The Tampa area has so much to do and see. When I started planning this trip, I was shocked by all things that are around Tampa. I was also amazed at how many food places were in Tampa and was constantly saying you can do a food tour and do nothing else. (The food was delicious the whole weekend.)
I had an early flight out of Illinois and got to St Pete mid-afternoon. When I book a flight I try to get there where I can still explore a majority of the day. I flew into PIE but there is an awesome flamingo in the Tampa airport.
This trip was planned a little bit planned but nothing specific. I had a list of things that I wanted to do that I found from TripAdvisor, bloggers, and social media mostly TikTok and Instagram. Hashtags were so helpful too – I used #thingstodointampa, #tampatodo, etc.
Day 1 – TAMPA
When I landed the first thing was to eat. We ate at Big Ray’s Seafood. It is definitely a hidden gem. I order the traditional Cuban, and it DID NOT disappoint. It was so good! I had a goal to order food I have either never had or couldn’t get in the Midwest. Big Ray’s had a lobster corn dog on the menu that I really wanted to try.
I would recommend driving down Baybound Road from there because the view was amazing. You have amazing houses on one side of you and water on the other side. If you know me, you know being in or near water is my natural element and so soothing. I can never get enough water.
Hyde Park Village is great for shopping and the Dreams Come True mural. One of my favorite things at Hyde Park is the Free Little Library that’s a phone booth. I got a book there that was one of the best books I have ever read.
Obviously, it can’t be a road trip without a baseball game. Tampa Bay is the spring training home of the New York Yankees and home of the minor league team Tampa Tarpons. This stadium did not disappoint. You can definitely tell it’s a Yankee stadium. There is so much history at this ballpark from the very beginning. They have a square of retired Yankees with their number and why they are retired. It’s insane to see all of the amazing retired Yankees, BUT my personal favorite is Jeter, Pasada, Rivera, and Pettite. When Jeter and Pettite take Rivera out of his last game, I still cry and I probably always will. I am a huge sucker for team chemistry. (I could probably write a post about all the best groups in baseball – another favorite would be the 90s Braves starting rotation.)
To end the first night was a tiki sunset cruise that we book through Viator. Our tour started at 8pm and it was perfect because it was the ultimate sunset cruise. Sunset wasn’t until 8:30ish on the day we went. The cruise starts at Armature Park and goes down the riverwalk. The cruise lasted 90 minutes and you learn so much about Tampa. Our tour guide even added on to the trip because it was only 2 couples. She also added a few more things to my list of things to see. It was the best way to end the first day in Florida.
Day 2 – TAMPA A.M.
Day 2 started early with exploring Tampa then heading to St. Pete for the rest of the day. I really wanted to see where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play but everything was closed off because of the Ed Sheeran concert. I got some pictures as we were driving around but nothing spectacular. It was still cool to see. Down the street from the stadium is the Training Facility. We got out and took more photos here.
Armature Park is a must-stop while in Tampa. There is so much to see and do in this area. Ferryland is right next to a popular restaurant and has statues of different fairy tails. There is also a public market with a lot of restaurants, but not many were open we were there. The one I wanted to go to was the ice cream one.
Sparksman Wharf is the best place in Tampa for lunch. It’s right next to go many other things you can do in Tampa like the art museum, museum of history, or aquarium. There are so many options for lunch ranging from hot dogs to Mac n cheese to hamburgers to upscale dining.
This is where you can find the Tampa sign as well, but it’s kinda hidden. it’s in the parking lot next to the Wharf. I love how this changes depending on what’s going on in the city.
DAY 2- ST PETE P.M.
From here we left to go explore St Pete before the Rays game. I could spend much more time in St. Pete. Which I found shocking because I didn’t think I would find this much stuff I would want to do. I could easier do a weekend trip just in St. Pete. We went on a Friday because during the season they go back to the 90s with their Devil Rays jersey. I absolutely love that jersey so I wanted to see them wear this again. Also how cool is it that they have their mascot swimming in the center field?
Sunken Garden was something that I saw all over TikTok as something to do here, and it didn’t disappoint. In 1903, George Turner Sr purchased the 4-acre property. He was a plumber by trade but he was an avid gardener. He turned it into an amazing garden with plants from all over the world. It’s insane because you could never tell it’s in the middle of the city. Once you are in the Gardens you feel like you escaped it all.
St. Pete could also be named the city of murals because there are so many murals throughout the city. They have a website that has a majority of them but I feel like there are so many that aren’t on that list. It has to be impossible to keep up.
Green Bench Brewery came highly recommended so we stopped by before the game. It did not disappoint. The beer was so good, and they had food vendors nearby. It was a great spot before the game. We also walked the downtown area before we walked to the stadium, and accidentally found a bar that was on my list – No Vanacy. I prefer the outside to the inside. It’s super cute with the turf green grass and comfy chairs along with tons of outdoor games.
CLEARWATER – DAY 3
We started the day driving to the point of the island, Point A Pass Beach, and drove up the 699 to Clearwater. Honestly, it was a waste of time because I didn’t see as much of the beach as I thought. I was hoping it would be like the Pacific Coast Highway where you see the water but it was just hotels.
We got to Clearwater around 11am, which was perfect because that’s when Palm Pavillion opened which is where we had lunch. I got the Grouper Taco and it didn’t disappoint. The food and the view were the best.
Pier 60 was super cool to see. You can walk part of the pier for free but then there is a part where you have to pay. I didn’t pay because it didn’t seem worth it. You could see the same thing from the other side. If you want to pay I think it was only a few dollars.
One thing that I didn’t expect was to see tons of lounge chairs and umbrellas to purchase for the afternoon. I figured you had to bring your own. Palm Pavillion has umbrellas and half canopies for rent every 2 hours. One thing that I found out AFTER the trip was an app called ResortPass where you can get day passes for different hotels and services.
Honeymoon Island State Park was so cool, but I wish I spend more time there or didn’t kayak so early in the morning. Kayaking was so exhausting. Honeymoon Island SP has 5 trails that you can do all in the morning or afternoon. You can only drive around a small part of the island.
