Things to Do in Tampa Bay
Things to do across Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Pinellas beaches, with who each one suits, the real catch, and a path to the live price. The counterweight to a week of beach days.
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Theme park
Water park
Museum & fun
Wildlife & nature
Wildlife & natureClearwater Marine AquariumClearwaterA working marine rescue hospital you can walk through, where every animal on site has been judged non-releasable.See tickets →
Wildlife & natureThe Florida AquariumTampaSand tiger sharks behind the panoramic window of a 500,000-gallon reef habitat, plus a glass-domed Florida wetland you walk through.See tickets →
Attraction pass
Attraction passTampa Bay CityPASSTampaOne ticket covering five Tampa Bay attractions you pick yourself, good for nine days from first use.See tickets →
Attraction passZooTampa and Florida Aquarium Combo TicketTampaOne ticket for ZooTampa and the Florida Aquarium, good for one visit to each within a week.See tickets →
How to plan a Tampa Bay day
Tampa Bay splits in two and the causeway between them decides your day. The Pinellas side is the beaches, and the attractions there are compact: Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Island Estates, the Dali Museum on the St. Petersburg waterfront, and not much else that needs booking ahead. The Tampa side holds the heavyweights, with Busch Gardens and Adventure Island together in the north of the city and The Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa closer in. Crossing takes about 30 to 45 minutes without traffic and considerably longer in it, so pick a side per day rather than trying to thread both.
The weather does the scheduling here. Summer afternoons bring near-daily thunderstorms that empty the water parks and fill the indoor attractions, which is exactly when the two aquariums and the Dali earn their keep. Winter flips it: the outdoor parks run shorter seasons or close on cold days, and Adventure Island shuts entirely for the cooler months. If your trip lands between roughly November and February, plan around indoor options and treat any water park as a bonus rather than a fixture.
Almost everything here is cheaper bought as a bundle if you are doing more than two. A multi-attraction pass covers a fixed number of choices from the region's headline venues, and the zoo and aquarium sell a combined ticket, both of which beat separate admissions once you commit to a third stop. Match that against where you are sleeping: from the [St. Pete Beach](/deals/florida/st-pete-beach) and [Clearwater Beach](/deals/florida/clearwater-beach) hotels the Pinellas attractions are a short drive, while the Tampa venues are a genuine trip across the bay.
Where to stay in Tampa Bay
Pair your plans with a base near the parks: who each hotel suits, the fee stack, and the all-in cost before you tap through to the live rate.
Browse Disney World hotel deals →Tampa Bay questions
How far is Tampa from the Pinellas beaches?
About 30 to 45 minutes without traffic, and longer at rush hour. Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach sit on the Pinellas side, while Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa are all on the Tampa side, so plan one side per day rather than crossing twice.
Is a Tampa Bay multi-attraction pass worth it?
It pays off from the third attraction. A pass covers a set number of choices from the region's headline venues, so two visits rarely beat buying separately, and three or more usually does. It also spreads across both sides of the bay, which means budgeting the driving time to use it fully.
What is there to do in Tampa Bay when it rains?
The indoor attractions carry a wet day well. Clearwater Marine Aquarium, The Florida Aquarium and the Dali Museum are all fully indoors and all take two to three hours, which covers the typical summer afternoon storm. The water parks close in weather, so keep those for the morning.
Do you need a car in Tampa Bay?
For most of it, yes. The region spreads across two counties and a bay, and no transit line connects the beaches to the Tampa attractions. The exception is Clearwater Beach, where the Jolley Trolley and the Clearwater Ferry reach the aquarium and the downtown waterfront without driving.
When is the cheapest time to visit Tampa Bay?
Late August into September, and the weeks after New Year. Hotel rates on the Pinellas beaches drop once Florida schools resume and again after the holidays, and attraction crowds thin with them. The trade-off in September is hurricane season, and in January it is cool water and shortened water park seasons.