I attended Wisconsin Tennessee in 2007. My experience FWIW. Stayed in St. Pete beach with relatives, so didn’t do a lot of team/bowl stuff and didn’t book accommodations. Bought tickets through UW athletic dept, then bought another pair from a broker when I realized how shitty the dept seats were. Drove up to Raymond James the day of the game and it was really nice out. Tried to sell 2nd pair of tickets walking in and couldn’t get $5 for them. The stadium had then an end zone plaza where you could get drinks and still watch the game. A great place to be before/after halftime. This, along with the parking lot are good spots to interact with the other teams fans. The UT fans were friendly. This was the first time I encountered SEC sectionalism as both sides would cheer when we heard a Big Ten rival was losing. By the end of the game I’d tired of it as was stoked when Michigan beat Tebow’s Gators in the Citrus (gasps from Tennessee side). Badgers lost a close one. The area was safe enough during and after the game but wasn’t near a ton of stuff. Mons Venus gentleman’s club was close by if you are into that kind of thing. Cuban neighborhood, Ybor City is a cool place to go for night life but can be sketchy around the edges (Uber instead of park and walk?). Side note: Ybor City gets some mention in The Hold Steady song Killer Parties.
In all, this is a great Jan 1 bowl in my opinion. Might be even more fun if you stay near the team, band, etc.
Good luck against the Tigers!
