TAMPA FLORIDA DAY TRIPS

The Tampa Florida day trips and one tank trips presented on this website are all within 100 miles of Tampa.

Places to see within 100 miles of Tampa, Florida.

The average car can get at least 250 miles on a tank of gas. Some compact cars can get quite a bit more.  The Tampa Florida day trips on this website can be made with gallons to spare for sightseeing and back road exploring on the trip.

Here are some things to do and places to see within 100 miles of Tampa.

Recommended Tampa Florida Day Trips

Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, in Winter Park is the home and studio of a prominent American sculptor.  Included are several of his major works and a beautiful sculpture garden.

Alexander Springs Recreational Area,  in the Ocala National Forest offers camping, swimming, canoeing, scuba diving, hiking, birding and wildlife viewing. 

Alva is a small town on the Caloosahatchee River west of Fort Myers. It has a small museum and an Old Florida ambiance with lots of oaks and Spanish Moss and the lazy river flowing by. Not named for Thomas Alva Edison.

Appleton Museum of Art  in Ocala is a 81,610-square-foot museum featuring Appleton’s permanent collections.

Arcadia has an annual rodeo and is in the heart of cattle country. Downtown has been restored and a couple of nice bed and breakfasts make this a good weekend getaway.

Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota is an important part of Sarasota’s arts scene. It stages up to fifteen productions every season.,

Babcock Ranch Eco Tours near Punta Gorda takes you on a tour of a working Florida ranch. You not only see the operation, but get to ride through one of Florida's most pristine natural settings.

Beaches. Some of the best beaches in Florida are within an easy drive of Tampa in Clearwater and other places along the Gulf of Mexico.

Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande, Florida

Boca Grande is on the south end of Gasparilla Island and has the laid back charm of an end of the road village. Good relaxing, good dining, great beaches.

Bok Tower Gardens is a peaceful retreat near Lake Wales.  A carillon tower and lush landscaping mark this National historic treasure.

Busch Gardens in Tampa is  a 335 acre animal themed park with 8 roller coasters, 3 water rides, and many other rides and animal attractions. 

Bradenton Art Gallery

Bradenton is a small city south of Tampa Bay that has great arts, seafood and beaches. It is the little brother to nearby Sarasota.

Brooksville is in rolling hill and spreading oak country. An old southern town with a Confederate soldier statue standing guard over its county courthouse.

Cabbage Key Inn

Cabbage Key can only be reached by boat.  It's home to the Old Florida restaurant where Jimmy Buffet was inspired to write "Cheesburger in Paradise".

Ca'da'Zan, Ringling Home in Sarasota was the home of John Ringling. .  Now a museum and location for art and circus memorabilia tours.

Captiva Island has some of the finest shelling beaches in the world. Just north of Sanibel, it is a great place to relax for a day, week or lifetime.

CatBoat Adventures in Mount Dora lets you will pilot your own motor boat on Lake Dora while a captain narrates and points out highlights. 

Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden focuses on the railroads of Central Florida. 

Central West Florida Day Trips is a page on this website that has maps showing interesting back road drives around Tampa and the region.

Chattaway Restaurant, St. Petersburg

Chattaway is an Old Florida style restaurant in St. Petersburg that features old claw footed bathtubs as planters and provides a casual menu in outdoor surroundings.

Cortez is an authentic Old Florida fishing village on an island on the causeway between Bradenton and the beaches.  Lots of great seafood, a museum and waterfront ambiance.

Cracker Country Rural History Museum in Tampa is a living history museum open to the public during the Florida State Fair in February.

Crystal River Swim With Manatees is a fun family activity where various tour operators provide the equipment and let you swim among manatees in the super clear waters in this area north of Tampa.

Dade Battlefield Historic State Park in Bushnell preserves and commemorate the site of Dade’s Battle of 1835.  Of 110 American soldiers, only 3 survived the ambush by Seminoles.  

Dali Museum, St Petersburg, Florida

Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg has the world's largest permanent exhibit of the works of this great master. The architecture of the building is also a work of art.

