Day Trippin' › Florida › From Tampa › Within 4 hours
173 places are worth the drive within 4 hours of Tampa, counted by road time from ZIP 33602: 15 under 1 hour, 48 1 to 2 hours, 65 2 to 3 hours and 45 3 to 4 hours.
The mix leans toward beaches & lakes, history and wildlife, mostly to the northeast and north. Four hours each way is weekend territory: most of these work best with a night away, so check the places to stay on the state page.
The headline places are Fort De Soto Park, The Ringling and Siesta Beach, and the closest real day trip is The Dalí Museum (25 min).
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours 3 to 4 hours
Photo: Richard Mc Neil, CC BY 3.0
Beach · 42 min southwest
Nearly three miles of beach, a historic fort, fishing piers, a dog beach and a big campground at the mouth of Tampa Bay.
Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but…, CC BY-SA 3.0
Museum · 58 min south
Circus museum, a grand Venetian-style mansion, an art museum and bayfront gardens on one big campus.
Photo: AbeEzekowitz at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
Food town · 37 min northwest
Greek town on the water with sponge boats, bakeries and Greek restaurants along Dodecanese Boulevard.
Photo: Tupelo the typo fixer, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bike trail · 43 min north
Florida's longest paved rail trail, about 46-47 miles through small towns and forest.
Photo: qwesy qwesy, CC BY 3.0
Aquarium · 32 min west
Working marine rescue center where you can meet rescued dolphins, sea turtles and otters.
Photo: Nathan Forget, CC BY 2.0
Theme park · 56 min east
A LEGO park for kids 2-12 on the site of old Cypress Gardens, plus a water park and Peppa Pig park.
Photo: Dough4872, Public domain
Beach · 1 hr 7 min south
Soft quartz sand that stays cool underfoot, gentle water and free parking. Often ranked among the best US beaches.
Photo: TheWanderingTraders, CC BY-SA 4.0
Theme park · 1 hr 11 min northeast
Cinderella Castle, classic rides and parades. The heart of Walt Disney World.
Photo: Ramos Keith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
Wildlife · 1 hr 21 min north
Boardwalks over clear springs where hundreds of manatees gather on cold winter days.
Photo: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hike · 1 hr 21 min north
Quiet trails and a long loop through salt marsh and pine flatwoods on the Nature Coast. Great for birding and biking.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
Small town · 1 hr 40 min northeast
A hilly lakeside town with antique shops, festivals and lake views.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bike trail · 1 hr 58 min north
A 16-mile paved rail trail through forest and along Paynes Prairie.
Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Museum · 2 hr 1 min east
See the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V rocket and launch pads. A must for space fans.
Photo: Mathisen, Jim (USFWS), Public domain
Wildlife · 2 hr 33 min south
Drive, bike or walk a four-mile loop on Sanibel past roseate spoonbills, pelicans and wading birds.
Photo: Pengd0t, CC BY-SA 4.0
Springs · 2 hr 36 min north
The classic Florida tubing river, crystal clear and cool, with swim spots at the head spring.
Photo: Fred Ward, Public domain
Small town · 2 hr 50 min southeast
Sugar town on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, a base for bass fishing and airboat rides.
Photo: Operator 16, CC0
Hike · 2 hr 5 min north
A boardwalk drops 120 feet into a giant sinkhole with tiny waterfalls and ferns.
Photo: Connor J Williams, CC BY 2.0
Family fun · 2 hr 8 min east
An 800-foot pier with food, bars, an arcade, live music and surf lessons.
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
Wildlife · 3 hr 44 min north
Vast blackwater swamp with gators, cranes and boardwalks.
Photo: Everglades National Park Photo, Public domain
National park · 3 hr 40 min southeast
Bike or take a tram along a 15-mile paved loop with gators everywhere, and climb the observation tower at the halfway point.
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Small town · 3 hr 32 min southeast
Walkable Atlantic Avenue with cafes and galleries that runs right to the beach.
Photo: Original uploader was Emanuel Kingsley at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Historic site · 3 hr 44 min north
The oldest plantation house in Florida and rows of tabby slave cabins on Fort George Island. A sobering, important stop.
Photo: Operator 16, CC0
Springs · 3 hr 10 min north
A clear blue spring on the Withlacoochee River, with a swim area and cave diving.
Photo: Miguel Vieira from Walnut Creek, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Hike · 3 hr 13 min southeast
Wild swamp famous for orchids and panthers, with the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk and the Janes Scenic Drive.
Our picks, by drive time, include Fort De Soto Park (42 min), The Ringling (58 min), Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks (37 min), Withlacoochee State Trail (43 min) and Clearwater Marine Aquarium (32 min). The full list on this page has 173 places, each with its drive time and direction from Tampa.
63 places within 2 hours, 128 within 3 hours and 173 within 4 hours of Tampa, by road from ZIP 33602.
24 of the 173 places need no pass or fee, such as Hontoon Island State Park, Mount Dora and Big Cypress National Preserve. Fees and passes change, so check each place before you go.
172 places are marked good for kids, including Madison Blue Spring State Park, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park.
They are by real roads on a typical day, from the middle of ZIP 33602 to each place (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Traffic, weather and closures can change them. Places under 25 minutes from the city center count as in town, not a day trip, so they are left out.
Yes. Type your ZIP code into Day Trippin' and it shows everything by drive time. Your ZIP is used for that one search and is not saved.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.