5 Things to Do with Kids in Tampa/St. Pete

By Katy Agro Myers

My family headed out last week on a new adventure. We needed to get away - and we love the Gulf Coast of Florida, but had never actually been to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. We went with a few plans made, but mostly wanted to see where the week would take us! We surely enjoyed some amazing family-friendly things to do in Tampa and St. Petersburg!

St. Pete Beach

1. Where to Stay With Kids in St. Petersburg, FL- TradeWinds Resort is a MUST stay. It’s full of kid-friendly activities - mining for gems, paddle boating, a three-story waterslide, zip-lining, a surfing simulator, daily games and movie nights at the pool, S’mores, - and the best part? Most of these things are included! The beach at the TradeWinds Resort was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the drinks were refreshing! The biggest hit of the resort was a floating water park. My kids spent an hour #hosted on this floating water park and it was like ninja warrior meets the ocean. We enjoyed floating on our own rafts nearby and watching them. A manatee even swam right by me! We also rented one of their King Loungers for an hour one day, they swim you out on a huge raft and anchor you down and you float and enjoy the water. TradeWinds Resort was so much fun!

2. Where to Eat with Kids in St. Petersburg, FL - When in St. Petersburg, you should definitely dine at the RumFish Grill. RumFish Grill has an under-the-sea atmosphere was like nothing we’d ever experienced. We were seated directly next to the 35,000-gallon aquarium where we saw an eel, stingray, tarpon, pike, and more. They swam right by as we were eating. Outside the dining area is a wall full of fish and aquatic life inside the tank to help you identify each species. That led right into another viewing area of the tank. At one point, the stingray was sitting right over our heads!

The food was spectacular - we started with calamari and grilled beef skewers. The calamari was made of meaty pieces of squid deliciously breaded and seasoned. No empty rings of breading here - it was easily the best we’ve ever had. The beef was delicious, tender, and full of flavor. For dinner, we enjoyed mahi-mahi, Florida pompano, filet mignon, and of course an order of chicken tenders and grilled cheese with bacon. EVERYONE cleaned their plates! Of course, we just had to also get dessert: lava cake, a brownie sundae, and an apple tart with ice cream. And our server, Nick, was top-notch! RumFish Grill is a MUST EAT in St. Petersburg!

3. Where to Play with Kids in St. Petersburg, Fl - on our first day exploring Tampa after we landed, we wandered into a shop called Urban Kai and as my family tends to do, we immediately made friends with Sam, who worked there. She told us that we just had to go paddle boarding at their site on Gandy near where we were staying. So after breakfast one morning we headed over to Urban Kai and rented some paddle boards. The water was calm, in places its was about 2 feet deep and we could see straight down to the fish and sting rays swimming by. We were hoping to see some manatee that day, but it was a little later in the day and I think they all were napping. We loved the chill environment, the water was just gorgeous and we even met some friendly paddle boarders along the way. And much to our excitement, we saw Sam again and got to chat a little more with her after we finished. She recommended we head next door to The Getaway to grab some lunch. We sat in front of the boat ramp where the kids could wade into the water - and wouldn’t you know some dolphins swam right by us! Urban Kai is the perfect way to spend a morning or afternoon!

Tampa Bay

4. Where to Eat with Kids in Tampa, FL - when in Tampa, it’s a must to hit up Armature Works. This incredible market not only has incredible food and drink options, but outside, it has play areas where you can borrow games such as checkers, corn hole, and more for free. We enjoyed the best chicken gyro I’ve ever tasted and some wood-fired pizza while playing some games and enjoying the view of the water!

5. A Must Do with Kids in Tampa, Fl - visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Stadium for a tour. It never occurred to me that you could tour a stadium - but guess what? You CAN. And it was relatively inexpensive costing us about $60 for the five us to tour. We saw the Raymond James Stadium jail, a couple of suites on the club level, toured the famous Pirate Ship, saw the visitors’ locker room and even got to go on the field! Our tour guide was amazing and even sufficiently razzed my little KC Chief’s fan since he sported his jersey for the tour. The entire tour lasted about an hour and a half, I would suggest bringing water and sunblock - it was HOT, but there were ample opportunities to refill water along the way. My kids have now declared that every vacation must be planned around touring NFL stadiums until we see every single one!

The Tampa/St. Petersburg area was a fantastic location to spend spring break; we loved every minute of this vacation! Next time you're in the area, check out these spots and be sure to let them know that you heard about them on Arundel Kids!

*We received complimentary visits to some of these attractions in exchange for my review, but all of my opinions are my own.