Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Road Trips for 2026-2027

Tampa Bay is one of the best multi-sport road trip destinations in North America. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in the downtown Water Street district, fans can experience two Super Bowl and Stanley Cup championship franchises across a single weekend from a downtown Tampa hotel base. Whether you're planning an NFL and NHL weekend, a Packers-Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon marquee paired with a Capitals-Lightning Home Opener Saturday, or the September 20 same-day Browns-Buccaneers plus Predators-Lightning preseason doubleheader, the region offers one of the strongest warm-weather multi-sport combinations on the 2026-2027 calendar.

The 2026-2027 schedule produces four standout multi-sport weekends. The headline weekend is October 3-4, when the Washington Capitals visit Benchmark International Arena for the Lightning Home Opener on Saturday night and the Green Bay Packers travel to Raymond James Stadium for the Sunday-afternoon Buccaneers home game, one of the classic NFC matchups and the biggest away-fan travel weekend of the entire fall. Additional standout weekends include the September 20 same-day doubleheader (Cleveland Browns at Buccaneers followed by a Predators-Lightning NHL preseason game), the Canucks-Lightning Saturday-afternoon matinee paired with the Steelers-Buccaneers October 17-18 Sunday game, and the season-closing Sabres-Lightning Saturday plus Rams-Buccaneers January 2-3 weekend.

Downtown Tampa is the natural base for every itinerary in this guide. The downtown hotel cluster in the Water Street district (JW Marriott, Marriott Water Street, and Sheraton Riverwalk) sits within a 5-minute walk of Benchmark International Arena and a 15-minute drive west to Raymond James Stadium via I-275. This is one of the most compact hotel-and-venue setups in the Southeast: fans can walk to Lightning games from their hotel room and take a short drive or Uber to the Buccaneers stadium on game-day Sunday. Throughout this guide, we'll highlight the best multi-sport weekends, recommended downtown Tampa hotels, transportation options, and planning tips to help you make the most of the trip.

Why Tampa Bay Is One of the Best Multi-Sport Road Trip Destinations

The multi-sport case for Tampa Bay starts with the venue configuration. Benchmark International Arena (the Lightning home, renamed in August 2025 from Amalie Arena after a multi-year naming rights partnership between Vinik Sports Group and the locally-based mergers-and-acquisitions firm Benchmark International) sits in the Water Street district on Channelside Drive in downtown Tampa, walkable from every Water Street hotel and adjacent to the Riverwalk. Raymond James Stadium (the Buccaneers home since 1998, and the only NFL stadium to host a home-team Super Bowl win when the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV in February 2021) sits 4 miles west of downtown near the Westshore business district. The two-venue combination gives fans an NHL arena walkable from the hotel plus an NFL stadium reachable by a short game-day drive.

The 2026-2027 Tampa Bay Buccaneers home schedule includes some of the most compelling matchups of the season. Home games at Raymond James Stadium include the Browns September 20 opener, the Packers October 4 marquee (Green Bay travels well to every away game and produces one of the highest away-fan turnouts on any NFL road schedule), the Steelers October 18, and the Rams January 3 season closer (a rematch of the 2022 NFC Divisional playoff meeting). The Buccaneers are the reigning NFC South division champions and produce one of the most fan-friendly late-fall and winter game-day experiences in professional sports, with average game-day temperatures in the mid-70s Fahrenheit throughout October, November, and early December.

Benchmark International Arena is one of the great modern NHL venues. The 19,092-seat building opened in 1996 as the Ice Palace, was renamed the St. Pete Times Forum in 2002, Tampa Bay Times Forum in 2012, Amalie Arena in 2014, and Benchmark International Arena in August 2025. Vinik Sports Group and Benchmark International announced the naming-rights partnership on August 13, 2025, with new signage and the renamed Benchmark International Club Level (featuring the all-inclusive "The Mark" premium hospitality experience) debuting ahead of the 2025-26 Lightning season. The Lightning have won three Stanley Cups (2004, 2020, 2021, including back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021) and produce one of the loudest home atmospheres in the NHL. The 2026-2027 home schedule includes the Predators, Capitals, Canucks, and Sabres across the featured weekends, plus divisional rivals throughout the year.

