1/22/22 Tampa, FL
This is the RV show of the year! The Tampa RV Super Show in January is one of the biggest in the country and the plan was to meet with some of the people I worked with last summer at Yellowstone. The show was held at the state fairgrounds, and it was great that parking was free, but it took almost an hour to get in and I was there around 9:30 am. The show was HUGE, but it rained all day and was cold. The state fairgrounds was so big and I couldn’t find anyone at the show. After a few texts with one of my friends, I decided headed out on my own and meet with the rest of the group at the restaurant later. The show itself was amazing because I had never been to an outdoor RV show and there were thousands of RV’s on display. From the tiniest tear drops to the gigantic million dollar Class A motorhomes, they were there. I skipped the travel trailers and went right for the Class C’s, which is what I’m thinking about upgrading to. I picked out a Sunseeker model that was exactly what I wanted and almost bought it right on the spot. Only thing is that I have to sell the van first because I don’t think that take trade ins on converted vans. And, many of my friends suggested that I buy a used RV because the newer ones are very poor quality. So I will look for a 2008 model and keep my fingers crossed that I can sell the van. Anyone interested?? I also fell in love with a park model that was very reasonably priced. I just wish I had some place to put it. RV resorts are really the only option and I decided to move on.

Later, I met up with my friends and had a really nice lunch at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. The restaurant is famous for the highly decorated building and is the first “chain” restaurant in Florida since 1905. I had a nice time and it was great to see everyone again. The food was great and I had the traditional Cuban sandwich of ham and cheese. Yummy!

The next day I went back to the show and though the rain let up it was really cold. I never expected to be wearing winter clothes and a hat in Tampa! What’s with the crazy weather this year!?
I spent most of my time inside the big buildings to keep warm and browse the vendor booths. I bought a few items and got a lot of information about internet and cell boosters. I’m starting a mosquito repellent collection for when it warms up. I also bought a memory foam seat cushion, but it’s too big for my car seat so I use it on my bench.
The Sweetwater RV Resort that I stayed at was packed like sardines, and I could barely get into my spot. The spaces were so small that cars could barely park, let alone trucks! The man next to me was nice enough to move his so I could back in to my space. It should have just been left alone as a grassy area at the end of the block. I originally booked it for 3 nights, but left 1 day early because it was so hard to get in and out of. Sun RV Resorts is a large corporation and just seem to want their money. I also found out that they are buying up the Jellystone parks, so campers beware. Between the nasty weather and that terrible spot, I’d had enough of Tampa! I found out at the show that I could have parked at the fairgrounds for $20 a night with no hook ups. Lesson learned for sure!
All in all, I had a good weekend, but was glad to head back to the campground.