The Best Things to do in Tampa Florida in 2023

Introduction to Tampa Bay

Whether you want to take a stroll down the Tampa Riverwalk, hop on some roller coasters at a water park with the whole family, or take in some culture at the Tampa Museum of Art. This post will review in great detail all the fun things to do from downtown Tampa Bay area to the central Gulf Coast beaches and everywhere in between.

For those of you reading outside of the United States, and not familiar with the lesser known city in Central Florida. The city of Tampa is in Hillsborough county and is situated in the middle of the state, on the Gulf of Mexico. The region is home to some of the countries most magnificent beaches such as Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach where you can take a short walk down the St. Pete Pier, and Sarasota Beaches. The city is also home to one of the bigger ports for a cruise ship to dock in the country.

My family moved down to the Tampa Bay area in 2016. I had spent a few months years ago in Sarasota and stopped by the Tampa Bay area a few times for special events like catching a Tampa Bay Lightning and Rays game. When I first started coming down to visit my family in Tampa, as soon as I got off the plane we would go to Armature Works for food and to walk along the Tampa Riverwalk. It is a great place close to the airport to grab a quick bite at a high end food court. If you can make it over to the Tampa area between December through February, it will be the most optimal weather for a walk, run or even bike ride down the Tampa Riverwalk.

If you are traveling with young kids or are you are a fan of marine life, Tampa is the perfect place to travel solo or with the entire family. A short drive from Tampa is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This aquarium is best known from the movie A Dolphin's Tale with Ashley Judd and Harry Conick, Jr. where a dolphin washed up on shore and had a net tangled around it's tail. They rescued the dolphin but with all their attempts, they couldn't save it's tail but made it a prosthetic and it was able to survive in this aquarium for many years. There is another aquarium, the Florida Aquarium located in downtown Tampa. These two aquariums have a lot of similar marine life like sea otters, sea turtles and stingrays, among other animals. These aquariums are only about 25 miles apart, so it depends on if you want more of an urban or beach setting. If you are open to a little drive south to Apollo Beach, you can visit the Manatee Viewing Center. Be mindful that the Manatee Viewing Center is only open between November 1st through April 15th. An added bonus of this site is they offer free parking and it is a manageable parking lot right in front of the center.

Amusement Parks

Many people come to Florida just for the theme parks. The most notable is Disney World in Orlando, which is only a 90 minutes drive from the City of Tampa. Orlando also houses it's own slew of amusement parks. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has a ton of rides and activities to complete the best family vacation. They also decorate really nice for the holiday season. If you are looking for some relief from the summer heat and are looking for a water play area there are at least 8 water parks within a short drive, allowing families only needing to take day trips to these parks. Whether you want water rides or splash pads for the little ones, one of these parks are sure to have what you are looking for.

Some of the more well known water parks in addition to Busch Gardens are as follows

Nature

Tampa Bay is not short on nature and beauty. From nature trails with scenic views, to picnic areas and walks along the Sunken Gardens or the Butterfly Garden will have trails for most everyone's fitness needs. So far I have not traveled out too much in terms of hiking, state parks and gardens. Mostly because it's been warm since I have been living here. The places I have visited so far are the Bradenton and Tampa Riverwalks, Manatee Viewing Center, and the Alafia River State Park.

I grew up in the North Jersey, which wasn't the Colorado Rockies, but it was a pretty mountainous area with decent hiking. We would go to the Ramapo Reserve and the Ringwood State Park quite frequently. Most of my extended family lived in Long Island, which reminds me of Florida as it is very flat, so most of the trails you will find in a Florida or Long Island are pretty level, through wood areas vs. any real incline.

I have compiled a list of some of the parks I have been to in and around the Tampa Bay area along with a list of some places to check out if taking a walk in nature is what you are after:

Museums

I am a sucker for a good museum with rich history and a (sometimes) cheesy gift shop. Places like New York City or Washington D.C. may pop into your mind when you're thinking of a trip geared around museums, but the Tampa Bay area is in no shortage of interesting museums with interactive exhibits for the kiddos and a plethora of information for their adult companions.

For the young children, you may want to check out the Glazer Children's Museum in downtown Tampa, Dinosaur World in Plant City, Galactic Playgrounds Children's Science Center in Brandon, or the Great Explorations Children's Museum in St. Petersburg. These museums are filled with some great permanent exhibits and interesting facts.

If your kids are a little bit older or this is an adults trip, there are some great history and art museums to explore between Clearwater, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Most of these venues offer self-guided tours and some offer guided tours over selected times as well. My favorite so far was the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Not too overwhelming in size but had a decent collection of Dali's work in addition to a video on Dali’s life.

Below are some additional museums in the area I haven't made it to yet

Wildlife

If animals are your passion and you want to see some local wildlife, Florida has a lot to offer and I don't mean just witnessing geckos and alligators strolling by. Tampa Bay is also home to quite a few different zoos and aquariums that house some amazing creatures. So far I have only made it to the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, most notably known for the movie A Dolphin's Tale. The Manatee Viewing Center is only open November through April, so if planning a visit make sure to keep that in mind.

