The best free and cheap things to do in Tampa Bay right now
It’s no secret that the cost of living has risen in Tampa Bay, meaning people have less money to spend on non-essentials. But that doesn’t mean life has to be boring. There are plenty of free, cheap and reasonably priced things to do.
Here’s a round up.
Free art and museums
Since Tampa Bay is known for its vibrant arts scene, there is always a ton of art to view for free. There is also Free Museum Day every September.
The best way to get free admission all the time and to support a museum is to purchase an annual membership from your favorite one. There are often reciprocal programs that give you benefits at other museums.
But there are other ways to visit museums for no cost year-round.
Always free: Because they’re affiliated with scholastic institutions, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at St. Petersburg College in Tarpon Springs, USF’s Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa and the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College in Lakeland are always free.
Free passes: The Pinellas County Library Cooperative’s Library Museum Pass Program lets you check out a pass for free family admission to: The Florida Holocaust Museum, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, the Henry B. Plant Museum, Imagine Museum, The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor Museum & Cultural Center, Tampa Bay History Center, the Glazer Children’s Museum and The Collection on Palmetto. Each branch has two passes to each museum. The passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis and you must have a current library card. pplc.us.
Free days: The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is free on Mondays. Through the Museums on Us program, Bank of America cardholders get free admission the first weekend of every month to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Tampa Museum of Art, The Florida Holocaust Museum, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.
Benefits perks: The Museums for All program gives free admission for up to four people for visitors who receive SNAP benefits and present the SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer card at the front desk. The Tampa Museum of Art, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children’s Museum, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Imagine Museum, Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, Museum of Motherhood, Museum of Science and Industry, The Dalí Museum, Tampa Bay History Center, The James Museum and The Ringling participate in the program. museums4all.org.
Pay-what-you-will: The Tampa Museum of Art offers pay-what-you-will admission every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. through its Art on the House program. It also always offers free admission for college students with identification. Imagine Museum has a $5 after 5 p.m. special on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. 813-274-8130. tampamuseum.org.
Free music
The Florida Orchestra: It’s fortunate that Florida’s largest orchestra calls Tampa Bay home and that it presents the free Pops in the Park concert every year. It’s coming up May 12 at 7:45 p.m. at Julian B. Lane Waterfront Park (1001 North Blvd., Tampa.) Pack a picnic and enjoy a program of “film scores, Broadway hits and symphonic favorites.” Another great deal is the orchestra’s Inside series, which are pay what you can. You get insight from music director Michael Francis before a full concert. Up next is Inside Elgar’s Enigma Variations. 7:30 p.m. May 16. Mahaffey Theater. 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-892-3331. floridaorchestra.org.
Free Tampa Riverwalk concerts: The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts offers free performances with the Legacy Arts Remix and the Live and Local concert series on its Riverwalk Stage. Coming up Monday, June 17, it’s the fourth annual Juneteenth Commemoration, with oral remembrances, historical writings and an original performance of music, poetry and dance. Both performances run from 7:30-9 p.m. On the Live and Local roster is First Friday with C-Rena & the Soul Magicians and DJ Rob (May 3) and Fabi Rivera (May 4). Those run 6-9 p.m. 1010 N Macinnes Place, Tampa. 813-229-7827. strazcenter.org.
The Ale and the Witch: This downtown St. Petersburg staple has been a free music venue for more than a decade, where local powerhouses of blues, rock, bluegrass, folk and more throw down on a weekly basis. Coming up: The Joint Chiefs (funk, R&B, April 26), Kayla Blackman Band and AlleycatK (April 27) and Antelope (Phish tribute band, April 28). 111 Second Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg. thealeandthewitch.com.
Dunedin Brewery: Live music flows as abundantly as the craft beer does at Florida’s oldest microbrewery. So much so that there is an additional stage at the compound called the Moon Tower. Coming up on that stage on April 27 is Stick & Ditty, the duo composed of rappers Jon Ditty and Stick Martin, performing an eclectic set of rock, country, blues and more. On the “OG” stage that night is Sauce Pocket. Beyond that it’s Sunday Service (reggae, rocksteady, ska and soul) with The Intracoastals (April 28), The Headtones (funk) (May 3) and the 19th annual Ramones Tribute show (May 4). Ditty’s back again with guest rappers Blueprint and Purple Kloud on May 5. 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-736-0606. dunedinbrewery.com.
Recreation deals
St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club: It’s $10 for non-members to play and free for kids at this 100-year-old attraction. Consider purchasing an annual membership if you go often ($50 individual, $90 family) because benefits include unlimited free playing and use of the space for events. Feel free to pack a picnic and drinks — but no glass. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, according to its website. 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 7-10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-noon Sunday. 559 Mirror Lake Drive, St. Petersburg. stpeteshuffle.com.
Miniature golf: There are a few places to take the family out to play miniature golf, but this may be the best deal. At Polynesian Putter, the retro St. Pete Beach staple with the giant tiki head statue, it’s $8 per person to play the 18-hole course. 4999 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. facebook.com/pages/Polynesian-Putter.
