Tampa in a day
A one-day plan for Tampa: the Florida Aquarium, the Tampa Bay History Center, the Tampa Riverwalk, the Henry B. Plant Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Tampa in 1 day
Day 1
The Florida Aquarium
Large aquarium in the Channel District with sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and Florida habitats from wetlands to the Gulf.
Tampa Bay History Center
History museum on the Channelside waterfront telling the story of Tampa Bay from its first peoples to modern times.
Tampa Riverwalk
Waterfront path of about 2.6 miles along the Hillsborough River, linking museums, parks and restaurants in downtown Tampa.
Henry B. Plant Museum Must see
Museum in the Moorish Revival former Tampa Bay Hotel of 1891, now part of the University of Tampa, showing Gilded Age rooms.
Tampa Museum of Art
Art museum on the Riverwalk with classical antiquities and modern and contemporary art in a striking modern building.
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Downtown riverfront park beside the Tampa Museum of Art, with lawns, a playground and views across the Hillsborough River.
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
Downtown museum devoted to photography, with changing exhibitions of work by photographers from Florida and elsewhere.
Watch: Tampa
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Tampa
November to April is the best time, with warm, dry and sunny weather and mild nights; the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in late January or February fills downtown. Summers are hot and humid with thunderstorms in the afternoon, and hurricane season runs from June to November. Spring break and school holidays raise prices at the theme parks.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Tampa on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Tampa on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Tampa on GetYourGuide
- From the airport: a private transfer in Tampa with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United States from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Tampa with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Tampa
- The downtown stops lie along the Hillsborough River and the Riverwalk, so you can walk between most of them.
- The Florida Aquarium is in the Channel District, a short ride on the TECO Line streetcar from the Riverwalk; buy tickets online to save time.
- Downtown Tampa, the Riverwalk and the museums along the river are walkable; the TECO Line streetcar links downtown with the Channel District and Ybor City.
- The Henry B. Plant Museum is in the former Tampa Bay Hotel on the University of Tampa campus and is closed on Mondays; check the day before going.
- Summer afternoon thunderstorms are common, and hurricane season runs from June to November; plan outdoor sights for the morning.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park: Barbthebuilder, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Florida Museum of Photographic Arts: Fmopa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Henry B. Plant Museum: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Tampa Bay History Center: Christopher Hollis, Public domain
- Tampa Museum of Art: Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tampa Riverwalk: Barbthebuilder, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Florida Aquarium: James E. Scholz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
