Described as “The club that washed ashore…” by Blues legend Lonnie Mack, this long-standing live music venue, restaurant, oyster bar, caterer and talent agency is located in Tampa, Florida.

In 1980, Skipper’s was purchased by three Air Force buddies who met while stationed in Alaska. Their goal? To escape the frozen tundra as soon as possible. Tampa’s subtropical climate was exactly what they wanted for their business. Since then, their small smokehouse takeout joint has become a full-service restaurant and world-class music venue. Now, past it’s 40 year anniversary Skipper’s continues to host generations of patrons as well as playing a part in countless musical careers of artists far and wide.

Skipper’s architecture is a smorgasbord of “cracker” and Key West styles, with murals and art installations. The property sits under the canopy of stunning one-hundred-year-old live oaks. A popular local hangout, The Oyster Bar, features a vintage memorabilia, including an antique moonshine still and a Pachinko machine. The main dining room is filled with weathered posters and neon lights, offering tons of “Old Florida” charm.

This Tampa Bay landmark has something for everyone, a perfect location for indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment.

“Derek Trucks of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band shredded Skipper’s as a young lad, which should give you a clue of the history of this place. Shoot, Buddy Guy and John Mayall, both blues legends of holy heights, have played Skipper’s long before there were blogs or cellphones.” – Best of Tampa Bay

Skipper’s Smokehouse has been featured on television networks like the Travel Channel, Golf Channel, CBS Sports, and featured by Adam Richman on Man v.s. Food Nation for it’s famed Grouper Reuben Sandwich. The business has raised millions of dollars for charities since it opened, benefiting everything from veterans groups to domestic violence shelters and cancer research.

One of the most unique and iconic concert venues in the southeastern United States, the “Skipperdome” (as dubbed fondly by locals), is a backyard concert area that sits beneath hundred-year-old live oaks and hosts top-tier live music six nights a week.

Open Tuesday through Sunday, Skipper’s presents a near-nightly parade of live music. The music has grown and diversified from a “locals-only” jam to a world class operation featuring legends and soon-to-be legends in blues, reggae, Zydeco, rock, bluegrass, jazz, folk and world beat. Performers come from around the corner, across the United States and from points as far-flung as the British Isles, Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Nigeria, Madagascar, Kenya, Zaire, South Africa and Australia.

The Skipperdome has a beach with sand, a covered tiki deck, and rustic walls adorned with an ever-changing mix of creative expression from local artists.

Skipper’s was recognized nationally in 2001 by winning the prestigious, Best Blues Club in America Award. Skipper’s has also been recognized many times in reader and critic polls as one of the best concert venues in the Tampa Bay area. Seating is provided via a collection of benches, chairs and picnic tables while a large covered tiki deck offers shelter from the summer and winter extremes. Fans (the electric rotating kind) create pleasant breezes in the long summer months while radiant propane heaters take the chill off on the rare cold evenings.