Our favorite Tampa Bay parks to visit
It’s undeniable that Florida offers a wide variety of outdoor activities that don’t just include going to the beach and golfing (the two most famous activities people think of when it comes to this state). Since moving to Tampa Bay, one thing that surprised us the most about it was the multitude of parks and preserves throughout the area, be it in the cities, or, in more remote areas.
Since, during the pandemic, we avoided going to indoor places, we had to look for ways to “entertain” ourselves elsewhere. That helped us discover that Tampa Bay offers gorgeous trails for hiking, great parks, and preserves for all sorts of outdoor activities from camping, kayaking, and fishing, to a relaxing day spent outside. All these areas have one thing in common though - they have different levels of wilderness ranging from plants to animals (snakes, coyotes, etc., including the infamous gator), so one should always be on the lookout.
To be frank, I love being outside, and I adore nature, but I’m absolutely not an “outdoorsy” type of person. No matter the preference, these places have something one will enjoy.
Without further ado, here are our favorite places we’ve found in the Tampa Bay area so far:
Florida Botanical Gardens. My husband found it and took me here because he knows how much I love plants. But, we both ended up loving it and added it to our favorites list (and there have been many visits there since).
This is a great place for children and adults alike. The funny part? I was convinced this was going to be the place we’d see gators (we still haven’t seen any since we’ve been in Florida), but no such luck, and I’m not too mad about it. Free to visit. Update: We indeed saw gators here — mostly babies seen in the winter months. As you can imagine, we don’t go there in the summer as the heat is too much, so can’t speak of seeing gators during those months.
The Heritage Village. Right next door to the Florida Botanical Gardens, you can step back in time by visiting a museum of restored historical homes “relocated” here from throughout the Tampa Bay area. Great to visit with kids. Free but donations are encouraged to help restore and maintain it.
Philippe Park. This park is stunningly framed by live oak canopies and it offers just about everything one can wish for in an outdoor park. Be on the lookout for a dolphin or two in the water and make sure you explore the park as much as you can. Some of its trails take you to the charming downtown of Safety Harbor. This park, however, has a historical meaning for the area. You’ll find here the Tocobaga Temple Mound, one of the very few Native American mounds left in the area. There is a legend circulating about them and hurricanes, and though it’s been debated over and over, we sure hope and pray every time we get a hurricane warning. Free to visit.
Fred Howard Park. I shared about this park in this post as the details we found online were a bit confusing. The bottom line is that we love this park and visit it as often as we can. Fee - $5 per vehicle, per visit for the beach part (read my blog post for details).
Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park. This park is stunning, and I felt like I was on a safari when visiting some of its areas. It’s a very wild park, aka, all sorts of animals are present, including poisonous snakes. Be careful when walking its trails but do make sure you explore it as it only gets better closer to the water. We plan to return here often during the cooler season. Fee: $2 per vehicle/per day (up to 8 people).
Upper Tampa Bay Trail. This is another beautiful area we really like to walk (you can do some serious walking here). These trails are paved which makes them nice and comfortable, though they can get busy with hikers and bikers alike. Watch out for snakes as I almost walked into one on several visits. Fee: $2 per vehicle for parking.
Robinson Preserve. OK, technically, this place is below the Tampa Bay area, but it’s close enough and I wanted to include it. We love this place, though, since it’s a bit of a longer drive from Tampa, we don’t visit as often. We did get lost here the first time, so make sure you take note of the trails. Also, don’t miss the tower — the views make the walk 100% worth it. Free to visit.
Palma Sola Botanical Park. Same as above — technically below Tampa Bay. Right next door to the Robinson Preserve, you’ll find an oasis of tropical fruit trees, flowers, and plants. Another place we love visiting as often as possible. Free to visit.
Do you have any favorite places in the area?
