How to Experience the Best Winter Break Ever in Tampa Bay
‘Tis the season for sleigh loads of winter break fun in Tampa Bay!
The kids are out of school, and you probably have guests in town looking for something fun to do! Lucky YOU for calling Florida home because there is no shortage of FUN family-friendly things to do this winter break in Tampa Bay!
Here are some of our favorite ideas to help you put together the Ultimate Winter Break Family Fun Bucket List.
Related stories to check out:
- The BEST New Year's Eve Fireworks Displays in Tampa Bay for Kids
- The BEST Christmas Events in Tampa Bay for Families
Book a Winter Break Camp
If you have to work or the kids want a day to play with other kids, there are several Winter Break camps available. MOSI and Glazer Children's Museum offer some of our favorite winter break camps to not only keep kids busy and having fun, but also learn! See Our Favorite Winter Break Camps in Tampa Bay here.
Visit Christmas Town at Busch Gardens!
Christmas Town is a holiday must! Walk among millions of lights–there are so many that Busch Gardens starts installing the lights over the summertime! This event is held every night through January 5, 2026. It’s included with admission.
One of our favorite things to do with the kids is the Holly Jolly Express. Sip on hot cocoa and listen to your favorite Christmas songs as you go for a ride through the park.
Experience some beautiful holiday light displays throughout Tampa Bay!
There are some other incredible light displays in Tampa Bay, like at ZooTampa's Christmas in the Wild, Downtown Tampa and St. Pete, and the Holiday Lights at Largo Central Park. We have a complete rundown of our favorite holiday light displays here.
One must-see is the Chick-fil-A on Waters Ave in Tampa, which is pretty much magic. You can experience it as a drive-thru or go inside. And be sure to check out the front windows for some playful fun with the cows!
Go Explore What's on Exhibit RIGHT NOW in Tampa Bay
Forts Exhibit at Glazer Children's Museum
Location: Downtown Tampa
The beloved FORTS exhibit returns to Glazer Children's Museum this weekend in its newly expanded and permanent home on the second floor, just in time for spring break! You'll find it on the second floor, where kids can use their imaginations to build an epic fort!
Let's See at Glazer Children's Museum
Location: Glazer Children's Museum-Tampa
This colorful, bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibit, created in partnership with the Glazer Vision Foundation, invites families to explore the science of vision through hands-on, mind-bending experiences. Discover how your eyes work with playful interactives that bring light, color, and perspective to life. Mix colors on spinning wheels, walk into a giant kaleidoscope, and cast dazzling colored shadows. Peer through a water sphere to see the world flipped upside down – just like your eyes do before your brain flips it back! Try on glasses, test for color blindness, and watch your pupils dilate as you explore how we see the world.
Go Nose to Snout with the World's Largest Fossil Triceratops
Location: Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa
If you didn't already know, we have a record-breaking dinosaur on exhibit here in Tampa and he's a sight to see! You don't have to have kids with you to experience Big John the Triceratops at Glazer Children's Museum. We're sharing more about the paleontologist who found Big John and the Tampa family who brought the dinosaur to Tampa. While you're at the museum, you can also head to Gingerbread Village on the second floor and add your own creation to the village! It's on display through the end of the year.
Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine exhibit at MOSI
Location: MOSI in Tampa
Can a machine think like you? Learn like you? Paint your portrait like Picasso? Starting September 6, visitors at MOSI, Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry, can find out in a brand-new way with the opening of Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine, a hands-on exhibit that makes the world of AI exciting, accessible, and unforgettable.
Science LIVE! All-New Science Demos | Daily at 2 p.m.
Location: MOSI, Raymond James Amphitheatre
Watch a MOSI educator bring science to life with exciting, hands-on demos. Each show lasts about 15 minutes and features fun experiments in chemistry, physics, biology, and more. You’ll see colorful reactions, cool demos, and amazing science in action. MOSI makes science easy to understand, and even easier to get excited about!
Wild Oasis at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Location: Busch Gardens-Tampa
The Wild Oasis Realm is finally open at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! There's a new ride, a splash pad, and so many ways to climb and play!
SEA LIFE Florida at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Location: LEGOLAND Florida-Winter Haven
Get ready for this under-the-sea adventure at this all-new indoor attraction! You can expect to see more than 3,000 sea creatures and even walk through a 180-degree underwater tunnel! We'll be there for the official opening on Friday morning!
Wonders of Wetlands at Great Explorations Children's Museum
Location: St. Pete
This new permanent exhibit, created in partnership with Tampa Bay Water, was designed to engage young minds and spark environmental curiosity. The immersive experience brings one of Florida’s most vital ecosystems to life inside the museum, and kids can even go face-to-face with some of the creatures that call our wetlands home, like turtles, lizards, and a snake!
LEGO® Ferrari Race & Build Experience at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Winter Haven
Prepare to become the ultimate race car driver at this interactive experience for the whole family. The moment guests enter the attraction, they are greeted by a life-size LEGO® Ferrari 296 GTS model followed by interactive zones for guests to hop into the driver’s seat by building, tweaking, and racing their own car creations. Get a FIRST LOOK at the LEGO Ferrari exhibit here!
Set sail on the Lost Pearl's “A Pirate's Christmas” and/or Pirate Water Taxi's “River of Lights”
The Lost Pearl pirate ship is sailing once again in Tampa, and they have a super cute Pirates' Christmas Cruise you MUST experience with the kids! We're sharing more about our sailing on the Pirate's Christmas Cruise here! The Pirate Water Taxi's River of Lights Cruise is another great way to see all of the pretty lights and even leave a letter to Santa with the Elf on the Barge. Both ships make a stop to visit the elf!