The city itself is one of the great Florida travel destinations. The Water Street development (the 56-acre mixed-use downtown waterfront redevelopment anchored by the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street), the Tampa Riverwalk (the 2.6-mile continuous walkway along the Hillsborough River), Ybor City (the historic Cuban, Italian, and Spanish immigrant neighborhood with the 1905 Columbia Restaurant, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Florida), Bern's Steak House (the legendary 1956 steakhouse with one of the largest wine cellars in the world), the Cuban sandwich (invented locally in the 1890s, not Miami), Sparkman Wharf and Armature Works (the two downtown food-hall developments), Bayshore Boulevard (the 4.5-mile continuous sidewalk, the longest in the world), and the area beaches (Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Beach, and Fort De Soto Park, all 30 to 45 minutes from downtown) all give visitors an experience that few other American sports cities can match.

Best Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Weekends for 2026-2027

The 2026-2027 schedule features four standout weekends where fans can combine a Tampa Bay Buccaneers home game at Raymond James Stadium with a Tampa Bay Lightning home game at Benchmark International Arena. These are the easiest and most rewarding Buccaneers and Lightning combinations, Lightning and Buccaneers pairings, and football and hockey trips for visitors planning a Tampa Bay sports weekend from a downtown Tampa hotel base.

All four itineraries work as a two, three, or four-night stay at a downtown Tampa hotel, with walking access to Benchmark International Arena and a 15-minute drive or rideshare to Raymond James Stadium, no rental car required.

September 20, 2026 (The Same-Day Doubleheader Weekend)

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers + NHL Preseason Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning

The season-opening multi-sport weekend on the 2026-2027 calendar and one of the rarest scheduling combinations we book at Elite Sports Tours: a same-day NFL regular-season game paired with an NHL preseason exhibition, both on Sunday, September 20. The Cleveland Browns visit Raymond James Stadium for a Sunday-afternoon Buccaneers game, and the Nashville Predators visit Benchmark International Arena for a Sunday-evening NHL preseason game as the Lightning ramp up for the regular season.

Weekend Schedule

• Sunday, September 20 (Same-Day Doubleheader)
  • Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Raymond James Stadium, Westshore
  • Afternoon game (15-minute drive from downtown)
• Sunday, September 20 (NHL Preseason)
  • Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Benchmark International Arena, Water Street
  • Late-afternoon or early-evening game (5-minute walk from downtown hotels)

Why This Weekend Is Worth the Trip

A same-day NFL regular-season and NHL preseason doubleheader is one of the rarest scheduling combinations we book. The Bay area produces it because the venue geography works: fans can catch the Browns-Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon game at Raymond James Stadium, return to a downtown Tampa hotel via a 15-minute Uber or drive, and walk 5 minutes to Benchmark International Arena for the Predators-Lightning NHL preseason puck drop. Two professional sporting events in one calendar day at two venues accessible from the same downtown Tampa hotel base.

Browns-Buccaneers is the Buccaneers home opener on the 2026 schedule and one of the more entertaining early-season NFL matchups. The Cleveland Browns roster and coaching staff produce one of the strongest AFC away-fan-traveling contingents on the NFL schedule, and the Sunday-afternoon window opens the day for a full trip built around the two-venue same-day format. Predators-Lightning as an NHL preseason exhibition works well for fans who want a look at the Lightning roster before the regular season begins, plus a chance to see the newly-branded Benchmark International Arena with its debut signage and updated club level.

Recommended Package

Our Same-Day Browns-Buccaneers and Predators-Lightning Preseason Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Road Trip Package includes Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon tickets, Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning NHL preseason tickets, a downtown hotel for three nights, and coordinated Uber-and-walking transportation logistics between the hotel cluster and both venues. Book your Same-Day Browns and Predators Preseason Package.

