I'd show up, but...
a- My car is filthy and I need no photographic evidence of this
b- I am old & crotchety
I don't read the regional sections of these forums often enough. I am, however, still active with the Florida MINI scene, even though I traded my MCS for an MS3. Prior to that, I was a founding member of the Southeast chapter of the Supra Owners' Group, International. SO I have been to a few car club meets around town over the years...
Suggestions on meeting places:
- Quaker Steak & Lube. 49th Street, Pinellas Park. Outdoor seating, HUGE parking lot.
- Fort DeSoto State Park. If you call ahead, you can reserve a covered pavilion in case of rain, etc., or you can just show up & grab some picnic tables & BBQ grills out in the open. Some good photo spots out there, too.
- If you wanna get into the sticks, Maddard Park in Turkey Creek is a good public park with grills & such. But it is out there a ways.
- MacDinton's Irish Pub, South Howard Ave in Tampa. Again, recommended for outdoor seating, but the parking lot is mostly dirt. And do NOT try to gather there on a Fri/Sat night.
- O'Toole's Irish Pub, Brandon Blvd/SR 60, Brandon. Outdoor seating (screened in to keep bugs out) and a decent sized parking lot, largely on the side & back of the building.
- For a short drive, check out the Sarasota Classic Car Museum. Nothing real exciting, but a nice little collection of classic cars & an old man in polyester pants who smells like talcum powder will give you the nickel tour.
- Limey's Pub in Pinellas County... I forget the location right now, but it's a British pub with pretty good food. Only drawback is small parking lot on site. Patio seating available.
- I am not a big fan of their food, but Sonic's Drive-in setup is great for car club meets. And they are popping up all over, so easy to find one local to you. With a decent camera, all their neon lighting can make for fun car photos at night.