Westshore / International PlazaVisiting fans pick this
25 min. walk (roughly 1-1. There is no public transport to Raymond James Stadium on game day, so the only thing that matters is how short and cheap your rideshare is. Westshore puts you about a mile from the stadium, with the AC Hotel Tampa Airport at 0.9 miles and the Renaissance International Plaza at 1.2 miles. There's a mall full of restaurants, the Boy Scout Boulevard dining strip, and TPA is ten minutes away. Some fans walk it.
Downtown Tampa / ChannelsideVisiting fans pick this
rideshare only, no game-day transit service exists. This is the right choice if you want a city weekend rather than a mall weekend. You get the riverwalk, Amalie Arena, Sparkman Wharf, and the free TECO Line streetcar to Ybor City. The downside is there's no transit link to the stadium, so budget a rideshare each way, roughly 5 miles, with heavy surge pricing and long lines after the game.
Around the stadium
From a specialist guide
Westshore / Boy Scout Boulevard works, with one catch. The stadium's immediate surroundings are parking lots and Dale Mabry Highway, with almost nothing in walking distance. About a mile away, though, the Westshore district has real hotel and restaurant options: the Econo Lodge at 0.6 miles, AC Hotel Tampa Airport at 0.9 miles, Renaissance International Plaza at 1.2 miles, plus the Boy Scout Boulevard restaurant strip and the International Plaza mall. A lot of locals eat and drink on Dale Mabry or Boy Scout Blvd, then walk the mile and a half to the stadium.
Map of the area
Tap a pin to see the place.
Getting to Raymond James Stadium
From Tampa International
Checked at the source
TPA, Tampa International Airport, is a short rideshare or taxi ride away. HART bus routes 10, 30, and 32 serve TPA seven days a week, with Route 30 running between downtown and the airport.
On game day
From a specialist guide
. On foot from the Westshore / Boy Scout Blvd hotels and bars, about 30 min to Roughly a mile and a half.
Parking and tailgating at Raymond James Stadium
Tailgating
Checked at the source
Bucs Beach in the South Plaza off Tampa Bay Blvd is free, open to the public, and needs no game ticket at all. It has shaded lounges, tiki bars, a DJ, fan competitions, and cheerleader appearances. It opens 3.5 hours before kickoff and closes at the start of the first quarter, so a fan without a ticket can enjoy it and then watch the game elsewhere. The adjacent Bucs Kids Zone in Lot 6D is also free, opening 3.5 hours before kickoff and closing 30 minutes before kickoff. Bucs Beach is in the South Plaza off Tampa Bay Blvd. It's free, no game ticket needed, and it opens 3.5 hours before kickoff and closes at the start of the first quarter. Bucs Kids Zone is in Lot 6D, south of Bucs Beach. It's free, opens 3.5 hours before kickoff, and closes 30 minutes before kickoff.
Game day at Raymond James Stadium
Getting in
Checked at the source
Bag policy: This is the strictest bag policy in the group, a true no-bag venue rather than a clear-bag one. No bags are permitted other than one small clutch bag no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. A clear 12x6x12 bag, which is fine at the other four stadiums in this group, is not allowed here. Storage lockers are available to rent on Tom McEwen Blvd near the Suzuki Marine Gate. The bag policy itself does not list a medical, diaper, or breast-pump exception.
Re-entry: Re-entry is not permitted, except in a medical emergency. This is the stadium rule. The separate parking rule, that parking passes are not valid for re-entry into the stadium's parking lots, is a distinct lot-level restriction and should not be confused with the gate rule.
Prohibited items: Banned items include all bags beyond the one small clutch, glass and plastic bottles, cans and hard-sided containers, coolers, aerosol sunscreen, umbrellas, professional cameras with detachable lenses, video recorders, GoPros and tripods, noisemakers, weapons, smoking and tobacco, and drones.
Touring the stadium
Checked at the source
The Behind the Scenes tour is a good, cheap option, but it only runs Monday to Friday, so it's not available on a Sunday game day or the Saturday before. Tours in the week of an event may also get pulled, and the stadium published a full closure from September 5 to 15, 2026 around the Bruno Mars concerts. Tour slots are posted on Fridays for the following week and must be booked in advance at raymondjamesstadium.com/stadiumtours.
After the final whistle
From a specialist guide
No published clearance time. The Tampa Sports Authority warns only that for sold-out games it will take some time to clear the lots, and each lot routes to a fixed exit road. Every rideshare, taxi, and bus gets funneled through Steinbrenner Field, so expect a long line there. The standard workaround is to walk northeast toward Westshore and order a car from a side street.
One thing to avoid
From a specialist guide
Don't assume Tampa has a transit plan for game day, because it doesn't. There is no special-event bus service for Buccaneers games. The official mass transit option is just a drop-off point at Steinbrenner Field. Don't plan on the beaches either. Clearwater and St Pete Beach are 45 minutes to an hour away across the bay with no transit link, so a game-day round trip from there is a serious undertaking.
