More Free Things to Do in Tampa Bay, Florida

Well, who'dve thought that by writing about free things to do in Tampa Bay, Florida, I would discover another Associated Content writer from my own area whom I never ran into here before!

Kudos to Maxine Nelson, who beat me to handing in this assignment although AC let us both claim it! You can see her post, Free Things to Do in the Tampa Bay Area, Florida . Truly, visiting the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks as she suggests is rated high on my own list. Nice to meet you, Maxine. Great ideas, all. But here are even more Freebies within the Tampa Bay area!

FREE Kids' Admission is being offered from now through August 2nd at MOSI - Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry. Beside seeing many science-based features, MOSI has an IMAX theatre where they show movies like Battle of the Smithsonian and Star Trek features, and a planetarium where the kids can learn about our vast galaxies.

The St. Pete Pier on the St. Petersburg side of Tampa Bay hosts FREE "Oldies But Goodies" dances on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, featuring a live dance band from 12:00-3:00 p.m. (Dockside Activity Room). The St. Pete Pier was built in 1973 and renovated in 1988 to the five-story structure it is today, full of fun and window shopping.

Also at the St. Pete Pier, get a birthday meal FREE at Fresco's Waterfront Bistro , where they also offer a free lunch after 6 lunch visits or a free dinner after 6 dinner visits. The only thing you'll pay for is parking ($3), but from any parking lot the Trolley is free.

In the Tampa docks area, you can stroll through Channelside (see photos here), where the Florida Aquarium is located, and do lots of window shopping and people gazing. Or you can watch cruise ships come and go on the dock side. There are grand outdoor stairways and escalators with great views and lots of restaurants to peak into. On Friday and Saturday nights, you can sit and listen to FREE live music in the courtyard, or if you dare spend $2-3, you can get coffee or ice cream.

Right now, you can get Summer Savings in Channelside - click Here for several coupons offering FREE appetizers or cocktails in some of Channelside's restaurants!

Historic Downtown Dade City - Located in Pasco County about twenty minutes from Tampa proper, HIstoric downtown Dade City features early 20th century buildings which used to be apartments and every-day stores. Many of the buildings now contain antique shops (feel free to walk in and drool over the pricey and less expensive antiques) and family-owned restaurants. There is an old fashioned Town Square looking very much like the scene in the play and movie "The Music Man". It is often used for concerts. Of special architectural interest is the Pasco County Courthouse built in 1909 (see photos here). We can usually find free parking on the street. This is good for about half a day, unless you decide to splurge on lunch.

And Don't Forget Tampa Bay's awesome Beaches!
Indian Rocks Beach; Clearwater Beach; Madeira Beach; St Pete Beach; and Treasure Island to name a few. Tampa's sandy shorelines are incredible. Here's a parking tip: If yo uplan to spend all day, you may need to pay for parking. But, if you only want to stroll and tan for an hour or two, you may be able to find open parking at a hotel, motel or restaurant located just a few feet from the beach where short parking is allowed. One more tip: If you do decide to buy food at the beach, don't walk out from under the foodstand's roof, or the birds will swoop down and they will be the ones getting a FREE meal!

Sources:
Indian rocks beach http://www.indianrocksbch.com/;
Clearwater beach http://www.visitflorida.com/Clearwater_Beach;
Madeira Beach http://www.madeirabeachfl.gov/Pages/index;
St Pete Beach http://www.stpetebeach.org/;
Treasure Island http://treasureislandflorida.org/
MOSI Museum: http://www.mosi.org/;
St. Pete Pier: http://www.stpete-pier.com/;
Source for Channelside Coupons:
http://blog.visittampabay.com/blog/things-to-do-in-tampa-bay.