Tampa Bay Area is a major area located on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes cities namely Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. This is also one of the popular area of tourist attractions in Florida. It offers several recreations such as beaches and water activities, art and culture, sports, state and public parks, theme parks, aquarium and zoos, botanical gardens, night life in downtown, etc. Tampa is the major city in this area and located in Hillsborough County. It is also the third largest in Florida. Tampa International Airport is the largest airport in the Tampa city and Tampa Bay Area.
In this post we are covering some important attractions that one can cover during their visit to the Tampa Bay Area or Tampa City.
Florida Aquarium
Florida Aquarium is a 250K square foot aquarium located in the Channel District of Downtown Tampa. The aquarium offers both entertainment and education and is one of the popular attractions in Tampa. The aquarium has is a home for around 9K animals. It has two levels with several exhibits namely Wetlands Trail, Journey to Madagascar, Moon Bay, Coral Reef, Bays & Beaches, Waves of Wonder, Dragon down under and No Bones Zone. There is an admission fee to the aquarium and one will atleast need around 2 hours to cover the same.
Explore Exhibits
One can start the journey from Wetlands Trail exhibit located on level 2. You can see alligators, otters, python, several species of birds and fishes. You can access the next exhibit which is Journey to Madagascar using the steps from near the ranger station. Here you can find lemurs, gecko, chameleons, tortoise, reefs and fishes. You exit this exhibit near the mangrove tunnel on wetlands trail. Then head towards the end of wetlands trail to access the Bays and Beaches exhibit. This is where you can see stingrays, lobsters, eels, etc. One can also experience touching stingray fish at this exhibit.
As you exit the Bays and Beaches, immediately to the right is the No Bones Zone where you can experience touching the sea animals with no bones such as star fish, sea cucumbers, etc. Next to this is the Coral Reef exhibit that consists sharks, stingrays, turtles and many different species of fishes and sea animals. Dragon Down Under exhibit is located at the end of Coral cave and opposite to the coral reef room.
As you exit the Coral Reef, exhibit Waves of Wonder is located. One can enjoy seeing the amazing colors of jelly fishes, octopuses and various other wildlife like sharks, sea turtles and corals. The exit of Waves of Wonder exhibit takes you to the level 1 main lobby. Level 1 includes Moon Bay exhibit, theater, cafeteria, gift shop, guest services and photo center, and access to the popular Splash Pad area. Splash Pad is one of the popular area and is a great entertainment for kids.
Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park
Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park or Lowry Park Zoo is a popular attraction in Tampa, Florida. It is a 65-acre zoo with more than 1300 animals and around a million visitors each year. There is an entrance fee to the zoo and is usually open from 9AM to dusk throughout the year. The parking is free. One needs around 4 to 5 hours to cover this place. There are several exhibits in the zoo namely Asia, Florida, Africa, Primates and Wallaroo. There is a cafeteria and also few food stalls inside the zoo.
Explore Exhibits
As you enter the zoo, you will first access the Manatee circle that has a splash pad for kids. There is also guest services, cafeteria, photo center, gift shop located at the entrance. The first exhibit to the immediate left of the entrance is the Asia exhibit where one can see Leopard, Rhino, Crocodile, Tiger, Komodo Dragon, Bear, etc. Just side by Asia is the Primates exhibit that is home for primates like Lemur, Orangutan, Colobus, etc. Florida exhibit is located behind the Asia and Primates. Here you can find Alligator, Stingrays, Panther, Flamingo, Otter, Bear, Sandhill Crane, etc. If you go straight from the entrance crossing the Manatee circle, you will reach the Jungle Carousel. This ride is fun for kids.
To the right of the Carousel is the Wallaroo exhibit that features some rides for adults and kids in addition to animals like Koala, Horse, Emu, etc. There is another splash pad here for entertainment of kids in addition to rides. If you go further straight from Carousel, you can access the Africa exhibit. Here you can enjoy the African Safari that runs every 10 mins and takes you around the Africa exhibit and one can see animals like Elephant, Rhino, Hippo, Penguin, Giant Tortoise, Giraffe, Zebra, etc. In addition to the safari, one can also spend time by going around the exhibit to see the wildlife. Several close-up encounters with animals are available at scheduled times.
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach is located in Clearwater City of Pinellas County on the west coast of Florida. This beach features white sand and is located on an island. It offers various activities like jet ski, parasailing and has several restaurants and shops near the beach. The beach has been ranked #1 of the beaches in the Unites States several times. News media and travel companies has awarded this beach as one of the best beaches in United States and in the World.
Pier 60 is one of the central attractions in Clearwater beach. The beach has playground, restaurant and a fishing pier. There are some or the other entertainers who perform on the pier each day. You can walk to a point on the pier with no fee and will see some stalls selling accessories and other gift items. To go beyond, one will need to give some fee. During weekends and spring breaks, the parking is usually full.
