100 things every Tampa Bay resident needs to do

We heard Tampa is getting its own official Monopoly Game next year. Our Tampa streetcars, Gasparilla pirate beads, Cuban cigars and cannons at RayJay could all be a part of Monopoly: Tampa Edition.

This new edition is expected to hit shelves in February 2024. But before that can happen, the public will have the opportunity to decide what businesses and nonprofits will be part of the historic game. The maker of Monopoly: Tampa Edition is asking the public to submit their favorite Tampa businesses, nonprofits and landmarks before the game’s release. Recommendations can be submitted to [email protected].

As we submitted our ideas, it got us thinking about all the unique things we love about the entire Tampa Bay region. So we came up with a list of 100 things every Tampa Bay resident needs to see/do. What did we forget to include?

• Drive across the Skyway Bridge
• Catch some sun at Clearwater Beach
• See the animals at ZooTampa
• Explore the underwater world at the Florida Aquarium
• Ride a roller coaster (SheiKra, Cheetah Hunt, Montu, Kumba, Tigris) and see the animals at Busch Gardens
• Cool off at Adventure Island
• Enjoy a craft beer at a local brewery like 3 Daughters
• Take a tour of Cigar City Brewing
• Enjoy a Cuban sandwich at La Segunda
• Walk into history at the Henry B. Plant Museum, housed in the former Tampa Bay Hotel
• Walk the Tampa Riverwalk
• Visit the St. Pete Pier
• Enjoy Greek food at the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs

• Watch a Lightning hockey game at Amalie Arena
• Walk along Bayshore Blvd, the world’s longest continuous sidewalk
• Immerse yourself in art at The Fairgrounds St. Pete
• Cheer on the Rays at the Trop
• Hear the cannons fire for the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium

• Hike the boardwalk at Lettuce Lake Park
• Spot a sea cow at the Apollo Beach TECO Manatee Viewing Center
• Learn about the rescued animals at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

• Ride the TECO streetcar
• Be a kid at the Glazer Children’s Museum
• Roar with TRex at Dinosaur World
• Enjoy fried food and carnival rides at the Florida State Fair
• Eat fresh seafood at John’s Pass

• Spot a rooster in Ybor City (and visit Cuba at José Martí Park)
• Enjoy a day in the sun at Fort DeSoto Park
• Stay at the “Pink Palace” aka the Don Cesar
• Enjoy a concert at the Florida Strawberry Festival
• Try the SkyTrail at MOSI

• Spot Rocky the Bull at a USF sporting event
• Test your luck at Seminole Hard Rock Casino
• Go fishing at the Skyway Pier, the world’s longest fishing pier
• Watch the horses race at Tampa Bay Downs
• Learn about our area at the Tampa Bay History Center
• Watch a film at the Tampa Theatre

• Watch a dolphin surf the wake from a dolphin watching cruise
• Board the American Victory Ship & Museum
• Enjoy outdoor games at Sparkman Wharf
• Enjoy artwork at the Tampa Museum of Art
• See the melting clocks at the Salvador Dali Museum
• Catch a live show at the Straz Center for Performing Arts
• See a concert at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
• Walk the boardwalk at Clearwater’s Coachman Park
• Have a laugh at Sidesplitters Comedy Club
• Enjoy a cocktail on the rooftop bar M.Bird at Armature Works
• Play a round of golf at TPC Tampa Bay
• Get lost in a corn maze at Sweetfields Farm
• Dine at the Columbia Restaurant (1905 Salad anyone?)

• Smell the roses at the Florida Botanical Gardens
• Enjoy Sunsets at Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach
• See an alligator at Myakka River State Park
• Indulge in a strawberry milkshake at Parkesdale Market in Plant City, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World
• See gopher tortoises at Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge
• Eat and shop in Hyde Park

• Pet an alligator at Alligator and Wildlife Discovery Center
• Take the ferry to Caladesi Island
• Grab a tube and hit the snowy slopes at Snowcat Ridge
• Eat at the Harry Waugh Dessert Room at Bern's Steak House
• Catch a spring training baseball game
• View tropical gardens at St. Pete’s Sunken Gardens
• Go ice skating at the Winter Village in Curtis Hixon Park
• Cool down at Water Works Park

• Pick strawberries in Plant City
• Watch the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
• Enjoy a view of downtown Tampa from Julian B. Lane Park
• Learn to ice skate at Tampa Bay Skating Academy
• Find some beautiful art at Second Saturday ArtWalk in St. Pete
• Kayak at Hillsborough River State Park
• Let the kids play in the fountains at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
• Enjoy a romantic dinner at the Black Pearl in Dunedin
• Relax at the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa
• Visit the last operating cigar factory (J.C. Newman Cigar Company) in Ybor City
• Enjoy the white sand beach at Honeymoon Island State Park
• Board Captain Memo’s pirate cruise from Clearwater Beach
• Spend an evening at Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Enjoy a meal and sunset at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill on the beach in Clearwater Beach
• Take a sunset dinner cruise
• Climb the Weedon Island Preserve observation tower
• Explore the Chihuly Collection at Morean Arts Center
• Play and learn at Great Explorations Children’s Museum
• Visit the Florida Holocaust Museum

• Don your pirate gear and catch beads at the Gasparilla Parade
• Take a stroll under the old banyan trees at North Straub Park
• Be amazed by glass art at the Imagine Museum
• Cycle the Pinellas Trail
• Grab some local produce at the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Pete
• Enjoy a fresh cup of coffee at Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters
• Try at soft serve cone at Bo’s Ice Cream, Tampa’s oldest ice cream shop
• Take a stroll through the contemporary art at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
• Enjoy devil crabs at Brocato’s Sandwich Shop
• Relax at Saddlebrook Resort and Spa
• Take a ghost tour in Ybor City
• Experience Tampa from the water with a pedal-driven water bike tour
• Have a beer and enjoy a tour at Yuengling Brewery
• Walk, jog or ride along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail
• Enjoy the 7.5-acre crystal clear blue water at Epperson Lagoon
• Have a Pub Sub for lunch
• Visit Shuffle, Florida's first and only indoor shuffleboard bar and restaurant