Need to take a break from the rugby? We've got the ‘low-down’ on the best things to keep your crew busy while you are in Tampa for Tropical 7s week. Check out our list of recommended activities, excursions and days out for your team...including some that won’t even cost you a dollar! Also, bookmark this page for our latest tourism ticket offers...
FOR THRILL SEEKERS...
Busch Gardens
This world famous theme park offers a wide range of fun that can take up your whole day, from water parks and cute animals to death-defying rides. The park is set in an oval-shaped loop with more than 10 thrill rides to choose from. Don’t miss the SheiKra, a roller coaster designed to flip your stomach with a 70 mph and 200-foot-tall drop into a crash-and-splash that will send butterflies fluttering through your veins. For shorter queues, early weekdays and schooldays are recommended. Great discounts are available for Tropical 7s teams - check out the single park and 2-park offers for Tropical 7s teams at the top of this page. www.buschgardens.com
Adventure Island Water Park
Located next door to Busch Gardens, this waterpark promises heat relief with Tampa's most popular "wet" park featuring waterslides and artificial wave pools, along with tranquil "beaches" in a 30-acre package. Try Colossal Curl, a massive thrill ride that's the tallest waterslide in the park. Another of the attraction's headliners, Riptide, challenges you to race three other riders on a sliding mat through twisting tubes and hairpin turns. Along with a volleyball complex and a rambling river, there are cafés, snack bars, picnic and sunbathing areas, changing rooms, and private cabanas. Two new rides are coming in Spring 2022 as part of a park ‘refresh’ and be sure to checkout the VR snorkelling experience. Great discounts for Tropical 7s teams - check out the single and 2-park offer for Tropical 7s teams at the top of this page. www.adventureisland.com
Tampa Bay Grand Prix
Located in Brandon close to the Tournament fields and hotels, Tampa Bay Grand Prix is a unique indoor go-karting facility where you can race electric Italian pro-karts that reach speeds of up to 50 mph for a high-speed, authentic racing experience. Race on two tracks with two completely different layouts. Designed for speed, competition, and skill-building, each track layout is unique and challenging. Strive to achieve the best lap times, and see your progress with your own personal race report that will print out as you come off the track. You can race against up to 10 friends. www.tampabaygp.com
IFly Tampa
Ever wanted to go sky diving without having to actually jump out of plane?! Also, located in Brandon close to the Tournament fields and hotels, iFly Tampa defies gravity with skill, style, and courage. If you have dreamt of flying since you were young, live out your dreams within a skydiving simulator at the iFLY Tampa wind tunnel venue. Professional flight instructors will give you one-on-one instruction on how to make different body positions to control how you fly inside the tunnel. The gravity-defying flight itself lasts for two minutes. Each wind tunnel has multiple large fans that can blow a wind of up to 185 mph (300 kph) and a pressurized staging area that can fit up to 12 flyers at one time. Safe for kids, challenging for adults, exciting for teens, and realistic for skydivers, this sky diving experience will leave you smiling from cheek to cheek. www.iflyworld.com/tampa
FOR SPORTS FANS...
Tampa Bay Lightning (Ice Hockey)
The Tampa Bay area may be known primarily for sun and beaches, but there’s lots more to do around town - including watching a professional ice hockey game. Since the Tampa Bay Lightning came into existence in 1992, the Tampa community has been staunchly behind the team, and it has been treated to some pretty good hockey over the years. The Bolts have iced one of the better teams in the NHL in recent years, a fact reinforced on the rest of the league when the team won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 — the second and third titles in their franchise history. Be sure to check out their student ticket deal. www.nhl.com/lightning/tickets/single-game-tickets
Raymond James Stadium Tour (American Football)
It might be the off-season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but a tour of their home ground and the scene of their 2021 Super Bowl victory, the Raymond James Stadium tour is well worth a visit. Often seating nearly 66,000 spectators, join a guided tour to get a look at the inner workings of this major sports complex. You'll pass through the locker rooms, suites, and even get a chance to step onto the field and see some of the NFL's largest video screens. Don't miss the 103 ft pirate ship built into the stands which blasts confetti and rubber footballs from its cannons whenever the Bucs score. www.raymondjamesstadium.com/stadiumtours
Tampa Bay Rays (Baseball)
See a Major League Baseball game during your stay in Tampa Bay. Catch the Rays in their Spring or regular season schedule as they play teams from the American and National Leagues and witness the excitement of Tampa Bay Rays baseball. The Rays play their games at Tropicana Field, an all-seater indoor dome in downtown St. Petersburg. The Rays are always a contender in the battle for the American League East, which many argue is the toughest division in baseball. www.mlb.com/rays/tickets/
TopGolf
Located in Brandon close to the Tournament fields and hotels is Topgolf Tampa. This unique entertainment complex offers a 3-level golf range for players of all ages and abilities to hone their skills playing target-oriented games. A state-of-the-art gaming system logs players in and keeps track of both the game and the score using microchipped golf balls. There are 109 golf bays that can accommodate up to 6 people and are rented by the hour. In addition, there is a large restaurant and bar, games lounge and outdoor patio. Price per hour varies depending on the time and the day of the week. If you're on a budget, try and visit on half-price Tuesday. https://topgolf.com/us/tampa/
FOR EXPLORERS...
