If you're coming in from out of town and perhaps plan to stay for a few days we've got lots of stuff to do in and around Tampa and beyond!
Beaches: The Suncoast has some of America's (and the world's) greatest beaches and they can be enjoyed year round! Clearwater Pier 60 is the closest beach on the Gulf, but a little extra drive is often worth it. The further south you go, the lighter and whiter the sand. Indian Rocks Beach or Ft. DeSoto (dude, there really IS a fort to explore!) are both great and all are kid friendly. Take the time to head down to Anna Maria Island for Bradenton, Holmes, or Coquina Beach. Or a little further and get to Siesta Key and Lido Key - with sand so white and soft you'll think you're in the Caribbean! Keep going and you'll get some of the best shark tooth hunting around at Caspersen Beach.
Theme Parks: Tampa is home to Busch Gardens, where you can spend a lazy afternoon on an African savannah, go feed some giraffes on safari, or take on the thrilling challenges of the 90 degree drops of ShieKra, or the crazy, horizontal 200 foot plummet of the new Falcon's Fury. There's lots of stuff inbetween for all ages. About an hour away you'll find all four Disney parks - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. A little bit further and you've got LegoLand, Universal Studios (2 parks - and now featuring the expanded Amazing World of Harry Potter - which is aptly named, and you can drink your weight in Butterbeer and take a ride on the Hogwarts Express), or the Holy Land Experience - if that's your bag of tricks.
Old School Attractions: Gatorland in Kissimmee (see the leaping gators!), Dinosaur World in Plant City (life size sauruses and bone digs), and Weeki Wachee Springs (home to the mermaids), and the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs are all still going strong and can give you a taste of old Florida. There's also plenty of river tubing to be done, along with canoeing and kayaking. The TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach is also a unique experience down here, and will be full of manatees in December and is FREE!
Outdoor Park System: Florida takes great pride in its parks - state, regional, and county, and has an extensive system providing acres and acres and miles and miles of outdoor activity including biking (even mountain biking in reclaimed mine areas), hiking, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, geocaching, fishing and opportunities to spot lots of wildlife. The closest ones to us are Alafia State Park, Alderman's Ford Regional Park, Thonatassassa, Lettuce Lake, and Medard County Parks. But a tube ride down the crystal clear Rainbow River or swimming with manatees in Crystal Springs is worth the extra drive if you've never done that sort of thing. But that water is cold...a steady 72...which is great in the summer, but can feel pretty icy in wintertime!
Old Stand Bys: Tampa also has The Florida Aquarium, The Glazer Children's Museum, MOSI(Museum of Science & Industry), The Tampa Art Museum, The Tampa Bay History Center, and many other smaller museums ranging from art and photography to cigar making. Neighboring Clearwater is home to Winter the tailess dolphin of recent cinematic fame at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and St. Pete has the Dali Museum (a must have for artsy folks) and the Morean Arts Center for the Chihuly fanatics! St. Pete is also home to the Florida Holocaust Museum - one of the largest in the country.
Beyond, beyond: remember, Tampa is on the west coast of the state, about half way up the peninsula. So Miami is a good four-five hour drive away. Sarasota is about an hour. Daytona is situated about 3 hours away, and Pensacola other panhandle beaches are about four hours as well. But we've got plenty to do right here in the Suncoast!
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