Tampa Bay Area Activities

Starlite Majesty Lunch & Dinner Cruise - Clearwater Beach, FL

The Starlite Majesty

This cruise leaves from Clearwater Beach. You'll experience the gorgeous scenery of the waterways as you listen to the narration of the area's history.

Tampa, Florida's third most populous city, hosts over 15 million visitors each year who come to enjoy the wide variety of activities in the city and surrounding Bay Area. Tampa visitors can enjoy taking a dinner or lunch cruise, tour history and art museums and explore several attractions where animals are the main focus.

One of the most beautiful things about Tampa is its location on the Gulf of Mexico, as well as its inland waterways and nearby lakes. One way to enjoy the scenery of the glistening water is to reserve a spot on a dinner or lunch cruise -- whether you're celebrating a special occasion or just want to savor a memorable meal and tour. The Starlite Majesty, a dining yacht departing from Clearwater Beach, will take you on a narrated voyage and serve you a gourmet lunch or dinner. One helpful hint: If a cruise on the Starlite Majesty will be one of the highlights of your Tampa trip, why not stay at the Quality Hotel on the Beach — it's less than one mile from the Majesty herself! Another charming cruise is aboard the Starlite Princess, a riverboat that leaves from St. Petersburg Beach/South Pasadena. Board the boat, wave goodbye to Tampa Bay, and enjoy lunch or dinner as you cruise through Florida's inland waterways. Sights include Tampa Bay, Sunshine Skyway Bridge and St. Petersburg. One fun tour option aboard this genuine paddle-wheeler is the Dixieland Jazz Cruise, featuring live jazz music, dancing and dinner as you cruise Boca Ciega Bay.

In addition to the beauty of the Gulf and its inland waterways, the Tampa Bay Area is home to several informative and fun science, history and art museums. One family favorite is the Museum of Science and Industry (affectionately called MOSI), where a fun-filled day of interactive exhibits and games awaits visitors. Hold onto your hats as you experience swift gusts in the wind tunnel, watch experiments being conducted, attend a larger-than-life movie in the IMAX theatre, learn about heavenly bodies at a planetarium show and watch the prettiest and most graceful members of the insect world in the butterfly garden. Once you've had a day of science, why not broaden your art and history knowledge by visiting a few more of Tampa's sites including: Henry B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa; Ybor Square, a former cigar factory; the Salvador Dali Museum downtown; the Tampa Museum of Art; or the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Another attraction category all of its own contains those places dedicated to animals, as Tampa has plenty of these. At Busch Gardens, you have the option to embark on a guided Serengeti Safari tour with a zoo educator who will bring you up close and personal to many of the 2,700 animals in the park, most of which are from Africa. A good lodging choice a few miles from Busch Gardens (and also close to the Museum of Science and Adventure Island Waterpark) is the Hilton Garden Inn of Tampa North. After you've learned as much as you can about African animals at Busch Gardens, continue your animal theme and visit Lowry Park Zoo, where you'll see interesting species like the sea-dwelling manatee and the rare red panda. This 24-acre landscaped park also features an Asian Domain, a Primate World, an Aquatic Center and an aviary. Younger travelers will especially enjoy the Wallaroo Station, which includes a petting zoo, kids' rides and a small water park. While Busch Gardens and Lowry Park Zoo offer chances to see mostly terrestrial animals, visit The Florida Aquarium where you'll see more than 5,000 aquatic plants and animals. The highlight of the center is the Coral Reef exhibit, featuring a 43-foot-wide, 14-foot-tall window through which you'll see stingrays, sharks and schools of fish.

While Tampa is known for its sandy beaches and rays of sun, the Tampa Bay Area is home to a long list of activities for every sort of traveler, including art, history, science and animals. With all the activities just waiting for you in Tampa, consider this destination to be your next travel stop.