Tampa, Fla - Public Transporation In and Around
 

I'm planning a short getaway to Tampa, but I'm stumbling over some of the arrangements and was hoping someone here could offer advice.

We're flying into Clearwater/St. Petersburg (PIE) airport and spending the first night near there (saw lots of hotel listings near the airport, with shuttles, so that shouldn't be a problem).

The first day, we'd like to go to Lowry Park Zoo. I checked out the public transportation but it would take 2 hours to get there? Thinking a public taxi might be the fastest alternative. How would that work with entering the park, drop-off, walking distance to the gate, etc.?

From there we're thinking about staying at Gram's Place (could we walk there from the zoo?) because we like hostels and it seems close to everywhere we want to go -- plus they offer transportation.

But when the trip is done, getting from Gram's Place back to PIE airport ... would you think a cab is the fastest way, or is there a fast public transit route?

Thanking you in advance ...

Is it possible for you to rent a car? The costs might be less than taxi/bus charges.

I think you need to rethink your first day plans. PIE is in a different county than Tampa, and regional bus options are limited. You are correct that you will be looking at 2+ hours just to get to Lowry Park, perhaps more.

No, you cannot walk from the zoo to Gram's Place. If the hostel provides transportation, will they pick you up?

Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay area does not offer good mass transit options.

Thanks for your tips -- yes, we could rent a car, but I was hoping to save some money there. I saw that Amtrak offers service from Clearwater Beach into Tampa, though their site doesn't seem to have much detail about it, other than the location of the two stations.

May need to rethink this ... thank you!

Amtrak in Pinellas county (home of PIE) is actually a bus station, and I believe it is about 6 miles from the airport. The final train stop is the main station in Tampa; after that, it is bus transfers.

I'm a huge advocate of taking public transportation (even in cities or regions where the prevailing wisdom is not to) where it exists. And while I've found that the idea that "you must have a car" for most cities isn't so, even I've got to admit that public transportation in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater/Tarpon Springs area is lousy. If you are based in Downtown Tampa, you can get to those sights in the general area (Aquarium, Henry Plant Museum, Tampa Art Museum, Ybor City area) via trolley or on foot. If you're in Downtown St. Petersburg, the sights in the general area (St. Pete Art Museum, The Pier, Dali Museum, Sunken Gardens, Holocaust Museum) can be reached on foot (Sunken Gardens is a hefty hike away, but possible). The trick is getting anywhere else from these general hubs, and for Tampa, that includes reaching places like the zoo, MOSI, and Busch Gardens without a car.

I'd certainly believe it takes two hours to get to Lowry Park Zoo from anywhere in Pinellas County via public transport, perhaps longer, if it can be done at all.

Sorry to report, you're definitely better off renting a car here.