October 3-4, 2026 (The Lightning Home Opener and Packers Weekend)

Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning (Home Opener) + Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The standout weekend of the entire 2026-2027 Tampa Bay multi-sport calendar and one of the highest-demand tickets on the entire NFL and NHL schedules. On Saturday, October 3, the Washington Capitals visit Benchmark International Arena for the Lightning Home Opener, the regular-season debut of the 2026-2027 campaign. On Sunday, October 4, the Green Bay Packers travel to Raymond James Stadium for the Sunday-afternoon Buccaneers game.

Weekend Schedule

• Saturday, October 3 (Lightning Home Opener)
  • Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Benchmark International Arena, Water Street
  • Evening game (5-minute walk from downtown Tampa hotels)
• Sunday, October 4
  • Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Raymond James Stadium, Westshore
  • Afternoon game (15-minute drive from downtown)

Why This Weekend Is Worth the Trip

The Lightning Home Opener is one of the marquee nights on the entire NHL calendar. The season-opening game at Benchmark International Arena produces the loudest home crowd of the entire regular season, with the pre-game ceremony (banner reveal, roster introductions, championship-history video montage on the arena scoreboard) representing one of the definitive NHL fan experiences. Capitals-Lightning is a competitive Eastern Conference matchup, and Alex Ovechkin's continued pursuit of scoring records makes every Capitals road visit one of the marquee nights of any NHL home schedule.

Packers-Buccaneers on Sunday is one of the classic NFC matchups on the entire NFL calendar. Green Bay produces one of the largest away-fan contingents in professional sports (the Packers Everywhere network of traveling fans in green and gold produces packed hotel bars, restaurants, and stadium sections at every away game), and every Packers away visit to Raymond James Stadium fills the stadium with a strong contingent of visiting fans. The Sunday-afternoon window works well as the closing game of a Friday-arrival through Monday-departure trip, and the Saturday-and-Sunday two-venue format is one of the ideal multi-sport weekend structures on the entire 2026-2027 calendar.

Recommended Package

Our Lightning Home Opener and Packers Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Road Trip Package includes Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday-night Home Opener tickets, Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon tickets, a downtown hotel for three nights, and coordinated transportation between the hotel cluster and both venues. This is the highest-demand weekend of the entire 2026 season; book three to four months in advance. Book your Lightning Home Opener and Packers Weekend Package.

October 17-18, 2026 (Canucks-Lightning and Steelers-Buccaneers Weekend)

Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning + Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The mid-October multi-sport weekend on the calendar and the strongest Western Conference visit of the fall Lightning schedule. On Saturday, October 17, the Vancouver Canucks travel to Benchmark International Arena for a Lightning Saturday-afternoon matinee. On Sunday, October 18, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Raymond James Stadium for the Sunday-afternoon Buccaneers home game.

Weekend Schedule

• Saturday, October 17
  • Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Benchmark International Arena, Water Street
  • Afternoon matinee (5-minute walk from downtown Tampa hotels)
• Sunday, October 18
  • Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Raymond James Stadium, Westshore
  • Afternoon game (15-minute drive from downtown Tampa)

Why This Weekend Is Worth the Trip

The Saturday-afternoon Canucks matinee is a valuable format for this weekend. The matinee opens Saturday evening for a Bern's Steak House reservation (the legendary 1956 steakhouse with one of the largest wine cellars in the world), a Sparkman Wharf food-hall dinner, or a Water Street district evening walk. Canucks-Lightning is a cross-conference matchup that produces one of the more entertaining hockey afternoons of the fall, and the Vancouver visiting fan base always brings a solid contingent of Pacific Northwest fans making the winter escape south.

Steelers-Buccaneers on Sunday is a classic AFC-versus-NFC crossover with strong away-fan visits from Pittsburgh. The Steelers travel to every away game with one of the largest visiting-fan contingents in professional sports (the Terrible Towel wave against the Bucs orange visiting sections is one of the definitive Steelers away experiences), and the mid-October window pairs perfectly with mid-70s Fahrenheit game-day temperatures. Base yourself at a downtown hotel Friday through Monday morning.