The beach is approximately 20-25 miles from Tampa International Airport / Downtown and can be reached by own or rental vehicles, taxis, Uber, Lyft, etc. It is also near to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. If you plan to travel to this beach from Tampa, take state road 60 via the Courtney Campbell Causeway and the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. It is scenic because of water on both sides and you can also pull over to spend some quality time.
Florida Botanical Garden
Florida Botanical Garden is a 180-acre beautiful botanical garden located in Largo city of Pinellas County, Florida. The garden is around 24 miles from Tampa, Florida. It features flora, fauna and other natural resources. The garden is open daily with free admission and one would need around 2-3 hours to cover the same. The welcome center and gift shop is only open Monday through Friday. It has several gardens or sections namely Patio, Herb, Cactus, Tropical Fruit, Butterfly, Palm, Tropical Walk, etc., with around 10000+ plants.
Explore
There are couple of entrances to the garden. One from the Ulmerton Road and the other from Walsingham Road. The one on the Ulmerton Road is the main entrance which gives you access to the west of the garden, and the welcome center and gift shop is located here. One can find the Butterfly, Native, Vegetable, Herb and Tropical fruit gardens in the west section. You can also access the Heritage Village located to the south of the garden from the other side of the main entrance parking lot. Heritage Village in an indoor and outdoor museum featuring exhibits about the local history. It is open Wednesday through Sunday.
The east side of the garden can be accessed by crossing the bridge over McKay Creek. This part consists of the Palm, Wedding, Azalea, Cactus, Tropical Courtyard, Vinery gardens and Tropical walk. There are also few pavilions and natural pools and ponds at the southeast end of the garden. The path inside the garden is mostly paved. There are also several designated Children trails along the paved path. This is one of the beautiful gardens worth visiting for free admission.
Honeymoon Island State Park and Beach
Honeymoon Island State Park is located on Honeymoon Island in Pinellas County of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is near to the Dunedin city. This is Barrier Island with several acres of land and around 4 miles of beach.
There are lot of activities to do in this park namely bird watching, hiking, picnic, nature trails, etc. Osprey trail and Pelican Cover trail are the two trails one can take to go around the state park. There is an American Eagle nest on the Osprey trail in the park and the same is marked for visitors. It can only be seen from a far distance. There is a variety of wildlife in the park in addition to the Eagles.
Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island were part of a larger island but were split during a hurricane decades back. This island offers a ferry service to Caladesi Island especially for those who like to reach the neighbor after visiting Honeymoon Island. There is an entrance fees for this park and separate fees for the ferry to the Caladesi Island.
Lettuce Lake Park
Lettuce Lake Park is one of the most visited parks in Hillsborough County of Florida. It is around 240 acres in area and located on Fletcher Avenue just outside the city of Tampa. There is a minimal entrance fee to the park. The hike is around 1.5 to 2-mile loop and one may need around 2 hours to cover the park loop. One may need more time if interested in bird and wildlife watching or other activities. The boardwalks along the Hillsborough River and hardwood swamp forest area provides visitors with a scenic view of the surrounding. In addition to the boardwalks and the river, the park also features several nature trails and an observation tower. There is visitor center, picnic areas, restrooms and playground inside the park.
Canoeing and Kayaking are also popular activities here in addition to bird and wildlife watching.
Explore
From the parking lot, one can take the lettuce lake park trail to access the boardwalk. You will first come across the canoeing and kayaking start point. As you walk further, you would reach the boardwalk that would take you through the floodplain forest offering several wildlife watching spots. There are also benches at several points on the boardwalk if you want to sit and watch wildlife. Turtles, various species of birds, alligators, snakes, etc., are the most commonly seen wildlife.
There is an observation tower located around 0.25 miles. From observation tower, one can continue to the boardwalk and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding. The visitor center is located around 0.5 miles from the observation tower. This loop taking one back to the parking lot via visitor center is around 1 mile. In addition to this, there is another mile of nature trail that forms a larger loop if one is interested.
Caladesi Island State Park and Beach
Caladesi Island State Park is located on Caladesi Island in Pinellas County of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is near to the Dunedin and Clearwater Cities. This is not actually a separate island but shares the land with Clearwater Beach and hence is easily accessible by walk from the latter.
Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island were part of a larger island but were split during a hurricane. One can also access the Caladesi Island from Honeymoon island’s ferry services which is specially meant for convenience of visitors in the latter. In addition to the beach, the park as a nature trail, picnic pavilions, playground, etc. Activities include fishing, boating, hiking, kayaking, etc.
Tampa Riverwalk
Tampa Riverwalk is a 2.5 miles long paved pedestrian trail located along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. It starts from Tampa Bay History Center or near the Amalie Arena Station on Channelside Drive and extends up to Water Works Park passing via Curtis Hixon Park. It covers most of the downtown Tampa waterfront. The walkway connects multiple parks, museums, restaurants, hotels and other attractions on its way. The walk is open for pedestrians, bikers, joggers, strollers, etc.
The night view during festive occasions especially Christmas, is amazing and is a must visit. One can also hire water taxi to go around the place.