Deseret Ranches is one of the largest working cow-calf ranches in the United States.  It's 295,000 acres sprawl between Orlando and Cocoa.  Tours are available.

Dinosaur World near Plant City is an attraction that the entire family will enjoy, especially the kids. Your kids will thank you for making this one of your Tampa Florida day trips.

Disney Springs is a giant outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at Walt Disney World. 

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala  has more than 90 race cars on display and another 50 antique cars.  

Edison and Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers

Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers are the well preserved winter homes of Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford. Edison's laboratory is an interesting well preserved attraction.

Englewood is a town on the beach that is a delight to visit. It is off the beaten path on the way to Boca Grande. Nice shops and restaurants, great beaches.

Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort is one of 4 theme parks at WDW. It celebrates human achievement in technology and culture.

Fantasy of Flight in Polk City has a display of more than 140 civilian and military planes and many of them can fly.  

Farm Tours of Ocala is a tour of working farms that takes you behind the scenes to chat with pros who work with thoroughbred horses. 

Florida Air Museum in Lakeland is designated Florida’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center”. 

Florida Aquarium, Tampa

Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa is one of the largest and finest in the world. It is also known as the Tampa Aquarium. For kids, this will be one of the most popular Tampa Florida day trips.

Florida Citrus Tower in Clermont is a tall observation tower takes you up in an elevator where you can see the view of the surrounding area.

Florida Day Trips by Theme.  Some people like to focus on one theme like museums, art, theater, history, architecture, etc.  This web page has 250 attractions involving 20 different themes.

Florida Orange Groves is an historic winery in St. Petersburg. You can see how wine is made and do some sampling.

Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish is one of 3 official state railroad museums.  It has a large collection of rolling stock with 9 locomotives and 15 cars including Pullmans and cabooses. 

Fort Desoto Park

Fort Desoto Park has one of the finest beaches in Florida. It is located south of St. Petersburg in Tierra Verde. The trip to the beach is a very scenic drive.

Fort Meade is a small historic town established on the site of a fort used during the Seminole Wars.

Fort Myers is the major city in southwest Florida and is an easy trip from Tampa. Lots of great boating, the huge nearby community of Cape Coral, not far from Naples.

Frank Lloyd Wright Child of the Sun.
The largest single collection of the great architect's buildings are on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland.

Fun Spot America in Orlando has 4 different go-kart tracks and 3 roller coasters, plus another 3 different thrill rides. 

Gatorland in Orlando is one of Florida's oldest attractions that still entertains with thousands of alligators and a thrilling canopy ride. 

Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation State Park in Ellenton is a pre-Civil War mansion, the only surviving plantation house in south Florida.

Keel and Curley Winery, Plant City

Keel and Curley Winery in Plant City is a family owned vineyard that specializes in blueberry wines.  Nice bar and tastings.

Lakeland is a beautiful mid sized city between Tampa and Orlando on I-4.  It has many downtown lakes, and the Frank Lloyd Wright designed campus of Florida Southern College.

Leu Gardens in Orlando is a 50 acre botanical garden divided into more than a dozen specialty gardens. 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota is a 15 acre garden that is the only one in the world devoted to epiphytes.  These include orchids, bromeliads, and hundreds of other plants. 

Morse Museum in Winter Park is home to the world's most comprehensive collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, including jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass and more.

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota is an independent research institution that studies manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and coral reefs.  

Ozello is a small village in the marshes between Crystal River and Homosassa.  Great boating and some good seafood restaurants.

Naples Pier at Sunset

Punta Gorda is a small town on the southern shore of Peace River and Charlotte Harbor. Some of the best sailing in Florida, good shopping and dining.

Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon.  You can swim in the freshwater Rainbow River, rent canoes and kayaks, view waterfalls and gardens and enjoy a picnic area with grills, and pavilions.

Renninger's Mount Dora Twin Markets
20651 US-441, Mount Dora, FL 32757, Tel: 352-383-8393. This is a huge antique center and adjacent flea market on the same property.  Each market has hundreds of vendors.  Antiques, clothing, plants, product, eggs, meat, pets, and about anything else.