Recommended Package

Our Canucks-Lightning and Steelers-Buccaneers Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Road Trip Package includes Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday-matinee tickets, Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon tickets, a downtown hotel for three nights, and coordinated transportation between the hotel cluster and both venues. Book your Canucks-Lightning and Steelers Weekend Package.

January 2-3, 2027 (Sabres-Lightning and Rams-Buccaneers Season Closer)

Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning + Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The season-closing multi-sport weekend of the 2026-2027 calendar and the last regular-season Buccaneers home game for many trip planners. On Saturday, January 2, the Buffalo Sabres travel to Benchmark International Arena for a Lightning home game. On Sunday, January 3, the Los Angeles Rams travel to Raymond James Stadium for the Buccaneers home game.

Weekend Schedule

• Saturday, January 2
  • Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Benchmark International Arena, Water Street
  • Evening game (5-minute walk from downtown Tampa hotels)
• Sunday, January 3
  • Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Raymond James Stadium, Westshore
  • Afternoon game (15-minute drive from downtown Tampa)

Why This Weekend Is Worth the Trip

Rams-Buccaneers on Sunday is a rematch of the 2022 NFC Divisional playoff meeting between the two franchises (a game the Rams won 30-27 on a late Matthew Stafford drive that eliminated the Tom Brady Buccaneers on their way to Super Bowl LVI). Every Rams away game against the Buccaneers produces playoff-tinged intensity, and the January 3 date puts the game in Week 18 with heavy playoff-seeding weight for both teams. Sean McVay's Rams and Matthew Stafford travel to the Bay in a game that often decides NFC playoff bracket positioning.

Sabres-Lightning on Saturday adds a cross-conference matchup that gives fans a Saturday-night hockey game before the Sunday-afternoon NFL closer. The New Year's-weekend format works well as a January warm-weather escape from northern winters, with average game-day temperatures in the mid-60s Fahrenheit even in early January. Base yourself at a downtown hotel Friday through Monday morning, and treat the weekend as a four-night warm-weather trip built around the two-venue format.

Recommended Package

Our January Sabres-Lightning and Rams-Buccaneers Tampa Bay Multi-Sport Road Trip Package includes Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday-night tickets, Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday-afternoon tickets, a downtown hotel for four nights, and coordinated transportation between the hotel cluster and both venues. Book your January Sabres-Lightning and Rams Package.

Where to Stay in Tampa Bay

Downtown Tampa is the best base for a multi-sport road trip. Most visitors should look for hotels in the Water Street district (the 56-acre mixed-use waterfront development directly next to Benchmark International Arena) or in the adjacent downtown core near the Riverwalk. Both zones put you within a 5-minute walk of Benchmark International Arena, walking access to the Tampa Riverwalk, the Amalie Arena Thunder Alley entrance plaza, Sparkman Wharf, the Florida Aquarium, and the historic Tampa Theatre.

Ybor City (the historic Cuban-Italian-Spanish neighborhood 2 miles east of downtown) and the SoHo district (South Howard Avenue, the trendy dining-and-nightlife strip) both work as alternate bases for fans who want a different neighborhood experience, but both add drive time to the downtown venue. St. Petersburg (across the bay via the Howard Frankland or Gandy bridges) also works if you want a beach-adjacent base, though the 25-minute drive each way to the Buccaneers game adds logistics to the trip.

Our recommended Raymond James Stadium hotels and Benchmark International Arena hotels for a multi-sport trip in downtown Tampa include the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street (the new Water Street district luxury flagship, the top-tier property for a Lightning multi-sport weekend), the Tampa Marriott Water Street (the anchor downtown property directly across from Benchmark International Arena), the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk (Hillsborough River-front position), the Hilton Tampa Downtown (Franklin Street), the Aloft Tampa Downtown (Ashley Street), Le Meridien Tampa (the historic Federal Courthouse building in downtown), the Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown, the Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown, the Kimpton Hotel Barbara Downtown Tampa, and the Current Hotel Tampa (Rocky Point). For fans on a value budget, the Godfrey Hotel Tampa (Rocky Point), the Barrymore Hotel Tampa Riverwalk (downtown), and the Holiday Inn Express Tampa Downtown offer more reasonable rates within short-drive range of both venues.