Experience FloridaRAMA in St. Pete
FloridaRAMA St. Pete is an exhibit you've never seen, heard, or even smelled before! More than 60 artists were commissioned during the pandemic to bring it together. You can go and simply enjoy the whimsical art that celebrates weird, wacky, wonderful Florida, or choose a different adventure and try to crack the codes and mysteries you’ll find throughout.
They are also all decked out for the holidays as part of the HolidDAZE at FloriaRAMA event and will also be offering Neon Mini Golf from December 11, 2025, to January 5, 2026. “Lucy Sparrow's Quick Shop” will also be on display until all of the incredible felt art creations sell out. This is a MUST-SEE!
Learn more about what it’s like here!
Go Ice-Skating outside at Winter Village in Downtown Tampa
How about an outdoor ice-skating experience in Florida? It can happen at Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park in Downtown Tampa! There is a market featuring local vendors for last-minute holiday shopping and eats and treats if you get hungry, and you can even try a game of street curling!
You will need to book your ice skating time in advance. It’ll be open through January 4, 2026.
Head to a U-Pick Farm
It’s not quite U-pick season in Tampa Bay, but a few places are offering U-pick opportunities, like Dooley Groves in Ruskin. They have citrus available–check with their website to see what they have before you go.
Florida Sweeties in Dade City is another local farm offering u-pick citrus. Stay up-to-date on what they have available and their u-pick hours by visiting their Facebook page here.
We've got a full list of Winter U-Pick events in Tampa Bay here.
Try a new restaurant with the kids
We’re sharing some of our favorite family-friendly places to eat with the kids, and BONUS…many of these spots have outdoor space to eat, like Sparkman Wharf and Armature Works. The St. Pete Pier has some pretty cool offerings, too, and we love the Glazer Family Playground!
Explore Tampa’s Riverwalk
Tampa Bay Parenting Contributor Maggie Rodriguez shared some of her favorite ways to explore and dine along the Riverwalk! Some of our favorite spots include lunch at Ulele, stops at Julian B Lane Riverfront Park, and a ride on Pirate Water Taxi to give your feet a break. Check out her adventures here.
Swim with the Manatees
Yes, you CAN swim with the manatees and this is prime time to do it! The only place in North America where you can legally swim with the manatees is in Crystal River and Homosassa. We’ve done the manatee tour with the Adventure Center on Plantation on Crystal River which was great!
They supply the sanitized wetsuits, snorkel gear, and even hot chocolate and coffee on the boat. While manatees gather in the springs year round, the prime season is November through March as hundreds of manatees head for the warmer waters of the springs to thermoregulate.
Explore TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach
This is a wonderful outdoor adventure for the entire family! You can walk the stroller-friendly boardwalks to view the manatees as they seek the warmth of the clean water coming from the Big Bend Power Station. There is also an observation tower along the trail and plenty of spaces to enjoy an outdoor picnic and it’s FREE. We’re sharing more details here about what to expect when you go.
Explore NEW-ish Parks in Tampa Bay
When we say you have to see it to believe how incredible it really is, we mean it when it comes to Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland. You can read 10 Things We Love About Bonnet Springs Park here.
This privately built park sits on 168 acres on the outskirts of downtown Lakeland, and we have a feeling it will quickly become one of your favorite ways to play too. It's also home to the Florida Children's Museum which is amazing!
Coachman Park in Clearwater re-opened this year and it's equally as epic! The $84 million renovation includes a new park space, gateway plaza, pedestrian promenade, scenic overlook, playground, splash pad, and performing arts venue.
Explore the great outdoors in Tampa Bay
Lauren Gay of OutdoorsyDiva.com shares her favorite outdoor adventures in Tampa Bay, from trips to the beach like Shell Key Preserve to the Treetop Canopy at Myakka River State Park…she’s got it all on her list of favorite outdoor adventures in Tampa Bay here!
WORTH THE DRIVE:
Check out ILLUMINATE Aquatica in Orlando
Aquatica Orlando has officially joined the holiday lineup, and it’s bringing something totally new to the season. ILLUMINATE at Aquatica transforms the water park into a glowing nighttime experience filled with themed zones, dazzling lights, and cozy treats. And, it's all without the usual soundtrack of nonstop jingle bells. It’s immersive, spacious, and ALL-NEW, making it a standout pick for families, couples, and friend groups looking for something different this season!
ILLUMINATE at Aquatica Orlando runs select nights, November 8, 2025 – January 31, 2026, from 6 pm to 10 pm, with last entry at 9:15 pm This is a separately ticketed event, not included with daytime park admission.
Go See ICE! at Gaylord Palms
One of our favorite holiday events in Florida is returning in 2025, and it's literally one of the coolest things you'll experience this year in the Sunshine State as ICE! at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando turns down the thermostat and brings the favorite holiday film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ™ to life through… ice… from November 14, 2025, through January 7, 2026. You can read all about what to expect at this year's ICE! event at Gaylord Palms and even how they do it here!
Our team is sharing even MORE holiday fun in Orlando from holiday events at Disney World, Sea World and Universal! Check out their stories here!
Plan for GASPARILLA!
Take advantage of the early bird deals if you want to upgrade your day with First Mate seats or even bleacher seats! This is a great way to view the Ashley Children's Gasparilla presented by Chick-fil-A on January 24, 2026, and the adult Pirate Fest the following weekend. We've got all the details on the Gasparilla 2026 parades here.