Tampa to Kissimmee drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Tampa to Kissimmee drive are Dinosaur World, the Bing Rooming House Museum and Lakeland FL. The distance from Tampa to Kissimmee is 73 miles, with a 1h20m driving time.
Finding the best things to do between Tampa and Kissimmee
The Tampa to Kissimmee drive connects the west coast to central Florida.
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.
Effectively a southern suburb of Orlando, family-friendly Kissimmee goes its own way. The Old Town Entertainment District, full of restaurants, bars and fairground-esque attractions, is the centerpiece.
Good Kissimmee experiences include airboat swamp tours, self-guided lakefront tours on an electrified adult trike and scenic helicopter flights over Florida’s theme parks.
Perhaps best of all, though, is a two hour eco-kayaking tour. This heads through the cypress forest on Shingle Creek – the headwaters of the Everglades.
Reliably good Kissimmee hotels include the Banana Bay Resort and the affordably retro Hotel Monte Carlo.
Tampa to Kissimmee distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Tampa to Kissimmee is 73 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and 20 minutes. The quickest route is mostly along the I-4 and US-17.
The best stops to add to a Tampa to Kissimmee road trip itinerary are Dinosaur World, the Bing Rooming House Museum and Lakeland FL.
Best stops between Tampa and Kissimmee: Dinosaur World
Dinosaur World to the west of Plant City is not exactly Jurassic Park. But it does bring hundreds of life-size dinosaur models together in one place. The idea is that you get to see them in a natural setting, walking along the trails and boardwalks. There are also interactive exhibits, a dinosaur-themed playground and a massive gift shop on site.
Tampa to Kissimmee drive: Bing Rooming House Museum
The Bing Rooming House Museum in Plant City FL is an attempt to preserve African-American heritage from an African-American perspective. It focuses on the segregation era, using artifacts, written documents and oral histories to tell the stories.
During the segregation era, the museum building was a hotel for people of color.
Tampa to Kissimmee road trip attractions: Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a somewhat overlooked Florida City which is, as the name suggests, based around a series of lakes. Of these, Lake Mirror is the most popular, with a promenade and amphitheatre. It also has Hollis Garden, an impressive botanical garden, at the southern end. For something less sculpted, the Circle B Bar Reserve is a former cattle ranch that is now a great place to see alligators.
The city is also home to Florida Southern University, which has the world’s largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
Good Lakeland hotel choices include the spacious SpringHill Suites and the affordable, pool-equipped Travelodge.
More Tampa road trips
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