Explore one of Florida's most picturesque harbors on this Tampa history cruise that transports travelers back in time across stunning blue waters. See the real-life pirate ship known as Gabriella up close and take in views of million-dollar homes, popular museums, and the famous 'Plant Hotel' as you listen to expert commentary about the city's rich past.

Learn about Tampa's history on a cruise
Listen to live on-board commentary while you sail
Multiple departure times make it easy to fit into any schedule
Light refreshment are provided

What's Included

History Cruise
Bottled water
Soda/Pop

Parking
Transportation to/from attraction
Gratuities (optional}

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

PWT3 - History Center/Amalie Arena
Tampa, FL 33602, USA
Departure Point: Behind The Tampa Bay History Center at the dock Tampa FL. Address: 801 Old Water Street Tampa, FL 33602 Directions: Dock (water taxi dock #3) behind the Tampa Bay History Center 801 Old Water Street. Parking at parking lots on Chanelside drive Board the blue boat with yellow top

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

This history cruise starts at the dock, where you can seamlessly board the boat, without having to wait in long lines to buy your ticket.

As you glide past Tampa’s picturesque harbors, live onboard commentary helps you learn about how the city grew from a Spanish outpost, including stories about a local pirate ship called “Gabriella”.

To help boost your comfort and hydration levels, the trip includes soft drinks as well as bottled water.

Access plenty of great photo opportunities, including million-dollar mansions, museums, and the Plant Hotel, then finish the experience by docking at the port where you started the tour.

Henry B. Plant Museum (Pass By)

Tampa Water Taxi Company (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

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Q:Is there parking near the departure point for the Tampa History Cruise?

A:Yes - the nearest parking is at either the Garrison Street parking lot or the Channelside Parking Garage. Note: There may be fees for parking.

Mar 2021

Q:Can I bring my young child on the Tampa History Cruise?

A:We accept children of all ages from newborn and up. We have personal flotation devices for children and adults.

Mar 2021

Q:Can I bring my own drinks on board for the Tampa History Cruise?

A:Bottled water and soda are provided complimentary. You may bring and consume adult beverages on your tour as long as you are of legal age (you may use our iced cooler).

Mar 2021

Q:Are there restrooms on board the boat for the Tampa History Cruise?

A:There are no restrooms on board, however, you may use the restroom before or after the tour at the departure location.

Mar 2021

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Alyssa_A

Mark, our tour guide, did a great job at getting us in and out of the boat, provided water, and made sure everyone was comfortable. As for the tour, Mark also did a great job at explaining us the history of Tampa. It was a beautiful day to be out on the boat. Learned a lot, including that Tampa has the world's largest building made out of limestone ('beer can' building).

Reviews

4.0

570 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 570 reviews

Great tour to take in a bit of Tampa history

Kittie, Apr 2024

Group of four did this harbor cruise before boarding a Panama Canal through-transit cruise with RCCL. This was a great boat tour and provided wonderful history of Tampa and its growth. Appreciated it being a small group (about 20), and water being provided. Our captain/guide was very knowledgeable and pointed out all of the highlights along the way. I would highly recommend this tour.

Worse company ever

walter_O, Apr 2024

We never made the boat. And requested a refund because I am disabled and not able to walk the distance it was from parking to boat

Nice ride and tour

Irina_E, Apr 2024

Everything was great, except the seats there. Just know that to see everything well, you'll need to stand up.

Two hours well spent.

William_G, Apr 2024

Good history of Tanpa. Commonly/mistakenly known as Tampa. Captain Mike had a wealth of knowledge and made the ride enjoyable.

Beautiful day! Great tour!

Alyssa_A, Apr 2024

Wanted to know the owner...

David_N, Apr 2024

Wanted to know the owner of 1st of the 9 mansions on Davis Island Pleasant day, water was cold, Captain knew all sorts of things about now and past of the area.

Well informed tour guide,...

Christian_N, Apr 2024

Well informed tour guide, great sites to see, overall awesome atmosphere and experience. Would recommend!

Awesome tour / cruise!

Wanda_T, Apr 2024

Our Captain was very kind, extremely knowledgeable and safety minded. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and would highly recommend it to others.

Nice afternoon

Yvette_C, Apr 2024

Well informed and learned a lot and was able to see sites you would not really have seen just traveling in car. Weather was great for this cruise.

Customer service is not on the tour

Matt_H, Apr 2024

Not like other viator boat tours I've been on. if you've never been- go VERY early. It's not on a commercial dock with signage and a check in booth. This is across the street from the commercial waterfront, hidden behind a tree line with no signage. I'm sure the ride was great, but the boat drove away as we finally found it. No refunds, no reschedule. Customer service was awful.

Love the water

Melveta_F, Apr 2024

I'm moved here about eight months ago. Have my babies visiting here with me, It was very interesting to find out a lot about Tampa. A very beautiful view on the water.

Great info

Sharanda_H, Apr 2024

Loved the historical info and seeing the mansions. Very relaxing. The tour guy was phenomenal! He definitely knew a lot about the history of Tampa

Your time

Yolanda_S, Apr 2024

Great tour…. Learned a lot about Tampa’s history. Fun seeing mansion row Derek Jeter’s mansion . The rowing teams wall tags

Our trip to Tampa Florida

Rubylee_F, Apr 2024

We had a wonderful time on the boat with the yellow top the young man that tells you everything he was very knowledgeable and we had a lot of laughter and fun and the pictures were beautiful. The water was real. What a gorgeous time can’t wait to do it again.

Viator’s cancellation policy is poor.

Norman_C, Apr 2024

My flight was delayed so my friends and I were unable to go on the cruise. I called a Viator rep 12 hours in advance to see if I could cancel, or amend my reservation and the response was “no”.When I asked if a voucher could be provided, the response was “no”.

Such an enjoyable trip!

Lindsay_B, Apr 2024

This was an awesome adventure. We loved hearing about some really interesting history about Tampa, seeing the area from the water & enjoying the day. Our guide was fabulous.

Very pleasant and informative

wwcindy, Mar 2024

The boat tour was terrific. Lots of great information, beautiful views. A great way to see the city! My only advice is to definitely get to the parking area early as it’s not easy to find the dock even with great instructions and the boat itself is not very comfortable. It’s not what you think of as a typical harbor cruise boat. It’s metal bench seating around the sides.

Fun and Informative!

Victoria_R, Mar 2024

Fun and informative! Great trip for the money. Nice to be out on a boat on a beautiful day. Had a great time.

Fun, engaging, and entertaining!

Anastasia_S, Mar 2024

One of the next excursions I have done in a while. What makes it amazing is the tour guide. He is friendly, personable, and knowledgeable. He has an outgoing personality and makes everyone feels special. He is also very knowledgeable about the area. Would 100% recommend!

Just book!

Margie_J, Mar 2024

If you're looking to do a solo date or maybe perhaps looking to entertain family.. this is great boat ride to to do. I've done it 4 times already and absolutely love it. Very informative and worth the price.

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