitioning to a civilian theater and playhouse.
Fantasyland I and II should be your first stops in hitting the Tampa scene nowadays. While it is a lot pricier than it used to be, it's facility is still excellent and it's arcade/GH rooms hard to beat.
Lizardos & Lizardettes, I'm looking for your adult theater reports! Please send me an e-mail with the who, what, where, when, and how of your visit, and I'll do the rest for you (edit and insert images if you don't submit any with the report). The best part? You get the byline and a cool pen name! My e-mail is emiliolizardo1@gmail.com .
Lastly, please Follow me on the Twitter machine! I'm at @LizardoJournal .
Thanks,
Doc
