{"id":18046,"date":"2011-10-17T16:00:34","date_gmt":"2011-10-17T21:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=18046"},"modified":"2018-03-12T11:25:05","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T16:25:05","slug":"tampa-hotels-tampas-dark-side-halloween-in-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/tampa-hotels-tampas-dark-side-halloween-in-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa\u2019s dark side: Halloween in paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Busch Gardens\u2019 Howl-O-Scream turns family theme park to adults-only scream park. Credit: Busch Gardens.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Amy Drew Thompson<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll say it for the record: Tropical Halloween is weird. It\u2019s not Fall-ish. Leaves aren\u2019t changing colors or crunching underfoot. Pumpkin-and-spice scents don\u2019t make as much sense where the average high is 84. To its credit, Florida adapts.<\/p>\n

Case in point: Guavaween<\/strong>, a beloved, Latin-infused affair that attracts tourists, out-of-towners and locals with a desire to stay in party central, infuses additional carnival-iciousness into the already-colorful district of Ybor City<\/strong>. Costumed revelry ensues. Family-friendly events are hosted morning to evening: trick-or-treating in the area\u2019s fashionable and funky shops and eateries, spooky story time and the like. The night belongs to the grown-ups, culminating in the creative, outrageous and undeniably Halloweenish Mama Guava Stumble Parade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn<\/a>, with its ornate iron balconies and romantic four-poster beds will put you literally steps from the action while guests at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina<\/a> in the adjacent Channelside<\/strong> district can catch the city trolley right out front with ease. Those interested in a more traditional (read: gloriously horrifying) Halloween experience might opt for the Hyatt Place Tampa Busch Gardens<\/a> for its proximity to the theme park and its after-dark Howl-O-Scream<\/strong> affair where scare zones, haunted houses and other ghoulish fare add more adrenaline to its collection of thrill rides.<\/p>\n

Laws of counterculture dictate that in a conservative society, for example, its members would be more liberal. In a peaceful society, they’d be warlike. And in a beachy community — where bare feet, boat drinks and tan lines are the norm — they are Goth. This subculture\u2019s Tampa home is the aptly-named Castle<\/strong>, an Ybor City fixture since 1992 where the ironic vampires of the Sunshine State get their Bauhaus and absinthe on. Don\u2019t be off-put if it\u2019s not your thing; the Castle is a friendly place, a melting pot of genres musical and<\/em> social. Revelers from all walks come for Mondays’ \u02bc80s Nights, New Wave Thursdays and Saturday\u2019s “No Boundaries” party, when people-watching is its most epic. Wear your dancing shoes; black eyeliner, ornate chalice and morbid sense of ennui optional.<\/p>\n

Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n