The Honey Pot

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Nightclubs in Ybor City have a shelf life. Some clubs remain open just a few months, while others extend their stay to several years. Honey Pot is a newer club to the 7^th avenue strip and has the potential to become a staple of Tampa nightlife. With three floors, a banging sound system with popular local DJs, and burlesque dancers on call, Honey Pot might just the type of club you're looking for when planning a scandalous night out.

Drinks: Honey Pot boasts a full liquor bar with specialty cocktails and martinis on demand. Since the crowd is mostly rowdy college kids, most drink whatever is on special. Ladies drink free well cocktails on Thursday nights (just don't forget your blue solo cup at the door!) and guys indulge in $10 liquor pitchers. While you're trolling the club looking for new phone numbers to add to your Blackberry, don't forget to ask Valerie for her specialty shot.

Décor: Honey Pot advertises itself as being an upscale nightclub, and for Ybor City, I can't deny that. Plush couches line the VIP area upstairs and offer intimacy even in this crazy loud club. Vodka bottles line the walls, a stripper pole sits in the middle of the third floor, a large stage invites ladies to dance on, and there's lights, lights, lights! Everything from the bar to the walls light up in sync with the music.

Crowd: Each night has a different crowd that varies from the crazy college kids to the gay friendly. Thursdays are their college nights and the line wraps around the block just to get into this place. Girls in micro dresses and high heels wait alongside guys with spiked hair and collared shirts. There's not many people over the age of 25 on this night. Fridays hosts "Steam" which is a gay night that brings out a varied crowd to see entertainment that has ranged from Deborah Cox to Kimberly Locke. Saturdays host shows and the dance floor becomes home to girls looking to dance with other girls.

Insider tips: Get there before midnight or expect to wait in a long line. However, on packed nights Honey Pot opens its back door to expedite the wait. Go behind the club to find this entrance. Also, tip your bartender well and expect to do a free shot. If the first floor is getting too packed for you, go up to the third floor and grab a seat on a couch to relax. Or, walk out to the balcony and watch the mayhem going on down on 7^th Avenue.

Service: Bartenders are friendly and energetic. Young guys and girls are eager to pour you drinks, even on free drink nights when they know the tips won't be great. The security staff is professional yet personal. They keep a watchful eye on underage partiers—even going as far to standing outside the bathroom to make sure you don't slip your under-21 friend a drink.

Sounds: DJ Kidd Leow reigns over the packed first floor crowd on Thursday nights mixing hip-hop and party jams. He's not just a DJ, he's a VJ. He mixes the music videos right alongside the music. House music and old-school hip hop creates a different atmosphere on the third floor.

Food: Clubs don't serve food...or do they? Honey Pot has been cooking hot dogs right in the middle of the club to appease your 2 a.m. craving.

Bottom line: Don't come here if you aren't looking to rub elbows with a few hundred of Tampa's recently legal. Otherwise, grab a liquor pitcher, sit back, and enjoy the show.

The damage: Cover is $10, but ladies get to drink free until 1 a.m. on Thursdays. Drinks run about $5 and VIP tables with bottle service isn't bad for a club in Ybor.

Dress code: Leave your hats and flip flops at home. You'll want to dress to impress as you mingle with the young and popular of the Ybor City club scene. Girls can get away with wearing pretty much anything, but most tend to wear tiny skirts and big heels. Guys wear jeans with designer tees or collared shirts.

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