タンパのツアー＆アクティビティ

Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) the street-legal golf-cart sightseeing tour, 2) Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, 3) the Ybor City historic walking tour, 4) the Tampa history or dolphin cruise on the bay, 5) the Florida Aquarium, 6) the floating tiki-boat bar on the Hillsborough River, 7) ZooTampa at Lowry Park, 8) the Tampa Riverwalk and Armature Works, 9) the manatees at Apollo Beach in winter and 10) a day trip to Clearwater Beach or St. Pete.

Plan two to three days. Day one: the golf-cart or trolley tour, the Riverwalk, the Florida Aquarium and an evening in Ybor City. Day two: Busch Gardens (a full day) or ZooTampa plus the Museum of Science and Industry. Day three: a dolphin or history cruise, then Clearwater Beach or the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, both about 30–40 minutes away.

The Riverwalk from the Straz Center to the Aquarium, Bayshore Boulevard’s 4.5-mile waterfront sidewalk, the free TECO streetcar to Ybor City, the Ybor City Museum State Park gardens, Sparkman Wharf, Armature Works’ food hall, Curtis Hixon Park, the manatees at the Apollo Beach viewing centre in winter, Lettuce Lake Park, the Sunday market at Hyde Park Village and the Gulf beaches from Fort De Soto to Clearwater (parking fees apply).

Clearwater Beach and Pier 60 (40 minutes), St. Petersburg for the Dalí Museum and the Pier (30 minutes), Tarpon Springs’ Greek sponge docks (45 minutes), the manatees of Crystal River (90 minutes) and Weeki Wachee Springs (one hour), Fort De Soto’s beaches (45 minutes), Anna Maria Island (one hour), LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven (one hour) and Orlando’s theme parks (90 minutes).

Ybor City’s 7th Avenue for cigar bars, salsa clubs and the Columbia Restaurant’s flamenco show; the Riverwalk, Sparkman Wharf and Armature Works for waterfront drinks; a sunset tiki-boat or dolphin cruise; a Lightning game at Amalie Arena; the Straz Center for Broadway shows; a ghost tour or haunted pub crawl; and the Seminole Hard Rock casino. In late January the Gasparilla pirate invasion takes over the bay.

Winter is peak season, with highs around 70°F and no humidity. The manatees gather at the Apollo Beach viewing centre from November to April, Busch Gardens runs Christmas Town, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival is in late January, the Florida State Fair in February and Yankees spring training in March. Every cruise, tour and theme park is open; book beach hotels early.

Busch Gardens and its Serengeti animals, the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, the Glazer Children’s Museum on the Riverwalk, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a dolphin cruise, Adventure Island water park in summer, the manatees at Apollo Beach, the Riverwalk’s water taxi and LEGOLAND an hour away.

November to April — warm, dry and sunny, with the manatee season, Gasparilla and spring training. March and April are the busiest and priciest weeks. Summer is hot and humid with daily afternoon storms, and hurricane season peaks in September, but hotel prices drop sharply.

Yes for thrill-seekers and families — it combines Florida’s best roller coasters (SheiKra, Iron Gwazi, Montu) with a 65-acre Serengeti Plain of giraffes, zebras and rhinos, and it is less crowded than the Orlando parks. Allow a full day; buy tickets online for the lowest price and go on a weekday.