Indoor Activities and Date Ideas for a Rainy Day in Tampa Bay

Life in Tampa Bay means dodging rain during the summer months, but luckily for us locals there are plenty of indoor activities and date night options to keep date night (or day!) romance alive on a rainy day. Whether it’s a first date, or just hoping to make it your best date — Check out our roundup of the best indoor date ideas.

Indoor Activities in Tampa Bay

1. Elev8 Fun Tampa
2. Skateworld of Tampa
3. Lala karaoke bar
4. Lowry Parcade
5. Gen X Tavern
6. Splitsville
7. Dali Museum
8. Tampa Bay History Center
9. Tampa Museum of Art
10. Gigglewaters Safety Harbor
11. Local breweries
12. Unique coffee shops

Rainy Day Play Date

Keep your date all fun and games with an indoor play space on a rainy day. Tampa’s newest indoor entertainment center, Elev8 Fun, is now open at Citrus Park Mall in the former Sears storefront. Elev8 has two stories of interactive fun such as retro and modern arcade games, axe throwing, blacklight mini golf, bowling, and a ropes course. Head upstairs to race around their indoor go-kart track and challenge others to a game of laser tag. Coming soon – downstairs, they’ll have an open dining area with a full bar and menu. 

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Wanna go back in time and feel like a kid again? Lace up your skates at Skateworld of Tampa, a roller rink with plenty of public skate time. Let loose and dance on four wheels with someone special.

Over in St. Pete, consider a karaoke night at Lala — a unique karaoke bar and restaurant with some great dishes in addition to tunes. 

Arcade and board games fans can also find fun and refreshments at Lowry Parcade in Seminole Heights and Gen X Tavern in downtown Tampa. An arcade evening is the perfect date night idea.

One corner of Gen X feels just like your childhood living room with plenty of fun games to while away the hours. You’ll find all kinds of nostalgic games like Guess Who, card games and Monopoly. Keep the competitive vibe going by hitting the lanes at Splitsville at Sparkman Wharf. Knock down a few pins before heading to the new Noble Rice for a meal next door. 

If none of this is appealing on the next rainy day, head to the mall, or Hyde Park Village, for a movie date. Share some popcorn and enjoy a quiet couple hours away from the rain inside a movie theater. Bring a blanket and enjoy a cozy rainy day.

Or for a unique movie experience, head to Safety Harbor. Gigglewaters is a 1920s restaurant, bar & classic movie theater in the heart of Downtown Safety Harbor. This awesome nostalgic movie spot is one of our favorite indoor activities for a rainy day in Tampa Bay.

MORE: Tampa Bay’s Most Romantic Date Ideas

Rainy Day Educational Date

Who says a date can’t be fun AND educational? A rainy day is the perfect excuse to stroll hand in hand through one of our area’s incredible museums.

Get some creative inspiration at the Dali Museum in Downtown St. Pete, and while the museum’s collection is nothing to sneeze at, there’s almost always a fun traveling exhibit to explore while you’re there as well. Be sure to check out their newest experience, Dali Alive 360, taking place in the new dome.

Learn a little more about where you live at the Tampa Bay History Center. From our earliest of settlers to the history of Gasparilla, you’ll come away with a better appreciation for your hometown.

Just down the Tampa Riverwalk from the History Center you’ll find the Tampa Museum of Art – a beautiful and modern space with a lovely collection and frequent host to traveling exhibitions. 

Rainy Day Dining

Really any restaurant with indoor dining will do the trick for a rainy day (perhaps one of these romantic restaurants in Tampa Bay), but it’s a great time to try out somewhere with lots of dining options in one place.

Armature Works is, of course, a classic – with plenty of dining options ranging from casual take-out style stalls with cuisine like pizza and BBQ, to two beautiful full-service restaurants. Don’t forget to grab some cookies from Bake n’ Babes.

Newer to Tampa and still growing, Midtown Tampa is also home to a slew of restaurants, all worth trying. You will have to bring an umbrella as there is no indoor path from restaurant to restaurant.

Keep things casual with a cheese burger at Shake Shack or indulge in some delicious pasta at Bellabrava. Cap off your dining adventure with a sweet treat like ice cream or chocolates at one of these popular and delicious dessert spots. 

Rainy Day Drinking

A little more focused on grabbing a beverage on a rainy day? We did the legwork to track down our favorite wine bars on both sides of the bay to settle in with a bottle of wine or have a nice wine tasting.

For beer fans we have a comprehensive list of all the breweries in our area so you can find one that suits your mood and location. A little brewery hopping sounds like a fun date idea to us. We love the vibe at Coppertail Brewing in Ybor City, plus they have a great menu of comfort foods ad snacks.

You could certainly spend the entirety of a rainy day throwing back brews and playing games at 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Pete. We’d hate to leave out a classic date idea – explore these coffee shops for a cozy rainy day date.

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