Tampa Segway Tours
Tour downtown Tampa while riding on a segway. Ride through some of Tampa's most popular destinations with an experienced guide. Tour stops include Bayshore Boulevard, Harbour Island, Tampa Convention Center, Curtis Hixon Park, University of Tampa, and the Tampa Riverwalk. They normally run 3 or 4 tours each day - we recommend the sunset or and night-time tours. This a great option if staying at the Embassy Suites Downtown Tampa as this where tours start and return. www.magiccarpetglide.com
Tampa Bay Waterbike Company
Get a look at Tampa from a whole new perspective—water biking along the Hillsborough River! Located near the Tampa Convention Center, this company rents out water bikes for up to two hours. Guests can choose their own path: go north on the river and ride by downtown past the University of Tampa, take trip along Bayshore Boulevard and Davis Island, or venture further into the Hillsborough Bay to try and spot some dolphins. Water bikes are available for adults and children by the hour. Tandem bikes as well as single and tandem kayaks are also available to rent.
Pirate Water Taxi
Get in touch with your inner pirate! Pirate Water Taxi is a fleet of pirate-themed water taxis in downtown Tampa with 14 stops conveniently located along Tampa's Riverwalk, Channel District, downtown, and Davis Island. The fleet of water taxis can accommodate up to 100 passengers and offer historical narration and concessions. www.piratewatertaxi.com
FOR NATURE & WILDLIFE LOVERS...
The Florida Aquarium
Although eels, sharks, and stingrays are the headliners, the world-renowned Florida Aquarium is much more than a giant fishbowl. Floor-to-ceiling interactive displays, behind-the-scenes tours, and in-water adventures allow you to really get hands-on—and even get their feet wet. Adventurous types (certified divers age 15 and up) can dive with mild-mannered sharks and sea turtles or shallow-water swim with thousands of reef fish, eels and stingrays (for age six and up). The Coral Reef Gallery, the aquarium's premier exhibit, is a 500,000-gallon tank with viewing windows, an awesome 43-foot-wide panoramic opening, and a walk-through tunnel that gives the illusion of venturing into underwater depths. Check out the special ticket offer for Tropical 7s teams at the top of this page. https://www.flaquarium.org
Tampa Zoo at Lowry Park
Natural-habitat exhibits, including a herd of African elephants, make the 56-acre Lowry Park Zoo one of the best zoos in the country. Asia gardens features two clouded leopards, and residents of Ituri Forest include a cheetah and lovably plump pygmy hippos. The stars at Primate World range from cat-size lemurs to a family of heavyweight Bornean orangutans that love to ham for the camera. For hands-on experiences, Lowry has more options than most large parks, including chances to feed a giraffe, hold a colorful lorikeet, stroll with wallabies, or touch a slippery stingray. Majestic red-tailed hawks and other raptors put on a show at the Birds of Prey Center, and a flock of majestic macaws soars through the zoo in a one-of-a-kind free-flight experience. You can come face-to-face with Florida manatees at the Manatee Aquatic Center, the only nonprofit manatee hospital on the planet. There are also water-play areas, rides (all of which are included with zoo admission) as well as shows and restaurants. Check out the special ticket offer for Tropical 7s teams at the top of this page. https://zootampa.org
Croc Encounters
A trip to Florida would not be complete without getting up close and personal with these living relatives of the dinosaurs! Croc Encounters Reptile Park and Wildlife Center shelters rescued crocodiles, snakes, lizards, amphibians, tortises and turtles. Its most popular animal is Amos, an American Alligator, who even lent his name to the owner's son. Other animals include the Broad-snouted Caiman, Nile Crocodile, Black and White Tegu, Cane Toad and Cuban Tree Frog. Each exhibit is accompanied by fun facts about the corresponding species. This park also runs manifold outreach and educational programs, including Crocodilian Biology, Wetland Wonders and Amazing Australia. The hallmark of this centre is the daily Alligator Wrestling Show replete with exhilarating stunts! www.crocencounters.com
FOR THOSE ON A TIGHT BUDGET...
Tampa Riverwalk
Bike, run, and discover the Tampa Riverwalk, the 2.6 mile path links downtown Tampa’s favorite attractions like gems on a string along the stunning Hillsborough River. https://thetampariverwalk.com
Teco Line Streetcar
Hop aboard Tampa's unique attraction, an air-conditioned, vintage streetcar replica and recapture the charm of the past. The TECO Line Streetcar will take you between downtown Tampa, Channelside and historic Ybor City. The Streetcar is free to ride year-round. www.tecolinestreetcar.org
Clearwater Beach
On a narrow island between Clearwater Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico is a stretch of sand with a widespread reputation for one of the country's best beaches. Pier 60, which extends from shore here, is the site of a nightly sunset celebration, complete with musicians and artisans. It's one of the area's nicest and busiest beaches in the area. www.visitclearwaterflorida.com
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