Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Favorite Kid Friendly ( low cost) places to go in Tampa Florida
15
items Hi, I’m a mom of 2, and like many of you, I don’t always have a lot of money to spend on weekend fun. But over time, I got creative and discovered some amazing, low-cost activities that my kids loved so much we keep going back! These are our favorite...
Map
Sections
5
Farm & Petting Zoos
Splash pad & Water Play
Outside Entertainment
Indoor play
Pick Fruits
Farm & Petting Zoos
Get hands-on with the animals! From classic petting zoos to U-Pick farms, kids can feed goats, pet bunnies
My son loves this ranch. It’s five dollars to get in and it’s also a petting zoo and you can feed the animals. $10 pony /horse rides if you want to do that. You can bring food to have a lunch there if you want.
R&R Ranch
Great for toddlers through elementary age — hands-on animal encounters, outdoor play, and extras like mini golf make it a fun half-day outing.
My son loves the hands on animal encounters.
DK Farms & Gardens
Our whole family loved this petting zoo. They even had huge tortoises there.
Hogan's Place Gibsonton Florida
Free admission. It’s cool to see the manatees and sting rays. ( you can even touch them)
My kiddos love this for a fun Saturday or Sunday out. They often have a snow cone food truck outside too!
Manatee Viewing Center
Splash pad & Water Play
Cool off in Tampa’s many splash pads and water play areas. Safe, supervised, and free or very low-cost, these spots are perfect for toddlers and older kids alike on hot sunny days.
Awesome place to go and keep from burning from the sun. A lot of space and area for picnics.
Water Works Park
Waterfront playground and splash play area — perfect for a picnic and free fun
Ballast Point Park
Nature trails, boardwalks, wildlife viewing, picnic spots (park entry is ~$2 per vehicle).
Great for the kiddos to run around and get their energy out without spending a lot of money.
Lettuce Lake Park
Outside Entertainment
Combine shopping, food, and entertainment at Tampa’s outdoor markets. Kids can explore, grab a snack, and enjoy music or street performances, while parents browse local goods — fun for the whole family!
Often they have kid movies. You can check the movie schedule to make sure before you go and the times.
THE BEST 10 OUTDOOR MOVIES in BRANDON, FL - Updated 2026 - Hours
This was a cool place to experience Thai culture. There is a food market, lake front park outside, and temples to go inside to look at.
Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple
Free to stroll, and you can grab picnic food or snacks
Hyde Park Village Fresh Market
Indoor play
Rainy day? No problem! Indoor playgrounds and play gyms offer slides, tunnels, bounce houses, and creative play stations for toddlers through pre-teens. Many centers are budget-friendly, especially with multi-visit passes.
A great place for my son to get all his energy out. On super hot summer days when the sun is too much,but we aldo want to get out of the house.
Bounce Zone Tampa
We love It here for indoor play when it’s too hot or rainy outside.
Bounce City Brandon
A place to go when it’s rainy or too hot and you still want to get the little ones out of the house and get some energy out.
Nana Ana's Playhouse
Pick Fruits
Kids can enjoy the nature and pick fresh strawberries or blueberries.
A cute little place to go with the kiddos. You can pick strawberries here for a low cost of 2.50 per bin
Strawberry Passion/Passion Organic Farm, LLC
When in season (typically mid‑May), their blueberries are so sweet and cheap to pick, my son loved to get his own box and pick away. ( also for the mamas it makes some super cute pics)
Lithia Berry Farms