Madeira Beach & Treasure Island
Madeira Beach is located on a barrier island in Pinellas County of Florida and on the coast of Gulf of Mexico. The Tom Stuart Causeway connects the beach to the mainland area. To the north of Madeira Beach is the Redington Beach and to the south is the Treasure Island. The area is primarily residential.
Treasure Island is also located on a barrier island in Pinellas County of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The beach has white sand with pristine waters. Beach access and parking are marked for the ease of visitors. Treasure Island trail can be used for walking, bicycling, etc. There are several attractions, restaurants and hotels available.
Sunken Gardens
Sunken Gardens is another beautiful botanical garden located in the St. Petersburg, Florida. It is around 22 miles from Tampa Downtown. The garden is open to public every day and has an admission fee. The garden is said to be 100 years old and is one of the oldest roadside attractions. It is a home for over 500 different species of plants. It has pools, cascading waterfalls, and large collection of around 50,000 plants and flowers.
The trail is around 0.75 miles and an easy flat walk which can be covered in 1 to 2 hours’ time. The garden also offers tours, education programs, special events, etc.
Wat Mongkolratanaram Temple
Wat Mongkolratanaram is a beautiful Buddhist Thai temple located near the bank of Palm River in Tampa, Florida. The temple features a big prayer hall with an attractive statue of Lord Buddha. There are several large oak trees around the temple providing shade to the visitors. They also arrange Sunday market where several vendors sell different authentic Thai cuisines, flowers, plants, vegetables and other stuffs for a very reasonable price. There are many picnic tables for visitors to sit and enjoy the food. The dock or pier located on the bank of the Palm River provides beautiful view of the River and its surrounding.
Hindu Temple of Florida
Hindu Temple of Florida is a beautiful Hindu temple and cultural center located in Tampa, Florida. It is around 70-75 feet tall and the architecture resembles to that of South Indian temples with several carved pillars, carvings of deities, elephants and other traditional things, etc. The temple has two levels. The lower level has a big hall where various events are scheduled while the upper level has the prayer hall. One can use the elevator to access the 2nd level or even use the steps. The temple’s prayer hall has statues of various Hindu Gods/Deities like Lord Ganesha, Krishna, Shiva Ling, Satyanarayana, Balaji, Rama, Goddess Laxmi, Sita, etc.,
There is a cafeteria, also known as “Prasad Sadan”, located within the temple campus and is open from Friday to Sunday. It offers various delicious South Indian vegetarian food for the visitors at reasonable price.
Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island is located in Manatee County, Florida. It is an island that is surrounded from west by Gulf of Mexico and east by Florida mainland. The island is around 7 miles long and is connected to the mainland of Florida by a bridge. The north portion of the island is occupied by the Anna Maria city. Holmes beach and Bradenton beach are the other 2 cities that are part of this island.
There are 2 bridges that connect to this island, one connecting near Bradenton beach and other near Holmes beach. One can drive along the Gulf drive to explore this island. Tourism is one of the key targeted department for economy. This is one of the beautiful beaches in Florida. It is visited by both the locals as well as tourists. One can see sea turtles, pelicans, seagulls, and other kinds of birds on the island.
Bok Tower Garden
Bok Tower Gardens is another beautiful gardens located in the Lake Wales, Florida. It is an hour away from Tampa, Florida. It is also one of the designated National Historic Landmarks. The garden is around 250-acre in area and has a 205 feet tall tower named Bok Tower. The place also consists of Pinewood Estate, Pine Ridge Trail and visitor center. There is an admission fee to the garden and is open daily. One will need around 2-3 hours to cover the entire garden.
The garden consists of several oak trees, ferns, palms, pines and various kinds flowering plants like Justicia, Spider lily, Asiatic Jasmine, camellias, plumbago etc. The Pinewood Estate features 20-room Mediterranean style mansion and is open daily for self-guided and guided tours. The Pine Ridge trails is a 0.75-mile nature trail that starts near the pond and ends at the visitor center.
Bok Tower
Bok Tower is also popularly known as Singing Tower. It forms the center of attraction. It has a 60-bell carillon located within the tower and has an ornate brass door. There is a reflecting pool located in front of it that offers a beautiful reflection of the tower. A small pond consisting of water lilies is constructed around the tower to give it a decorative look. One can hear the music of carillon bells played at regular interval of half an hour from within the tower and hence the name as Singing Tower.
It is also said that there is a library located inside the tower which has a good collection of books about history of the garden and tower. This is not open for public. One can find some collection at the visitor center.
Apollo Beach
Apollo Beach is located in Hillsborough County of Florida. It’s a nearby beach from Riverview and Ruskin.
It has a waterfront community and offers a year round of boating, fishing, and other water activities.
There are also other attractions like Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Dinosaur World, Ybor City, Tampa Downtown, etc., that one can also explore.
Check the Tampagov.net\visitors page for more information on the attractions and details. Also check out our other post for top beaches in Florida.
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