7 best day trips from Tampa

Day trips compared

The day trips

35 km (22 mi) · About 30–40 minutes by car

1.St. Petersburg

Across the bay, St. Pete has the Salvador Dalí Museum, with one of the largest Dalí collections outside Spain, plus the Museum of Fine Arts, a rebuilt pier with restaurants and the waterfront parks along Beach Drive. The Gulf beaches are another 20 minutes west.

Getting there

Car via I-275 or the seasonal Cross-Bay Ferry

Best for

Culture, Couples, Food lovers

40 km (25 mi) · About 45 minutes by car

2.Clearwater Beach

A wide white-sand Gulf beach with calm, shallow water and a busy waterfront of hotels and restaurants. Pier 60 hosts an evening sunset gathering with street performers, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium focuses on rescued dolphins and sea turtles.

Getting there

Car via the Courtney Campbell Causeway

Best for

Families, Beach, First-timers

50 km (31 mi) · About 45 minutes by car

3.Tarpon Springs

Greek sponge divers from the Dodecanese settled here in the early 1900s, and the sponge docks on Dodecanese Boulevard still have sponge boats, shops and Greek bakeries and tavernas. The town has one of the highest proportions of Greek Americans in the US.

Getting there

Car via the Veterans Expressway and US 19

Best for

Food lovers, Culture, Families

80 km (50 mi) · About 1 hour by car

4.Weeki Wachee Springs

A state park built around a deep, clear spring where 'mermaids' have performed underwater shows in a submerged theatre since 1947. You can also kayak or paddleboard down the spring-fed Weeki Wachee River, where manatees are sometimes seen.

Getting there

Car via the Suncoast Parkway

Best for

Families, Quiet stays

135 km (84 mi) · About 1 hour 40 minutes by car

5.Crystal River and Three Sisters Springs

In winter, hundreds of manatees shelter in the warm springs of Kings Bay at Crystal River. Licensed operators run guided swim and snorkel tours, and the Three Sisters Springs boardwalk lets you watch from land.

Getting there

Car via the Suncoast Parkway and US 19

Best for

Families, Quiet stays, Couples

95 km (59 mi) · About 1 hour 10 minutes by car

6.Sarasota

The Ringling museum complex — John Ringling's art museum, his Venetian Gothic mansion Cà d'Zan and a circus museum — is Sarasota's main sight. Nearby Siesta Key has a broad beach of fine white quartz sand.

Getting there

Car via I-275 and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Best for

Culture, Beach, Couples

135 km (84 mi) · About 1.5 hours by car

7.Orlando theme parks

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are reachable for a long day, though traffic on I-4 is heavy. Families combining Tampa's beaches with the theme parks often move to Orlando for a few nights instead.

Getting there

Car via I-4

Best for

Families

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• HART runs the city bus network, including a route between the airport and downtown; it is cheap but infrequent for sightseeing.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask