Things to Do in Tampa

Things to Do in Tampa

Tampa offers more variety than most first-time visitors expect. The combination of a serious historic district in Ybor City, a walkable downtown riverfront, a credible aquarium, one of the better NHL franchises in the league, and Gulf Coast beaches within 45 minutes makes it easy to fill three or four days without replication. Here is how to use that time.

Ybor City: History and 7th Avenue

Ybor City (pronounced EE-bor) was founded in 1885 when cigar manufacturer Vicente Martinez Ybor relocated his operations from Key West, drawing thousands of Cuban, Spanish, Italian, and Jewish immigrant workers. By 1900 it was producing 500 million cigars annually and was the largest cigar-producing city in the world. The neighborhood went into long decline after the 1950s but the late 20th-century preservation of its brick streetscapes has left 7th Avenue as one of the most architecturally intact 19th-century commercial corridors in Florida.

7th Avenue from 15th Street to 22nd Street is the main strip — two-story brick buildings with wrought-iron balconies, former cigar factories turned into lofts and restaurants, and a handful of working cigar rollers still producing hand-rolled cigars. Free to walk at all times.

Ybor City Museum State Park at 1818 E 9th Ave (admission approximately $4 as of 2026, open Thursday–Monday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.) occupies the former Ferlita Bakery and covers the neighborhood’s cigar factory history and immigrant community life. The casita (worker’s cottage) adjacent to the museum has been restored and is one of the better museum outbuildings in the state.

Free-roaming chickens on Ybor City’s streets are not a myth — descended from feral chickens that have lived in the neighborhood for over a century, they are now officially protected and roam freely across the district.

Evening Ybor City is livelier than daytime — 7th Avenue is Tampa’s main late-night entertainment district with bars, live music venues, and the Columbia Restaurant’s flamenco dinner show.

Tampa Riverwalk

The Tampa Riverwalk runs 2.4 miles along the east bank of the Hillsborough River from Armature Works in the Heights District south through downtown to the Channel District waterfront. It is free, almost entirely flat, and connects the majority of downtown Tampa’s major attractions.

Walking south from Armature Works: the Water Works Park, Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park (a waterfront green space), the Tampa Bay History Center, the Glazer Children’s Museum, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Amalie Arena are all directly on or within a block of the Riverwalk. The Straz Center for the Performing Arts (1010 N MacInnes Pl) — one of the largest performing arts centers in the American Southeast — sits on the river’s opposite bank, accessible by a pedestrian bridge.

The Riverwalk is busy on weekends; cyclists, runners, and walkers share the path. Several rent bikes and scooters are available along the route.

The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium at 701 Channelside Dr is one of the better regional aquariums in the country, with a specific focus on Florida’s native marine and coastal ecosystems. The exhibit flow — from Florida wetlands and springs through mangroves to the coral reef — makes geographic and ecological sense in a way that many aquariums do not.

The coral reef tank, the sea turtle exhibit, and the shallow-water touch experience (rays and sea stars) are the strongest individual elements. The aquarium also runs snorkeling and scuba programs in the coral reef exhibit for an additional charge. Admission approximately $35 adults, approximately $28 children ages 3–11 as of 2026. Open daily 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay at 10165 McKinley Dr (approximately 7 miles north of downtown, 15 minutes by car) operates as both a theme park and a zoological facility. The combination works — the roller coasters (Cheetah Hunt, Tigris, the suspended Cobra’s Curse, and the wooden Phoenix) share space with a genuine 80-acre African savanna habitat called Serengeti Plain, visible via a guided safari tour or the Serengeti Express rail.

One-day admission approximately $95–$120 as of 2026 (online bookings are cheaper; buy a few days ahead). The park is fully cashless as of 2026. A combination ticket with SeaWorld Orlando and other Anheuser-Busch parks provides better value if you plan to visit multiple parks on the trip.

Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena

The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the most successful NHL franchises of the past decade, having won Stanley Cup championships in 2004, 2020, and 2021. Amalie Arena at 401 Channelside Dr is a modern facility with a strong game atmosphere and easy Riverwalk access.

Regular season games run October through April. Tickets from approximately $35 for upper-tier seats; lower-bowl and premium seating approximately $80–$200 as of 2026. Single-game tickets available at amaliearena.com or at the box office on game days if not sold out. The arena also hosts major concerts and events throughout the year.

Day Trip: Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach sits approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Tampa via the Courtney Campbell Causeway and SR-60. It is consistently ranked among the top beaches on the Gulf Coast — wide, white quartz sand, calm turquoise water, and a family-oriented atmosphere. The beach is free; parking at the Clearwater Beach lot costs approximately $4 per hour as of 2026 and fills quickly on weekends and holidays.

The Pier 60 area at the center of Clearwater Beach has a daily sunset celebration (buskers, craft vendors, and street performers) from approximately two hours before sunset — a reliable activity that requires no planning.

For calmer alternatives: Caladesi Island State Park sits immediately north of Clearwater Beach and is accessible only by ferry (approximately $16 round trip from Honeymoon Island State Park, which requires a $6 vehicle entry fee as of 2026). The beach at Caladesi is frequently rated the best in Florida for its unspoiled character.

Day Trip: St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg sits across Tampa Bay, approximately 25 minutes south on I-275 across the Howard Frankland Bridge. The city has two distinct draws for visitors from Tampa:

The Salvador Dalí Museum (1 Dalí Blvd, St. Pete) holds the largest Dalí collection outside Spain — 2,400 works including all 18 large-format masterworks. The building (2011, architect Yann Weymouth) is distinctive. Admission approximately $25 adults as of 2026; open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (Thursday until 8 p.m.).

The Central Avenue corridor has developed into one of the better independent food and arts districts in Florida, running west from the waterfront to the Warehouse Arts District. Worth a combined museum-and-lunch day trip.