Some other wildlife venues in the area that I have not made it to yet

Tampa Bay Lightening, Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL

Sports

You might have heard of a little known team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that this small town QB by the name of Tom Brady catapulted in the lime light during his three seasons with the team and Super Bowl win in 2021. With that said the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning have also had pretty good records over the past few seasons, which is impressive because ice hockey is a bit harder to become attached to during a childhood in balmy Florida.

While the Bucs, Rays, and Lightning are the only professional teams in Tampa, there are quite a few other sports you can watch in the area. Whether an MLS fan and take in a Tampa Bay Rowdies game or Basketball is your sport, there are quite a few Universities in the area with decent teams, such as the University of Tampa and USF.

Also, due to the tropical weather all year round, the Tampa Bay area is home to quite a few MLB teams during spring training.

List of MLB teams that train in the Tampa Bay area

Baltimore Oriels - Ed Smith Stadium - Sarasota, FL
New York Yankees - George M. Steinbrenner Field - Tampa, FL
Pittsburgh Pirates - LECOM Park - Bradenton, FL
Philadelphia Phillies - BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL
Toronto Blue Jays - TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL
Detroit Lions - Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL
Tampa Bay Rays - Charlotte Sports Park - Port Charlotte, FL
Atlanta Braves - CoolToday Park - North Port, FL

Stevie Wonder Tribute Show, Florida Studio Theater - Sarasota, FL

Performing Arts

Last but not least, performing arts. Performing arts is probably one of my favorite things of all time to write about. I love all kinds of live entertainment. I have personally taken a bunch of acting, comedy and creative writing courses over the years. I even majored in theater in college. Unfortunately, my singing and dancing capabilities are at a 0, but my love of live shows are at 1000%. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the New York City metro area, so it was relatively easy for us to get into the city for a Broadway show. My parents were also nice enough to take us in to see a few shows a year and I was allowed to pick the one we saw around my birthday. Broadway, even in the '90s and early 2000's was not cheap, so it was really kind of them.

So far I have seen a Stevie Wonder Tribute show at the Florida Studio Theater in Sarasota, the Florida Symphony at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, and two shows at the Straz Center in Tampa. All of these shows and venues were amazing! And I was that sappy person who got weepy each time a performer hit a high note.

My hands down favorite show was Jagged Little Pill at the Straz Center in Tampa. The Straz Center is a newer building compared to the old buildings in New York City. So the seats and aisles are wider (comparatively). They have concession stands and bathrooms conveniently located on multiple floors. And don't get me going on those bathrooms. They have multiple stalls and the women's room lines actually go pretty quick.

Why Jagged Little Pill was my favorite show had very little to do with the venue (even though it is beautiful) and all to do with the show. Jagged Little Pill is a fictional story set to the songs off of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album. When I was growing up I liked Alanis Morissette's music and I remember enjoying it, but I had forgotten how many songs she had that I remembered and thoroughly enjoyed. Also, the story they created around these songs was interesting to follow. Even though the storyline addressed some heavier topics, they still inserted a good amount of humor, especially from the Mom's character.

Let's talk about the Mom in this play. Heidi Blickenstaff plays the mother character, Mary Jo so well. The jokes were perfectly timed and her voice was nothing short of impressive. All of the casts dancing and singing capabilities were amazing, but the other two characters that stood out to the most to me were Jade McLeod who played the teenage friend Jo, and Jordan Leigh McCaskill who was the understudy for the other main character Frankie. Even though technically the two main characters were the mother Mary Jo and her daughter Frankie, I think the supporting character of Jo really stood out vocally and I will fight to stand by my comment that her character may have even had two of the best Alanis Morissette's songs off of the Jagged Little Pill album (You Outta Know and Hand in My Pocket).

Typically when I leave a musical I will play the songs on the car ride home, which I did after seeing Jagged Little Pill. With that said, I can't stop playing the Broadway Touring Company's covers of the Alanis Morissette songs. My favorite to play on repeat is Jade McLeod singing You Outta Know.

Some other venues you could see live concerts or shows performed around the Tampa Bay area

Tampa Theater - Tampa, FL
Central Park Performing Arts - Largo, FL
Duke Energy Center for the Arts - St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg City Theater - St. Petersburg, FL
Palladium Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
Manatee Performing Arts Center - Bradenton, FL
Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL

If you are road-tripping or checking out other areas in Florida, check out my posts on St. Augustine and Miami.

Conclusion

I have only been living in Florida for a few months now and visiting on and off over the years. I am excited about all the sights I have seen so far from the warm waters and white sand beaches of Sarasota through Clearwater, a great spot like the Ybor City Museum State Park and the like, to the cute areas in St. Petersburg to stroll for a bite to eat. The Gulf Coast of Florida is a great way to relax over your vacation with some of the best places for live music and to sun tan. This region also has two convenient ways to fly in, either through Tampa International or the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport.

Map from Wanderlog, a vacation planner app on iOS and Android