Richloam General Store in Ridge Manor is an authentic old restored general store with a shady porch for relaxing.  There is a good Florida cracker restaurant nearby.

Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota is Florida's official art museum. The huge museum contains 21 galleries of European paintings as well as many pieces of Asian, American, and contemporary art.  

Rosa Fiorello Winery near Bradenton is a family owned enterprise. Enjoy watching the wine making process and sampling the wares.

Downtown Sarasota and Marina

Sarasota has a beautiful waterfront setting and great beaches. It has some of the finest art exhibits and museums in Florida. Home of New College and the John and Mabel Ringling residence.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens is a 10 acre tropical site with more than 200 animals including birds of prey, parrots, macaws, flamingos, primates, small mammals, snakes, lizards and more.  

Seaworld Orlando is three different parks in one:  SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove.  See dolphins, whales, manatees, sea lions, and other creatures perform. 

Silver Springs State Park in Ocala is a spring and attraction in a Florida State Park.  You can enjoy riding on the glass-bottomed boats, paddling in a kayak, or being amazed at the crystal-clear blue depths of Silver Springs. 

Solomon's Castle is the home and studio of sculptor Howard Solomon. It is in the swamp lands near Ona northwest of Arcadia and it's a work of art as much as the things inside.

Spook Hill in Lake Wales is a free attraction has been around for years.  You park your car in neutral, and watch it apparently coast uphill.  

St. Leo Benedictine Abbey

St. Leo is a beautiful small town that is home to St. Leo University.  A wonderful campus to visit.

St. Petersburg has a beautiful downtown area that has been restored and is a vital center for shopping and dining. Private and city marinas line the waterfront, and the Vinoy Renaissance hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Strong Tower Vineyard and Winery is a small family owned business near Spring Hill and Brooksville. You will see how the grapes are grown, the wine made, and can sample the products.

Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor is a non-profit organization that provides a home to chimps, orangutans, monkeys, birds and more.

Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg is a botanical garden more than 100 years old with 50,000 tropical plants and cascading waterfalls. 

Tampa Museum of Science & Industry features a planetarium. and several exhibits that explain science, health and wellness, space, and weather.  

Tampa University

Tampa itself can keep you busy for days with its aquarium, zoo, Ybor City, Columbia Restaurant, professional football and waterfront everywhere you look. Although your Tampa Florida day trips start here, don't forget to visit as much as you can here too.

Universal Orlando Resort is the second largest theme park in Orlando, it consists of two parks:  Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure.

University of Tampa (Tampa Bay Hotel) has a museum in the hotel that  contains actual furnishings enjoyed by first guests to visit here.

Venice is a small town with great beaches on the Gulf and a downtown area that is loaded with antique shops and good restaurants.

Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando is the largest theme park in the world.  People come here from all over the world.

Warm Mineral Springs in North Port attracts people from all over the world to soak in the warm waters of this spring that supposedly has many healing minerals.

Webster Flea Markets are the biggest in Florida, but only open on Mondays.

Weeki Wachee Springs is not only a beautiful state park, it is a popular attraction with mermaid shows that goes back many years into Old Florida history.

Winter Haven, a pretty town among the lakes south of Orlando.  The home of Legoland on the site of the late and lamented Cypress Gardens.

Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour is a scenic boat tour in this town adjacent to Orlando.  Winter Park lakes are connected by scenic canals.  The boat guides show you historical places and nature on your one hour cruise. 

Withlacoochee State Trail starts near Brooksville and is a 46 mile long paved path on abandoned railroad tracks that follows a route roughly parallel to the Withlacoochee River. 

Ybor City Historic District is known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter.  It is an exotic blend of aromas, flavors, sights and sounds.

Ziplines are found in many playgrounds and theme parks, and many of them are located in natural settings where you can soar through the treetops above natural settings.  

Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park is on 56 acres and includes many animal encounters.  Park zones are dedicated to Asia, Africa, Australia, and Florida.  More than 1,300 separate animals call it home.