40 Ways to Spend a Weekend in Tampa Bay

Be it you're a local or a tourist, there are many ways to spend a weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Tampa Bay area offers everyone many things to do. Take a look at 40 activities to do, places to go, and things to see while enjoying a weekend in Tampa Bay.

1. Go to Busch Gardens

2. See the Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional football team win a game

3. Visit historic Ybor City in Tampa

4. Take a ride along scenic Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa

5. Go for a walk on the white Gulf sands of Clearwater Beach

6. Enjoy an authentic Spanish meal at The Columbia Restaurant

7. In February, visit the Florida State Fair

8. Shop at one of the major malls for some local deals

9. Visit the John F. Germany Library in Downtown Tampa and look at historic photographs of the area taken by the early 20th-century local photography group known as the Burgert Brothers.

10. Watch cigar rollers in Ybor City

11. Take a tour of the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa

12. Go for a ride over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning the waters of Tampa Bay

13. Take in a round of golf on one of the many local championship-level courses

14. Visit Alessi's Bakery in Tampa for a real Cuban sandwich

15. Walk around the wold-renowned Tampa International Airport

16. Visit the sponge docks in the predominately Greek-American city of Tarpon Springs, near the Gulf

17. Take in the sights at The Pier in Saint Petersburg

18. Go fishing

19. Watch the Tampa Bay Lighting professional hockey team win a game

20. Visit Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

21. Tour the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa

22. Enjoy a strawberry shortcake in the strawberry capital of Plant City

23. Visit the Florida Aquarium in Tampa

24. Take a trip over the rolling hills on U.S. 301 near Zephyrhills

25. Visit Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales

26. Enjoy a sunset at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach

27. Watch the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team win a game

28. Splash away at the Adventure Island water park in Tampa

29. Visit the Ringling Museum (of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus) in Sarasota

30. In April, visit Airfest at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa

31. Eat at Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa

32. See the fireworks at Coachman Park in Clearwater during July 4 weekend

33. Visit historic Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven

34. Feel the strength of hurricane force winds or watch an IMAX movie at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa

35. Watch manatees swim near Tampa Electric's "Big Bend" power plant in Apollo Beach

36. See the mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs near Spring Hill

37. Take in the Outback Bowl college football game New Year's Day weekend in Tampa

38. Buy a crate of citrus fruit

39. Cruise on a sailboat in the waters of Tampa Bay

40. Smell the orange blossoms in one of the many local orange groves