Bowling: The beloved pastime is still inexpensive to enjoy. At Ten Pin Lanes in South Pasadena, it’s $5 per game, per person with discounts for seniors, youth and military and just $2.50 on Sunday. Whole lane rentals start at $20 and shoes are $4 to rent. There is also a “kids bowl free” program. Hit the snack bar where a grilled cheese is $5, a 12 inch cheese pizza is $11 and a kid’s ice cream cup is $1.50. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. 1453 Pasadena Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-381-1010. littlecenters.com.
Roller skating: Astro Skate Family Fun Center has locations in Tarpon Springs (875 Cypress St.), Pinellas Park (10001 66th St. N.) and Brandon (750 W. Robinson St.). Each one has different specials but they all share $8 all-day skate on Saturdays, plus skate rental if needed ($3-$5), Free Pizza Skate on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 (free pizza first hour) for $7. Tarpon and Pinellas Park also both have $2 skating on Sundays from 3-5 p.m. astroskatingcenter.com.
Parks and botanical gardens: Most parks and beaches don’t have an admission fee and neither does the lush Florida Botanical Gardens (12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo). USF’s Botanical Garden (12210 USF Pine Drive, Tampa) is $5 and free for kids 12 and younger, while it’s a mere $2 to enter Eureka Springs Conservation Park (6400 Eureka Springs Road, Tampa), which is the only botanical garden in Hillsborough County’s park system.
Beach parking and state and county park passes: While the passes aren’t cheap per se, they pay off for those who want to convene with nature at parks that charge admission and there are discounts for seniors, veterans and more. Get unlimited entrance to Florida state parks like Honeymoon Island State Park (1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin) with an annual pass for $60. In Pinellas, a beach parking pass ($75 per year, $45 per six months, with discounts) gets you free parking at Fort DeSoto, Sand Key Park and Fred Howard Park, while boat ramp parking passes are $110. Hillsborough County’s Annual Conservation Parks Pass program is $50 for individuals and $100 for families, with discounts available and also offers boat ramp passes for $100.
Free movies
Streaming: Did you know you can stream thousands of movies for free with your Hillsborough County library card? Two apps, Hoopla and Kanopy, have thousands of movies and TV series that you can stream for free by entering your card number. hcplc.org.
Screenings: St. Petersburg event space Coastal Creative’s Cult Classic Film Series offers free screenings. Coming May 8, it’s 1996′s “Freeway,” which was Reese Witherspoon’s breakout role and co-stars Kiefer Sutherland. 2201 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-452-9799. coastalcreativetv.com.
In Clearwater, Coachman Park’s Scenes on the Green series offers free movies, just bring a blanket or low-lying chairs. They all start at 8 p.m. Coming up: “Free Willy” (April 26), “Dora the Explorer” (May 10) and “Black Panther” (June 14). Bonus tip: parking is free in lot 11 after 6 p.m. 300 Cleveland St., Clearwater. myclearwaterparks.com.
Public transportation
For those over the surge pricing ride-share companies pile on, consider taking public transportation for at least one leg of your outing. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s SunRunner rapid bus line is a gamechanger in St. Pete, running downtown to the beach with frequent stops. It’s not free anymore, but a single ride is $2.25 (psta.net/services/sunrunner). In Tampa, the TECO Streetcar is free and takes you from Ybor City to downtown Tampa through Channelside, with a stop at Amalie Arena and easy access to Water Street. tecolinestreetcar.org.
Fitness
Free classes: The City of St. Petersburg offers free fitness classes held at city parks through the Get Fit St. Pete Membership, which is also free. Folks are encouraged to enroll digitally, but you are able to also join at the park. Among the classes are cardio kickboxing from 6-7 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month at Campbell Park (601 14th St. S.). There is yoga at Crescent Lake Park (1320 Fifth St. N.) from 9-10 a.m. the first Saturday of each month and tai chi from 6-7 p.m. at Northwest Park (58th St. N. and 22nd Avenue) the third Tuesday of each month. On the fourth Tuesday of each month, there’s a free kayaking adventure at Coffee Pot Park (First St. N.E. and 31st Ave. N.E.). healthystpetefl.com/get-fit.
There are free fitness activities at Clearwater’s Coachman Park, including yoga on Saturday mornings and at sunset on Mondays and free cardio fit on Wednesdays. myclearwaterparks.com.
Low-cost classes and annual deals: St. Petersburg recreation centers offer fitness classes that won’t break the bank. Find out more at stpeteparksrec.org/wellness.
The City of Clearwater’s Recreation Card is $7 annually for individuals and $35 annually for families (residents only, the fees go way up for non-residents) and entitles cardholders to recreation centers, pools and athletic centers for a reduced or no cost or free. myclearwaterparks.com
Get a Rec Card from the City of Tampa for $15 per for the year and get free access to gyms, fitness rooms and computer labs at any City of Tampa recreation center, as well as open swim sessions at city aquatic facilities. parks.tampagov.net.
