With fewer crowds and cooler weather, January is an ideal time to plan an outdoor adventure in the Tampa Bay area. Outdoor things to do in January around Tampa Bay bring unique Florida activities like orange picking, watching manatees keep warm in winter and Tampa’s famous Gasparilla pirate festival.
If you’re ready to get outside and explore this winter, keep reading for Adventure-Seeing Mom’s guide to the best Tampa Bay outdoor activities to experience in January.
Outdoor Things To Do in January Around Tampa Bay
Go Honeybell Orange Picking at Dooley Groves
Picking honeybell oranges at Dooley Groves in Ruskin in southern Hillsborough County is one of our family’s favorite winter activities in the Tampa Bay area. Open seasonally November – May, Dooley Groves has about 10 different varieties of citrus fruits available for u-pick throughout the winter and spring.
Most popular and abundant for u-pick at Dooley Groves are the honeybell oranges, which are ripe and ready to pick in January through early spring. Using clippers, picking poles and baskets provided by Dooley Groves, your family can pick as many or as few honeybells as you’d like to purchase.
See Manatees at Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center
When you’re heading back to Tampa after picking oranges at Dooley Groves, plan a stop by Tampa Electric’s free Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach. It’s the best place to see manatees around Tampa Bay on cool winter days.
Free to visit and open seasonally from November 1 through April 15, the Manatee Viewing Center gives you a look at how Florida manatees keep warm in the winter. Manatees are very cold sensitive and the warm water that discharges Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station provides critical protection for them when the Gulf of Mexico water temperatures fall below 68 degrees.
In addition to manatees, you can see other wildlife along the Manatee Viewing Center’s tidal walk including birds, fish, sharks and stingrays. The Viewing Center also features a stingray touch tank that serves as the off-season home of the Tampa Bay Rays’ cownose stingray mascots.
These rays are cared for by the Florida Aquarium, which also has a rehab facility for rescued sea turtles on the same campus of conservation area as the viewing center.
Visit the Florida Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center
Part of the Florida Conservation and Technology Center that also includes the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center, the Florida Aquarium’s conservation campus welcomes visitors seasonally from November 1 – April 15. Admission and parking are free at this great destination for outdoor things in January around Tampa Bay.
Walking trails connect the campus and a shuttle is available from the parking area to the Florida Aquarium conservation campus. There you can see rescued sea turtles undergoing rehab and learn about the aquarium’s coral conservation work.
Go Winter Shelling
Cool winter days in the Tampa Bay area mean less people on the beaches and better chances of finding seashells. If you can handle a chilly ocean breeze, you may be rewarded with some beautiful treasures. Winter shelling is a perfect Tampa Bay outdoor activity to enjoy in January.
Where’s the best place to go winter shelling in Tampa Bay? Secluded Caladesi Island off the coast of Dunedin is one of my favorite spots.
For shelling on multiple islands, take an island hopping boat tour that stops at Caladesi Island, Honeymoon Island and Anclote Key.
Before you head out on a winter shelling adventure of your own, check out these tips for shelling in Florida.
Experience Gasparilla – Outdoor Things To Do in January Around Tampa Bay with Pirates!
Chart your course for a uniquely Tampa adventure – Gasparilla! After the holidays comes Gasparilla season in Tampa. Every January a merry krewe of pirates invades the city for two straight weekends of revelry, beginning with the family-friendly Children’s Gasparilla.
With a pirate parade full of vibrant floats and lots of beads, an air show, and a piratetechnic fireworks ending, Children’s Gasparilla is a family adventure every Tampa Bay family should experience at least once.
Outdoor Things To Do Around Tampa Bay in Spring
Want to start planning your Tampa Bay spring activities? Check out Adventure-Seeking Mom’s Tampa Bay Spring Bucket List for ideas to help you make the most of the Florida spring season.
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