Play: Things to Do Around the Bay - Tampa/St Petersburg, FL

The Tampa/St Petersburg metro area is a great place to visit on the Gulf Coast in central Florida. I have lived here for several years now and enjoy taking visitors to a lot of fun places in the area - I've always loved being a tourist in my own city!

Animals & Wildlife

• Big Cat Rescue
• Busch Gardens
• ​Clearwater Marine Aquarium - see Hope & Winter, the famous dolphins from "Dolphin Tale" and "Dolphin Tale 2"
• ​Dade City's Wild Things - hold baby lions, tigers, bears... and more, oh my!
• Dinosaur World
• Florida Aquarium
• ZooTampa (formerly Lowry Park Zoo)​
• Safari Wilderness
• Sea Bird Hospital & Sanctuary

Beaches & Parks

• ​Busch Gardens
• Clearwater Beach - Sand Key Park great for shells
• ​Fort DeSoto County Park & North Beach - good for shells
• Honeymoon Island State Park & Beach
• Indian Rocks Beach - great for shells
• Indian Shores 

• Lettuce Lake Conservation Park
• ​Madeira Beach
• Siesta Key - Sarasota, great for shells
• Sunken Gardens
• USF Botanical Gardens
• ​Weedon Island Preserve

Culture, History, and Museums

• ​SS American Victory
• Chihuly Collection
• Dali Museum
• ​Fort Foster State Park
• Glazer Children's Museum
• Great Explorations Children's Museum
• Henry B Plant Museum
• Heritage Village
• Florida Holocaust Museum
• Museum of Fine Arts St Petersburg
• MoSI (Museum of Science & Industry)
• Polk Museum of Art
• ​St Petersburg Museum of History
• Straz Center for the Performing Arts
• ​Tampa Bay History Center
• ​Tampa Museum of Art
• Tampa Theatre: Nonprofit Movie Palace
• Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks and Spongeorama's Sponge Factory

Eat & Drink

Fine Dining

• Bern's Steakhouse - Tampa
• Oystercatchers at Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay

Casual Dining

• Crabby Bill's - Indian Rocks Beach
• Hott Mess Cafe & Food Truck
• Nico's Arepas Grill & Food Truck
• O'Maddy's Bar & Grille - Gulfport
• The Refinery

Tacos, Tacos, and MORE TACOS!

• California Tacos
• Chronic Tacos
• Don Julio's Mexican
• ​Fuzzy's Tacos
• Loli's Mexican Cravings
• Rocco's Tacos
• Taco Bus - check out the original Bus in Tampa!
• Tijuana Flats

Sweet Treats

• ​Haze Ice Cream including allergy friendly options, like dairy free/sugar free/gluten free ice cream and gluten free cones!
• Strachan's Ice Cream
• Sweet Divas Chocolates

Shop

• Downtown Dunedin
• International Plaza & Bay Street
• ​The Shops at Wiregrass

Sports

• Amalie Arena
  • Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
  • Concerts & Events
• Raymond James Stadium
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
  • USF Bulls Football (NCAA)
  • Concerts & Events
• Tropicana Field
  • Tampa Bay Rays (MLB)
• Yuengling Center
  • USF Bulls Men's Basketball (NCAA)
  • USF Bulls Women's Basketball (NCAA)
  • Concerts & Events

Have more places you love to visit in the area? Comment below and be added to the list!

Last updated: April 8, 2019