Looking for hotel recommendations? Explore our complete guide to the Best Hotels Near Benchmark International Arena.

Should You Stay Near Raymond James Stadium?

No. Raymond James Stadium sits 4 miles west of downtown near the Westshore business district, and while the Westshore corridor has plenty of hotels (mostly business-traveler chains near Tampa International Airport), the neighborhood is not a walkable destination. Almost every visitor to a Buccaneers and Lightning multi-sport weekend should stay in downtown and treat Raymond James Stadium as a 15-minute Uber or drive-in for the Sunday game.

The reason is the trip itself. Every featured itinerary combines an NFL game at Raymond James Stadium with an NHL game at Benchmark International Arena, and every weekend also includes at least one Water Street district evening, one Riverwalk morning, one Ybor City historic tour, and one downtown restaurant dinner. Staying downtown puts you within walking distance of Benchmark International Arena, the Tampa Riverwalk, the Florida Aquarium, Sparkman Wharf, the Amalie Arena Thunder Alley plaza, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, and the historic Tampa Theatre. Staying near Raymond James Stadium would cut you off from every downtown experience that the weekend is built around.

For most visitors, the easiest option is a downtown hotel and a rideshare or Uber to Raymond James Stadium on the NFL game day. The drive from downtown to the stadium takes about 15 minutes each way (I-275 westbound to the Dale Mabry Highway exit), and rideshare fares run $15 to $25 each way with surge pricing on game days. Our team also runs coordinated shuttle service from the Water Street hotel cluster to Raymond James Stadium as an alternate option, and this option is included in most Tampa Bay sports travel packages. Parking at Raymond James Stadium runs $30 to $60 depending on the lot and the specific game, so rideshare is by far the most efficient game-day option for fans staying downtown.

Looking for hotel recommendations? Explore our hotel guide: Best Hotels Near Raymond James Stadium.

Getting Around During Your Multi-Sport Road Trip

The area is a car-and-rideshare region for the multi-sport weekend, with the exception of the walking-distance Benchmark International Arena commute for downtown-hotel-based fans. There is no rail transit connecting downtown to Raymond James Stadium, and the TECO Line Streetcar covers only the downtown-to-Ybor City corridor (a good option for a Ybor City historic tour but not for game-day transit).

The 15-minute drive from downtown to Raymond James Stadium runs west on I-275 to the Dale Mabry Highway exit, and rideshare (Uber and Lyft) is the recommended game-day option for downtown-based fans. Rideshare fares run $15 to $25 one way (with surge pricing on game days), and no rental car is required for the multi-sport trip.

The Benchmark International Arena commute from Water Street hotels is a 5-minute walk across the Water Street plaza. The JW Marriott Tampa Water Street sits directly across Channelside Drive from the arena, and the Marriott Water Street, Sheraton Riverwalk, and Hilton Tampa Downtown all sit within a 10-minute walk. The Tampa Riverwalk connects downtown from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park north of the arena south to the Florida Aquarium and Amalie Arena Thunder Alley plaza next to Benchmark International Arena.

If you are flying into Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport (TPA) is 15 to 20 minutes west of downtown by car via I-275. Rideshare from TPA to downtown runs $20 to $35 depending on traffic and hotel destination. Alternate airports include St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) in Pinellas County (about 30 minutes across the bay), which handles Allegiant Air regional service and low-cost carriers.

Related Guides:

• How to Get to Raymond James Stadium
• How to Get to Benchmark International Arena

Between Games: What to Do on Your Sports Weekend

The reason a Tampa Bay sports weekend works so well is that the trip is not just the games. A weekend here that skips the Tampa Riverwalk, Ybor City, Bern's Steak House, and a Cuban sandwich stop is a wasted trip. Here is what our team recommends between the Buccaneers and Lightning games.

