5 Things To Do In Tampa Bay Instead of Gasparilla
Not a fan of parades? Here are 5 other places where you can escape the Gasparilla madness. I’ll be honest, the whole pirate life isn’t really my thing. I’ve been…
Not a fan of parades? Here are 5 other places where you can escape the Gasparilla madness. I'll be honest, the whole pirate life isn't really my thing. I've been to Gasparilla once or twice and unless I'm with a Krewe throwing beads, I don't care much for the parade. Last year, Creative Loafing created a really good list of places in Tampa where you can get away from the invasion, but our list includes our favorite Pinellas spots to get away from the parade madness and other events happening in the Tampa Bay area.
Gasparilla is the third biggest parade in the entire country! The city of Tampa expects about 300,000 people in attendance every year. I'm not sure about you, but being around big crowds like that can be more stressful than fun. On top of the invasion and parade, there will be a home Tampa Bay Lightning game that Saturday with a 7 pm puck drop. So basically, you can expect there to be terrible traffic in Downtown Tampa all day on the 27th.
Plan on going to Gasparilla (every local should go at least once)? Here are some of our safety tips and bars participating in the Gaspy bar crawl.
Depending on the weather, you may be able to escape the Gasparilla madness and hang out at the beach all day. But usually, the weather forecast for Gasparilla is on the chiller side. Hopefully, these spots will be a little less crowded with a lot of people going to Gasparilla. Either way, at least you won't have to deal with major road closures or detours in Pinellas or other parts of Tampa Bay on January 27.
Here are 5 things to do in Tampa Bay where you can escape Gasparilla:
Go Bar Hoping In Downtown St. Pete
There are plenty of awesome places in Downtown St. Pete where you can escape the pirates. Many bars offer brunch on Saturday's. Plus you can stroll the St. Pete Pier and do some shopping at local boutiques!
Check Out Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is bringing the Big Easy to Tampa Bay! Try the mouthwatering themed food and cocktails and still participate in some parade fun. Bonus: with so many people in Downtown Tampa for Gasparilla, the line for your favorite ride is probably a lot shorter!
Sunshine Market In Midtown Tampa
You may still have to fight some Gasparilla traffic to get there, but Midtown Tampa's first Sunshine Market of 2024 is happening Jan. 27 from 11a-3p.
Check Out A Natural Spring
It's one of the best times to see one of Florida's gorgeous natural springs! With the warmer water, the manatee's spend a lot of their time in these areas. You can rent a kayak or paddleboard to see some sea cows instead of the craziness at Gasparilla.
See A Movie or Comedy Show
Another option to kill some time is to see a movie during the day. Or you can see who's performing at The Funny Bone (previously known as the Tampa Improv.). TJ Miller will be performing that Saturday. You may know him from various films and TV shows like Silicon Valley, Deadpool, She's Out of My League, and more!
