Walk on the Wild Side
TAMPA BAY OUTDOORS
Tampa Bay has some of Florida's best city adventures, but it's also home to amazing outdoor experiences just minutes from downtown's glittering towers. Paddling, bird-watching, animal interactions -- they're all waiting for you to discover when you unlock Tampa Bay.
Walk into the Woods
Explore nature along the paths and boardwalks of major parks just minutes from the excitement of the city. Flatwoods Conservation Park is a wild oasis surround by suburbia, with extensive bike and running trails. Lettuce Lake Park offers canoeing along the Hillsborough River as well as a boardwalk and tower for spotting wildlife.
Empower Adventures
Awaken your spirit of adventure on a 2.5-hour guided zip line experience where you'll encounter over 3,000′ of zip line and highly acclaimed aerial challenges. You'll enjoy a bird's eye view of the beautiful open waters of Tampa Bay, local wildlife, and everything Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve has to offer.
URBAN KAI
Join Urban Kai for the perfect guided tour featuring a beautiful preserve right behind the shop! You will paddle around spectacular mangroves, with wildlife including manatees, dolphins and birds. The paddling trail provides an up-close look at these fantastic ecosystems and seagrass beds.
Hillsborough River State Park
Just minutes from downtown Tampa, this diverse park offers a refuge from city life with 7.3 miles of nature trails and magnificent wildlife viewing. Discover a breathtaking oasis of natural and historical significance. Kayak and canoe adventures await in the rare Florida Class II River rapids throughout hiking trails.
eboats
Experience Tampa in a distinctly styled electric boat. Rent one of our virtually silent, easy-to-operate, environmentally friendly boats today and enjoy Tampa from our perspective. Head out to get your heart pumping or coast leisurely on the Hillsborough River.
Alafia State Park
Mountain biking in Florida? You read that right! Alafia River State Park stands out from the typical flat topography of Florida. Some of the most radical elevation changes in the state are among this reclaimed phosphate mine – making it the ideal spot for biking adventure seekers.
Manatee Viewing Center
Visit our local sea cow friends! TECO power station's warm water has drawn manatees by the hundreds and an expansive boardwalk gives you a great view of manatees lolling about in the warmth. The manatees share their bathing grounds with skates, rays, and spinner sharks.
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful
Leave things better than you found them by volunteering some time with one of our many environmental organizations, such as Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, or the Tampa Bay chapter of the Sierra Club. These and other groups welcome volunteers and regularly organize clean-ups and other project to improve the local environment.
You can also do your own part by making sure litter -- especially plastic -- goes into the trash instead into the bay. Our beautiful aquatic environment deserves the attention.
Nature, but tamer
Maybe your idea of roughing it is room service and a cozy robe. We hear you. You can still get in touch with Mother Nature on your own terms at The Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, and Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay.
- The Florida Aquarium invests in the preservation of sharks and injured sea turtles, as well as breeding coral to replace wild coral disappearing from Florida's coast.
- ZooTampa has the country's only non-profit hospital to treat injured West Indian manatees and return them to the wild.
- Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay is a leader in international efforts to preserve threatened and endangered species in the wild.
By visiting each, you'll be supporting their work behind the scenes to conserve and preserve endangered species and other wildlife.
Video Series
BEHIND THE SCENES
Lisa Smith
This endangered species has been at the heart of ZooTampa's commitment to conserving Florida wildlife for over 20 years. Meet Lisa Smith and discover more about the Manatee Critical Care Center, where they treat injured and sick manatees and eventually return them to the wild, healthy and happy.
Eric Hovland
The Florida Aquarium enables you to get up close to many of Florida’s aquatic and terrestrial animals and ecosystems, as well as others from around the world. More than a must-see attraction, the aquarium is working to protect and restore our blue planet on many conservation fronts, including research and rescue efforts that help restore Florida’s sea turtle and coral populations and to ensure that sharks continue to swim our seas.