I can’t think of anything more classic during summer than a weekend getaway to a beach. And since I’m a west coaster a trip to a Florida beach is a rare occurrence for me so I was thrilled at the idea of heading to Tampa. To sweeten the deal there also happened to be a MLB stadium in Tampa that I needed to cross of my list!

My blogging buddy Jenna lives in Sarasota so we decided to make a girls’ weekend out of it. With her being a Florida native it wasn’t too hard to figure out some things to do in Tampa.

Things To Do in Tampa During A Weekend Getaway

Visit A Beach

Let’s start with the most obvious thing to do in Tampa which is…go to the beach! In fact, an entire weekend could be devoted to hanging out at the beach and it would be a perfectly enjoyable weekend. There are tons of different beaches in the Tampa area so you can pick and choose which ones you want to visit. Here is a great list of them.

Sadly the weekend that I was there involved quite a bit of rain so hanging out at the beach the entire weekend was not an option. But that was OK because the left more time for the other things such as…

Visit An Aquarium

The great thing about visiting cities on the coast is that you have the opportunity to visit the local aquarium. The Clearwater Aquarium is one of the best aquariums I’ve ever been to and is the one that houses Winter the dolphin (from the movie Dolphin Tale). I was particularly excited to see that they housed quite a few sea turtles as those are one of my favorites.

If you’re visiting the Tampa Area with kids I would make sure to include the Clearwater Aqarium on your agenda. Even without kids it’s a fantastic way to enjoy an hour or two seeing all the animals. The Florida Aqarium is another option in the area that gets high reviews.

Hang Out At A Coffee Shop

While I was in Tampa Jenna & I visited the Oxford Exchange for a blogger meet-up. It’s one of the coolest coffee shops I’ve been to (and that’s saying a lot!) plus the restaurant looked yummy. If you’re looking for a coffee shop with a great vibe to hang out with then head to Oxford Exchange in St Pete.

Attend A Baseball Game

Anyone who knows me will expect to see this one on the list. If I’m in a city with a MLB team I’m always a fan of visiting the stadium. Check out my Tropicana Field post for more info about my experience there. It’s definitely something I would recommend as a fun thing to do inside to avoid either the heat or rain!

Eat Lots Of Yummy Food

No trip to any city would be complete without some good food. Tampa is of course big on seafood so if that’s your thing you’ll be in heaven. If you’re like me and sugar is your thing than I highly recommend Paciugo – fantastic gelato shop in downtown St Pete’s! Plus you can grab it and walk around the beautiful surrounding area if you want to. In fact, I highly recommend visiting downtown St Pete as it’s one of the best places to hang out in the Tampa area.

Before getting gelato Jenna and I ate at The Moon Under Water and I had one of the yummiest chicken “pot pies” I’ve ever had. It was basically a huge puff pastry that they cut open and poured the filling into and it was delicious! And if you’re near a beach you’ll find lots of great restaurants right near the water. We went to Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill in Clearwater and I tasted my first ever grouper! Prior to eating there I had no idea what grouper was other than the obvious assumption that it must be fish. ;) The options are pretty endless when it comes to food in Tampa but seafood is definitely a popular option!   And a few other things you can do in Tampa that we didn’t end up squeezing into our weekend getaway:

Walk Along The Tampa Riverwalk

If you want to stretch your legs the Tampa Riverwalk is a fantastic way to do so. More info and a map can be found here.  

Go Shopping

We didn’t end up having much time for shopping while I was there but Tampa has endless options for where to put your credit card to good use. Here’s a list of great options for shopping in Tampa.  

In Conclusion

Tampa is a fantastic weekend destination with more than enough  fun things to keep everyone entertained. I highly recommend it for either a girls’ weekend or a relaxing couples getaway. You really can’t go wrong with the beach after all! 

We received admission to the Clearwater Aquarium in exchange for our reviews. As always, opinions are my own.