Gainesville to Tampa road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The distance from Gainesville to Tampa by car is 130 miles, with a 2h4m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Gainesville to Tampa drive are Paynes Preserve State Park, Ocala FL and Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.
Planning a Gainesville to Tampa road trip itinerary
The Gainesville to Tampa drive connects one of Florida’s more interesting inland cities to the west coast.
Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.
For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.
Gainesville hotel prices can rise sharply based on university and football events. Hunt for bargains in advance.
Tampa is justifiably one of the most popular holiday destinations in Florida. It’s home to top attractions such as the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa, the Adventure Island water park and Busch Gardens theme park.
Other great Tampa experiences include historic Ybor City food walking tours, seeing the highlights in a street legal golf cart and a Haunted Tampa tour that combines ghosts and pubs.
Also on offer are Segway tours, history cruises, dolphin-watching and celebrity homes tours.
Tampa accommodation is best booked in advance – look for deals here.
Gainesville to Tampa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Gainesville to Tampa is 130 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and four minutes. The quickest route is mostly along the I-75.
The best stops to add to a Gainesville to Tampa road trip itinerary are Paynes Preserve State Park, Ocala FL and Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.
For more suggestions, see the guides to the individual sections of the drive:
Gainesville to Tampa drive: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park feels like it ought to be much further west than it is. Bison and wild horses roam free here, alongside the more common to Florida deer and alligators.
There are eight trails in the park, with the highlight being the 16 miles Gainesville-Hawthorn Trail. There’s also a 50ft observation tower from which you can take in the panoramic views.
Best stops between Gainesville and Tampa
Ocala is home to the Golden Gypsy Horse Farm, where visitors can meet the rare and beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses. The Appleton Museum of Art, meanwhile, mixes contemporary art with pre-Columbian artifacts and the Discovery Center does the interactive science thing.
The most important site in Ocala, however, is the Fort King National Historic Landmark. This was a major military post in the Second Seminole War, and the first inland fort in Florida.
Book ahead for Ocala hotel deals.
Gainesville to Tampa road trip attractions: Dade Battlefield Historic State Park
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park commemorates the 1835 battle that sparked the Second Seminole War. This was the longest and most costly American-Indian war in the country’s history, lasting seven years.
The visitor center has a small museum explaining more about the Florida Seminole Wars, while picnics, hiking and wildlife-spotting are other options within the park.
More Gainesville FL road trips
Atlanta to Gainesville | Gainesville to Jacksonville | Gainesville to Ocala | Gainesville to Orlando | Gainesville to St Augustine | Tallahassee to Gainesville.
More Tampa road trips
Asheville to Tampa | Atlanta to Tampa | Austin to Tampa | Baltimore to Tampa | Buffalo to Tampa | Dallas to Tampa | Tampa to Daytona Beach | Tampa to Destin | Houston to Tampa | Jacksonville to Tampa | Lakeland to Tampa | Memphis to Tampa | Nashville to Tampa | Ocala to Tampa | Orlando to Tampa | Philadelphia to Tampa | Pittsburgh to Tampa | Tampa to St Augustine | St Louis to Tampa | Tallahassee to Tampa | Valdosta to Tampa | Washington DC to Tampa.