The Tampa Riverwalk and Water Street district. The 2.6-mile continuous walkway along the east bank of the Hillsborough River connects the Water Street district south to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park at the north end and Amalie Arena Thunder Alley plaza at the south end. The walk covers the entire downtown waterfront and passes the History Center, the Florida Aquarium, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, the Glazer Children's Museum, and the historic 1926 Tampa Theatre. A two-hour Saturday-morning walk of the full Riverwalk works well as a between-games activity, and the sunset walk from the JW Marriott north to Curtis Hixon Park is one of the definitive downtown evenings.

Ybor City historic district. Ybor City (the neighborhood 2 miles east of downtown, founded in 1885 as a Cuban-Spanish-Italian cigar-industry immigrant community) preserves one of the great American historic neighborhoods. The Columbia Restaurant (established 1905, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Florida and one of the largest Spanish restaurants in America), the J.C. Newman Cigar Company (still hand-rolling cigars in the original 1910 factory building), the Ybor City State Museum (the community history in the historic Ferlita Bakery), and the wandering roosters (Ybor's protected free-range chicken population) all give visitors an unmatched historic-neighborhood experience. The TECO Line Streetcar runs to Ybor City in about 15 minutes for a $2.50 one-way fare, and a Saturday-morning or Sunday-morning walk of Ybor pairs particularly well with a Sunday-afternoon Buccaneers game.

The Cuban sandwich scene. The Cuban sandwich (mojo-marinated pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard on Cuban bread, pressed on a plancha grill) was invented locally in the 1890s, not Miami, and the local version adds Genoa salami to reflect the Italian immigrant community that lived alongside the Cuban immigrants in Ybor City. The definitive stops are La Segunda Central Bakery (established 1915 in West Tampa, the primary Cuban-bread supplier for the city and still baking on the original ovens), the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, the West Tampa Sandwich Shop, and Wright's Gourmet House in Palma Ceia. Every visitor should try a proper Cuban sandwich on Cuban bread at least once on the trip.

Bern's Steak House and the SoHo dining district. Bern's Steak House (the legendary 1956 steakhouse at Howard Avenue and Watrous) is one of the great American restaurant experiences. The restaurant runs one of the largest wine cellars in the world (over 500,000 bottles across 6,500 selections) and offers a post-dinner Harry Waugh Dessert Room upstairs in converted wine barrels. The SoHo (South Howard) dining district around Bern's includes Ciccio Cali (Italian), the Rooster and the Till (seasonal-menu classic), Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, and the Refinery. Book Bern's three to four months in advance; the SoHo restaurants take same-week reservations.

The area beaches. Clearwater Beach (30 minutes west across the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the top-ranked beach in America in multiple TripAdvisor rankings), St. Pete Beach (35 minutes southwest across the Howard Frankland Bridge, the Don CeSar 1928 pink hotel beach), and Fort De Soto Park (45 minutes southwest, the 1,136-acre Pinellas County park with five keys and Mullet Key beach) all sit within an easy drive of downtown Tampa. A Saturday between-games beach day at Clearwater or St. Pete is one of the great Florida winter escapes for northern-market fans traveling south for the multi-sport weekend.

Sparkman Wharf and Armature Works. Sparkman Wharf (the waterfront food-hall complex just south of the Florida Aquarium with a dozen counter-service restaurants and a rotating outdoor beer garden) and Armature Works (the historic 1910 streetcar-maintenance building in Heights district converted into a food-hall-and-events venue) are the two definitive Tampa food-hall stops. Both work well as casual pre-game lunch or dinner options and pair perfectly with a Tampa Riverwalk walking loop.

The Florida Aquarium and Bay History Center. The Florida Aquarium at Channelside (directly next to Benchmark International Arena, 5-minute walk from Water Street hotels) covers Florida's freshwater and saltwater ecosystems including a live coral-reef tank and outdoor Splash Pad. The History Center on the Riverwalk covers the Cuban immigrant history, the cigar industry, and the Native American Tocobaga history of the region. Both work well as Saturday-morning or Sunday-morning between-games stops, and the Aquarium is particularly good for families making the multi-sport trip together.