For couples · Tampa · United States
Romantic things to do in Tampa
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Tampa Riverwalk, Tampa · Photo: Barbthebuilder, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Romance in Tampa means sunsets over the water, old-world Spanish dining in Ybor City and a day on the Gulf beaches. Couples tend to stay in Hyde Park and SoHo.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Hyde Park and SoHo
- Best months
- May and November
Plan a trip to Tampa
Compare flights, places to stay and rental cars, then book with the provider you choose.
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset on the Riverwalk
Walk from Curtis Hixon Park towards Armature Works as the Plant Museum's minarets glow across the river.
2.Flamenco at the Columbia
Dinner with a flamenco performance in the tiled dining rooms of the 1905 Columbia Restaurant.
3.Dessert room at Bern's
Finish a steak dinner in one of the private booths upstairs in Bern's dessert room.
4.Pier 60 sunset
Drive to Clearwater Beach for the evening sunset gathering on the pier.
5.Film night at Tampa Theatre
Watch a classic film under the twinkling 'stars' of the 1926 movie palace.
Sights couples love
Waterfront · Downtown
Tampa Riverwalk
Walk it north at sunset for the view of the Plant Museum's minarets across the river, finishing at Armature Works for dinner.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Couples
- Iconic
Historic site · Ybor City
Columbia Restaurant
Book the flamenco dinner show ahead; at lunch, the café side serves a classic Cuban sandwich without a reservation.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- History
- Couples
- After dark
Architecture · Downtown
Tampa Theatre
Seeing a film is the best way in; guided balcony-to-backstage tours run on some days.
- Time needed
- 2 hours with a film
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers, nightlife and luxury
Hyde Park and SoHo
Hyde Park is one of Tampa's oldest residential areas, with early 20th-century homes and Hyde Park Village's shops and restaurants. South Howard Avenue (SoHo) has bars and restaurants, including Bern's Steak House, and Bayshore Boulevard's waterfront walk is a few blocks away.
- Good
- Attractive, walkable streets; Good restaurants; Bayshore running and cycling path
- Watch out
- Few hotels; mostly rentals; SoHo is noisy late at weekends
- Nearby
- Bayshore Boulevard, Hyde Park Village, Bern's Steak House, University of Tampa
Romantic day trips
- St. Petersburg (About 30–40 minutes by car) — Across the bay, St.
- Crystal River and Three Sisters Springs (About 1 hour 40 minutes by car) — In winter, hundreds of manatees shelter in the warm springs of Kings Bay at Crystal River.
- Sarasota (About 1 hour 10 minutes by car) — 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.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Tampa Cuban sandwich, Spanish bean soup and 1905 Salad. Air conditioning is strong indoors, so carry a light layer even in summer.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Tampa romantic?
Romance in Tampa means sunsets over the water, old-world Spanish dining in Ybor City and a day on the Gulf beaches.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Tampa?
Sunset on the Riverwalk: Walk from Curtis Hixon Park towards Armature Works as the Plant Museum's minarets glow across the river.
+Where should couples stay in Tampa?
Hyde Park and SoHo: Bungalows and brick streets off Bayshore Boulevard, with a bar strip on South Howard.