Food and drink at Raymond James Stadium
What to eat
The local food this city is known for: the Tampa Cuban sandwich.
Inside the stadium, 2026 season
Tampa Cubans at stands 137, 209, 232, 309 and 334, on bread from Ybor City, and a vegetarian version on the club level at stands 214 and 238. Source
Stand line-ups change every season.
Bars near the stadium
Checked at the source
Bucs Beach (South Plaza)
South Plaza, off Tampa Bay Blvd, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Since Tampa has no walkable bar district, Bucs Beach is the honest answer to where you drink before a Bucs game. It's free, open to the public, needs no game ticket, and opens 3.5 hours before kickoff.
Away fans: mixed
La Teresita Restaurant, Google Maps
La Teresita Restaurant
3248 West Columbus Drive, Tampa, FL 33607
La Teresita has been run by the Capdevila family since 1972, more than five decades of Cuban and Spanish cooking on Columbus Drive. It's one of the few places that connects a Bucs afternoon to Tampa's actual Cuban heritage instead of a chain sports bar.
Karen Elise, Google Maps
Cigar City Brewing - Tampa Taproom
3924 West Spruce Street, Tampa, FL 33607
Cigar City opened in 2009 and is the brewery that put Tampa on the American craft beer map. Its Spruce Street taproom is the closest thing to a destination room on the stadium's ring road.
Things to do around Raymond James Stadium
Listed in the order they happen on game day. Each one earns points.
Tour100 points
Raymond James Stadium tour
This is a 75-minute walking tour on weekdays that takes you through a club, a suite, the pirate ship, the visiting and USF locker rooms, and onto the field. It runs daily at 2 PM for $16.56 for adults and $10.35 for ages 5 to 11, with no tours on weekends or game days.
$. The day before. Bookable
Eat65 points
Honey Cuban sandwich at West Tampa Sandwich Shop
It's a counter-service spot in West Tampa about a mile east of the stadium, open since 1992, and it's home of the original honey Cuban. It only does breakfast and lunch, Monday to Saturday, 6 AM to 3 PM.
$. The day before
Outing40 points
Glazer Children's Museum
This hands-on children's museum sits on the Riverwalk at Gasparilla Plaza. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 AM to 5 PM during the school year, and tickets run $27.95 general, $22.95 for Florida residents, with kids under 1 free.
$$. The day before
Landmark65 points
Ybor City's 7th Avenue
This cigar district was founded in 1885 by Vicente Martinez Ybor, and its factories rolled 500 million cigars in 1929. It's now a National Historic Landmark District, and 7th Avenue was named one of America's 10 Great Streets in 2008.
Free. The day before
Landmark65 points
Ride the free TECO Line streetcar
This free streetcar links downtown Tampa, the Channel District and Ybor City on a 2.7-mile line with 11 covered stations, running every 15 minutes, seven days a week. Use it to get between the Riverwalk and dinner in Ybor.
Free. The day before
Eat65 points
Dinner at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City
Spanish-Cuban restaurant founded 1905, filling a city block with fifteen dining rooms. Known for the 1905 Salad and Cuban sandwich, with flamenco shows in the El Siboney room. Sunday hours 11 AM to 9 PM.
$$$. 19 hours before kickoff
Photo25 points
Tampa Riverwalk at Curtis Hixon Park
This is a 2.6-mile paved path along the Hillsborough River through downtown, linking parks, museums and restaurants. The stretch by Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park faces the river and the University of Tampa minarets across the water.
Free. 19 hours before kickoff
Drink25 points
Hattricks sports bar downtown
It's a downtown sports bar on Franklin Street with TVs all through the room for Bucs, Lightning and Rays games, plus pregame parties when there's an event at the arena nearby. It opens at 11 AM, but closing time varies, so call ahead.
$$. 18 hours before kickoff
Eat65 points
Cuban bread breakfast at La Segunda Bakery
Ybor City bakery open since 1915 that bakes more than 18,000 loaves of Cuban bread a day. Open 6:30 AM to 3 PM daily, so it works for an early Sunday stop before the stadium.
$. 5 hours before kickoff
Ritual25 points
Cannon fire from the pirate ship
The Buccaneers' pirate ship was built in 1998 as a scaled replica of an 1800s vessel and sits inside the stadium. Its cannons fire during Bucs games, but the ship itself is closed on event days, and you'll need a ticket to see it.
$$$. At kickoff
Eat65 points
Post-game steak at Bern's Steak House
This Tampa steakhouse has been open since 1956, with prime cuts dry-aged in house for five to eight weeks and a cellar holding over half a million bottles. They've also got the Harry Waugh Dessert Room, and it's open Sunday 5 to 10 PM, so book ahead.
$$$. 5 hours after kickoff
Seats and views at Raymond James Stadium
Where each part of the stadium sits, and what you see from it.
100 level100s, for example 102 to 145200 level200s, for example 203 to 241300 level300s, for example 304 to 344Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.
