Stopping off at Tampa while on a cruise is pretty darn easy thanks to the excellent trolley here.

I will admit I can be a sucker for purchasing the activities directly from a cruise operator rather than my own activities. The major reason is because cruise ships generally guarantee you will be able to get back on the ship rather than taking off without you. I have been on a tour that hit traffic in the city and arrived late back to the cruise ship and the ship did wait for us to return. Thus I generally hesitate purchasing my own travel unless I can easily guarantee my self-independence. Enter Tampa…

The Tampa TECO Line Street Car

The TECO Line Street Car is an excellent option to get around town. Most importantly, it’s free and quite frankly it’s hard to beat that. Quite a few cities these days have moved away from free options to get around town so it’s awesome to see this has persisted.

The route takes you along 11 stations everywhere from Downtown Tampa to Ybor City. Right in the middle of the route is the station serving many cruise ships. Getting off a cruise and being able to step onto public transportation to take you most places you want to go is certainly ideal.

I wasn’t in town for a cruise, but I did see many cruise passengers riding on the system (I could tell based on their hand bags and overheard their conversations).

The trolley arrives once every 15 minutes and currently runs during the following hours:

• 7:00am to 11:00pm Monday – Thursday
• 7:00am to 2:00am Friday
• 8:30am to 2:00am Saturday
• 8:30am to 11:00pm Sunday

You should find that if you’re here for a cruise that those hours will work well for you.

Ybor City

I know what you’re probably thinking based on the destinations listed—what is there to do in Ybor City? I stopped off there and honestly it felt like mostly bars and some shopping. I think it’s likely a decent place to go if you’re looking for a place to drink (which correlates with the cruise ship crowd). The town has a semi-western feel to it but I’ll admit I didn’t find much to do with younger kids there, though I did see some walking around.

One thing I did find intriguing was that there were lots of roosters walking the streets that seemed confused about what time of day it was. A chorus of cock-a-doodle-doos filled the air in the afternoon.

If you’re looking for dining, I happened upon one of the oldest restaurants in the area there: Columbia Restaurant. There was a line to get in, so make your reservations if you want to come here. I didn’t get a chance to check it out, so I can’t personally speak to the quality, but the place gets good reviews. If you happen to be transporting the airport, note that there is also a Columbia Restaurant in Tampa Airport (by the E gates) if you don’t get a chance to visit here.

Tampa Bay History Center

One of the stops along the route is the Tampa Bay History Center. There are three floors here. I recommend starting at the top and coming down from there. Fans of pirates and nautical navigation would like it here. And of course history buffs too.

The first floor doesn’t have much to entertain kids but the other two floors have plenty of interactive exhibits. I think it’s worth a 90-minute visit.

River Walk

Right outside the Tampa Bay History Center is the River Walk area, along with a couple of areas for kids. This is quite frankly a pleasant walk and a lovely place for a jog if you’re looking for exercise.

There is a sign outlining the rules here. Note it says alcohol is ok if it’s in an official cup (I’m guessing that comes from restaurants located along the water). Just don’t go too wild.

Amalie Arena

Home of the Tampa Bay Lightning (ice hockey), Amalie Arena also hosts other events here. Just be warned it gets crowded on the streets! If you happen to be in town and want to take the street car after an event, you’d be best served to go to the Dick Greco Station (one stop away from the end of the line), about a block away, rather than trying to board midway through the line. You’ve been warned.

The Florida Aquarium

The location of the Florida Aquarium feels perfectly placed for cruise ships, as it’s very close to where cruise ships dock. Unfortunately, this was closed by the time I made it here, so I didn’t have a chance to review it. It’s also easily accessible from the street car in case you’re in town but not for a cruise.

Where to Stay

While I haven’t been to many hotels in Tampa, I will say that the Tampa Marriott Water Street has good pricing and is in a fantastic location, right outside one of the stops along the TECO Line Street Car route.

Dining at Bern’s Steakhouse

One restaurant I want to call out is Bern’s Steakhouse. It’s not on the trolley route, but it’s only about two miles away from the end of the street car line. If you’re taking an Uber/Lyft, it’s likely a cheaper ride if you first take the trolley to Hattricks Station first (the end of the line in Downtown Tampa). You might as well take advantage of the free transportation to help reduce expenses when possible.

Be sure to budget enough time here. I found our dinner was quite an experience and took four hours from arrival to departure. That includes the time spent in the tour of the kitchen and then their dessert room in the back.

The steaks here were quite affordable — most steakhouses only give you the steak for the price paid, but Bern’s also gives plenty of sides to accompany the steak. Included side dishes include French onion soup, a house salad, baked potato, onion rings, and the vegetable of the day. The steaks here are delicious, and I found it an excellent value. You will not leave here hungry!

After dinner, we received a tour of the kitchen and just a portion of their massive wine cellar. They claim to have 100,000 wine bottles in the building plus an extra 500,000 next door. We were then led to the dessert room where we could order dessert at an additional charge. There was bad lighting in this portion of the restaurant, so I have no pictures to share there, (sorry). If you didn’t want to come here, you could shave about an hour off the overall experience.

I highly recommend coming to Bern’s. Please be advised that reservations open up 60 days in advance and you need to snag them right away if you’re looking to come here.

Orlando?

I was chatting with a friend while in Tampa and he mentioned going to Universal Studios in Orlando for a day. I’ll admit I never thought about going to Orlando while in Tampa, but it is only a two hour drive away (the rough equivalent of being in Los Angeles and driving to Seaworld San Diego). While Tampa has enough activities to entertain people on its own, you could get away with venturing over to Orlando if you’re here more than a day. I’m not sure I would personally do it when here in the middle of a cruise, but if this was where we ended our cruise, I think it’s fair to consider tagging on a trip to Orlando.

What do you like to do in Tampa when on a cruise?